Scientific Programme

DAY 1 │ Thursday, October 9, 2025 DAY 2 │ Friday, October 10, 2025 DAY 3 │ Saturday, October 11, 2025 DOWNLOAD THE SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME IN PDF FILE


DAY 1 │ Thursday, October 9, 2025

Time Divani Caravel Hotel
MACEDONIA HALL  PELLA HALL
08:00-17:00 Registration
09:00-11:00 STI Advanced Course | Session 1: Treatment problems with bacterial STI's 
Chairs: Mikhail Gomberg (United Kingdom) - Michel Janier (France)

09:00-09:30 Stephan Lautenschlager (Switzerland): Tricky problems with syphilis
09:30-10:00 David Lewis (Australia): Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae. How big is the problem?
10:00-10:30 Georg Stary (Austria): C. trachomatis - new treatment options?
10:30-11:00 Jorgen Skov Jensen (Denmark): Resistant MG: How to test, how to treat?

11:00-11:30 Break
11:30-13:00 STI Advanced Course | Session 2: Treatment problems with selected STIs
Chairs: Airi Poder (Estonia)- Henry de Vries (The Netherlands)

11:30-11:50 Claudia Heller-Vitouch (Austria): Recurrent Scabies
11:50-12:10 Peter Greenhouse (United Kingdom): Chronic candidiasis/Candidosis
12:10-12:30 Jackie Sherrard: Trichomonas
12:30-13:00 Andrew Winter (United Kingdom): Presentation of difficult cases

13:00-13:40 Lunch Break
13:40-15:10 STI Advanced Course | Session 3: Recurrent viral infections: Are there treatment solutions? 
Chairs: Mihael Skerlev (Croatia)- Derek Freedman (Ireland)

13:40-14:00 Raj Patel (United Kingdom): HSV: tricky problems
14:00-14:20 Colm O'Mahony (United Kingdom): HPV: when and what to treat
14:20-14:40 Josep Riera-Monroig  (Spain): MPOX: is it a problematic STI in Europe?
14:40-15:00 Sébastien Fouéré (France): PEP and PREP
15:00-15:10 Angelika Stary (Austria) & Marco Cusini (Italy): Closure
 
15:15-16:45 Symposium 1: Advancing Sexual Health Equity for Migrants MHWG | ILDS 
Chairs:Konstantinos Protopapas (Greece)- Valeska Padovese (Malta) 

Sasha Fahme
(United States): Engaging male sexual partners of Syrian refugee women in care: Findings from an ongoing implementation science study to address reproductive tract infections in a humanitarian setting of protracted forced displacement
Karel Blondeel (Switzerland): HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening in conflict areas and hard-to-reach populations
Colm O'Mahony (United Kingdom): STDs in patients of ethnic origin, don’t get caught out
Jose-Antonio Ruiz-Postigo (Switzerland): The role of AI technology in managing skin diseases and STIs in displaced populations
Konstantinos Protopapas (Greece): Addressing HIV in migrants and refugees in the Greek islands
Valeska Padovese (Malta): Reach-out – integrated sexual health interventions for hard-to-reach populations in Italy, Malta, and Greece
Discussion
Workshop 1: To screen or not to screen? Dutch experience with the abandonment of screening asymptomatic clients 
Chair: Birgit van Benthem (The Netherlands) – Nicole Dukers (The Netherlands) - Henry de Vries (The Netherlands)

Welcome and introduction by the Chairs
Nicole Dukers (The Netherlands): Guideline development and content, policy at SHC, what are the changes and for whom
Hanna Bos (The Netherlands): Communication messages/Media coverage
Bernice Hoenderboom (The Netherlands): Implementation research among SHC professionals, what is needed for successful de-implementation? (VIMP)
Inge van Loo (The Netherlands): Laboratory challenges
Daphne van Wees (The Netherlands): Changes in STI testing behavior after the implementation of restrictive chlamydia testing guidelines for asymptomatic individuals at Dutch Sexual Health Centers
Birgit van Benthem (The Netherlands): Complications surveillance
Zoïe Alexiou (The Netherlands): Current trends in surveillance data
Discussion

Venue: National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Central Building)

18:00-19:20 Opening Ceremony
Chairs: Electra Nicolaidou (Greece) - George-Sorin Tiplica (Romania) 

Welcome Addresses
Electra Nicolaidou
, Congress President 
Sotirios Theocharis
, President of the Hellenic Society of Dermatology and Venereology
Claudia Heller-Vitouch
, Regional Director of IUSTI Europe
Christopher Fairley
, President of IUSTI
Nikolaos Arkadopoulos
, Dean of the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens 
Pagona Lagiou
, Dean of the School of Health Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
Irini Agapidaki
, Deputy Minister of Health

Opening Lectures
Michael Waugh
(United Kingdom): Hippocrates to now – Aspects of Our Civilisation
Kieron S. Leslie
(United States): Sexual Health from Hippocrates to AI: Evolution of Knowledge & Care
Andreas Katsambas
(Greece): Eros and Ethics; From Plato and Epicurus
19:30 Networking session

DAY 2 │ Friday, October 10, 2025

Time Divani Caravel Hotel
Athens View Hall (Rooftop)
07:30-08:30 Bagels and Bugs - BASHH and IUSTI-Eu Scholarship recipients | Breakfast offered by BASHH

Chairs: Matthew Phillips (United Kingdom) - George-Sorin Tiplica (Romania) 

Open to Scholarship recipients only.
Time Divani Caravel Hotel “Andreas Syggros” Hospital
MACEDONIA HALL PELLA HALL Wax Model Museum
08:00-19:00 Registration
08:30-09:30 Session 1: Providing equitable sexual health care in a digital world: using the research to design and deliver inclusive services to reduce health inequalities
Chair: Andrew Winter (United Kingdom) 

Claudia Estcourt
(United Kingdom): How should we design and deploy equitable online clinical care pathways for STI testing and management? Evidence from The SEQUENCE Digital Research Programme
Filippo Zimbile (The Netherlands): The Dutch Stepped Care Model: Using Stepped care to plan eSexual Health and promote self-care
Melvina Woode Owusu (United Kingdom): Using co-production to develop culturally sensitive online sexual health interventions for young people – why we need to blur the researcher-lay person boundaries
Discussion
Symposium 2: Euroguidelines in Central and Eastern Europe Network Group (ECEE) | Prevention of HIV and other STIs: Are we at the edge of the cliff?
Chairs: Valeska Padovese (Malta) - Arjan Harxhi (Albania) 

Konstantinos Protopapas
(Greece):  HPV vaccination across Europe: The need for scaling-up
Deniz Gökengin (Turkey): Pre-exposure prophylaxis: Barriers and gaps

Group Discussion
The potential impact of US aid cuts on programs in Europe and expected consequences

Discussion
WHO Workshop: Global STIs control in difficult times

Chair: Ismaël Maatouk (WHO)

Ismaël Maatouk (WHO): Global STI control in the face of crisis: innovations and opportunities
Daniel McCartney (WHO): The new WHO comprehensive STI guidelines: what you need to know
David Lewis (Australia): Drug-resistant STIs: breaking down the latest evidence
Barbara van der Pol (United States): Smarter diagnostics: transforming syndromic management in LMICs
Henry de Vries (The Netherlands): To screen or not? Navigating the evidence
Ismaël Maatouk (WHO): Q&A
09:30-10:30 Session 2: Revolutionizing STI care: The Impact of AI
Chairs: Barbara Van der Pol (United States) - Claire Dewsnap (United Kingdom) 

Barbara Van der Pol
(United States): Potential Implications of STI At-Home Self-Testing
Piergiacomo Calzavara Pinton (Italy): Advanced non invasive diagnostic technologies of STDs
Dimitra Koumaki (Greece): Genital warts and AI
Claire Dewsnap (United Kingdom): Syphilis in 2025
Discussion
Session 3: Combating antimicrobial resistance in STIs
Chairs: Christopher Kenyon (Belgium) - Jorgen Skov Jensen (Denmark) 

Helene Zondag
(The Netherlands): Monitoring Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the Netherlands: Insights from the Dutch Reference Laboratory
Christopher Kenyon (Belgium): What happened to the incidence of N. gonorrhoeae and C. trachomatis since stopping screening for these infections in MSM in Belgium?
Jorgen Skov Jensen (Denmark): Antimicrobial resistance in Mycoplasma genitalium
Andrei Tanasov (Romania): Bracing for resistance: Challenges and Gaps in Monitoring Gonorrhea AMR
Discussion
Free Communications 1
Chair: Irene Stefanaki (Greece) - Maciej Pastuszczak (Poland)

To view the full structure, please click here 
10:30-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00-12:30 Free Communications 2
Chair: Stamatios Gregoriou (Greece) - Zoïe Alexiou (The Netherlands)

To view the full structure, please click here 
Symposium3: STI POCT in Clinical Care: Overcoming Challenges, Maximising Opportunities | Hosted by Sexually Transmitted Infections (BMJ Group)
Chairs: Anna Maria Geretti (United Kingdom/Italy) - Carmen Lisboa (Portugal) 

Welcome & Introduction by the Chairs
Anna Maria Geretti
(United Kingdom/Italy): The Journal Perspective
Live audience poll

Apostolos Beloukas
(Greece): STI POCT Today: Available Tests and What’s Next
Valeska Padovese
(Malta): Effecting change: Driving POCT Adoption from Labs to Clinics

Live audience poll
Barbara Van der Pol
(United States): Adopting STI POCT: Key Considerations and Strategies
Karel Blondeel
(Switzerland): Experiences from the Field

Panel Discussion

Live audience poll

Closing remarks

Workshop 2: Gender identity, inclusion, diversity in collaboration with The Love Tank CIC
Chair: John McSorley (United Kingdom)

Leonardo Pavam
(United Kingdom)
Benjamin Weil
(United Kingdom)   
12:30-13:00 SATELLITE LECTURE 1
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13:00-14:00 SATELLITE SYMPOSIUM 1
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14:00-15:15 Plenary Session 1: Syphilis: the persistent challenge
Chairs: Electra Nicolaidou (Greece) - Marco Cusini (Italy) - Airi Poder (Estonia) 

Marco Cusini
(Italy): Syphilis: still a difficult diagnosis
Pille Konno (Estonia): Oral syphilis
Maciek Pastuszczak (Poland): Immunological determinants of the serological response to the treatment of early syphilis
Susana Muñoz-Gómez (Spain): Exploring Alternative Syphilis Treatments: Linezolid and Cefixime for Early Syphilis, Neurosyphilis, and Pregnancy
Discussion


15:15-16:30 Session 4: Managing genital herpes: Challenges and solutions
Chairs: Raj Patel (United Kingdom) - Suzana Ljubojević Hadžavdić (Croatia) 

Suzana Ljubojević Hadžavdić (Croatia): Managing Genital Herpes in Pregnancy
Matthew Phillips (United Kingdom): Criminalization of STI transmission
Emily Clarke (United Kingdom): Why did the UK change its Herpes Management in Pregnancy Guideline
Raj Patel (United Kingdom): Update on subclinical shedding and transmission - can we do better?
Discussion
Session 5: Carring for HIV in an STI Clinic
Chairs: Martin Chio (Singapore) - Gemma Martin Ezquerra (Spain) 

Gemma Martin Ezquerra
(Spain): HIV related skin indicators
Martin Chio (Singapore): Cases of HIV Dermatology from South East Asia
Mina Psichogiou (Greece): Missed opportunities for early HIV diagnosis in Greece
Giovanni Villa (Ireland): Carring for HIV in an STI Clinic
Barbara Suligoi (Italy):  HIV among STI patients: challenges for early diagnosis and prevention
Discussion
Workshop 3: EuroTEST | How to organize a testing campaign – experiences from European Testing Week
Chairs:Tom Platteau (Belgium) - Deniz Gökengin (Turkey) 

Welcome and introduction by the Chairs


European Testing Week

Jürgen Rockstroh (Germany): General introduction to the EuroTEST Initiative, incl. example of EuroTEST work: study on testing consent requirements in Europe
Cæcilie Bom Kahama (Denmark): European Testing Week and Test Finder
Jason Farrell (The Netherlands), Maka Gogia (Georgia), Giorgos Keratsas (Greece): How to implement a testing campaign – practical examples from European Testing Week participating organisations
Valeska Padovese (Malta): Testing migrants and mobile populations – example from Malta

Panel discussion
(Chairs & Speakers): How to use ETW as a campaign nationally to increase awareness and uptake of testing

Questions from the audience
16:30-17:00 Coffee Break
17:00-17:30 SATELLITE LECTURE 2
For more information, please click here


 17:30-18:00 SATELLITE LECTURE 3
For more information, please click here
   
18:00-19:00 Debate: This House Strongly Supports the Use of AI in Sexual Care 
Chair: Peter Greenhouse (United Kingdom) 

18:00-18:05 Introduction and First Vote
18:05-18:20 Tom Nadarzynski (United Kingdom): For the motion
18:20-18:35 Claudia Estcourt (United Kingdom): Against the motion
18:35-18:50 Open Discussion
18:50-18:56 Responses: For/Against
18:56-19:00 Summary and Final vote


DAY 3 │ Saturday, October 11, 2025

Time Divani Caravel Hotel “Andreas Syggros” Hospital
MACEDONIA HALL PELLA HALL Wax Model Museum
08:00-18:00 Registration
 08:00-08:45    IUSTI-Eu General Assembly  
09:00-10:00 Session 6: STIs beyond the genitals!
Chairs: Carmen Salavastru (Romania) - Nicolas Dupin (France) 

Carmen Salavastru
(Romania): Scabies
Nicolas Dupin (France): Syphilis: an old disease going forward
Valeria Gaspari (Italy): Microbiome and Bacterial STIs: Emerging Perspectives
Gilbert Donders (Belgium): Global burden of vulvovaginitis
Discussion
Session 7: Rewriting the STI Playbook
Chairs: Janet Wilson (United Kingdom) - Nikolai Tsankov (Bulgaria) - Jana Tresnak Hercogova (Czech Republic)

Klaus Jansen (Germany): Mpox situation and measures in Germany
Jana Kazandjieva (Bulgaria): Syphilis and great personalities
Janet Wilson (United Kingdom): Redefining how we manage bacterial vaginosis
Discussion
Workshop 4: How to write a good manuscript
Chairs: Andrei Tanasov (Romania) - George-Sorin Tiplica (Romania)

Andrei Tanasov (Romania): Introduction to the International Journal of Dermatology
George-Sorin Tiplica (Romania): A reviewers’ work
Victor Gabriel Clatici (Romania): Writing AI assisted journal papers
Discussion
10:00-11:00 Symposium 4: BASHH | Session Gender & Sexual Minority Health in 2025 
Chairs: Matthew Phillips (United Kingdom) - Sally Jewsbury (United Kingdom)

Tom Witney
(United Kingdom): Trans+ people's perspectives on sexual health services in the United Kingdom
Kate Nambiar
(United Kingdom): Common presentations in trans men accessing sexual health services
Dwayne-Wilson Hunt
(United Kingdom): Intersectionality in sexual health for LGBTQ+ people
Discussion
Session 8: The genital skin in clinical practice - with an AI twist
Chairs: Eija Hiltunen-Back (Finland) - Arne Wikström (Sweden) - Claudia Heller-Vitouch (Austria) 

Eija Hiltunen-Back
(Finland): Selected clinical cases
Arne Wikström (Sweden): Selected clinical cases
Claudia Heller-Vitouch (Austria): Selected clinical cases
Ionela Manole (Romania), Louisa Heller (Austria): AI diagnostic
Discussion
Workshop 5: Biopsy and dermoscopy in the genital area

Chairs: Alexandra Irina Butacu (Romania) - Dimitrios Sgouros (Greece)

Speakers:

Alexandra Irina Butacu (Romania)
Dimitrios Sgouros (Greece)
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-12:15 Symposium 5: EADV - IUSTI-Eu 
Chairs: Branka Marinovic (Croatia) - George-Sorin Tiplica (Romania) 

Carmen Lisboa
 (Portugal): Impact of HPV vaccine on male disease
Christopher Bunker (United Kingdom): Avoiding penile cancer
Colm O'Mahony (United Kingdom): Blamestorming: a wise man learns from his mistakes; an even wiser one learns from others’ mistakes               
Discussion
Session 9: HIV: Bridging Science to the Patient for Optimal Care 
Chairs: Anna Maria Geretti (United Kingdom/Italy) - Deniz Gökengin (Turkey) 

Anna Maria Geretti
(United Kingdom/Italy): Optimising ART Initiation After HIV PrEP Breakthrough
Deniz Gökengin (Turkey): Managing HIV and STIs in CEE:easier said than done
Kieron S. Leslie (United States): Compounded Immunosuppression: Elevated STI and HPV-Related Cancer Prevalence and Incidence in People Living with Both HIV and Organ Transplant compared to HIV-only and Organ Transplant-only Controls
Discussion
Free Communications 3
Chair: Evdoxia Panou (Greece) ) - Emily Clarke (United Kingdom)

To view the full structure, please click here 
12:15-13:15 SATELLITE SYMPOSIUM 2
For more information, please click here


13:15-14:15 Plenary Session 2: DoxyPEP - We know the facts, but how should we use it? An open discussion of the utilisation of doxyPEP, and the consequences. 
Moderator: Derek Freedman (Ireland) 

Henry de Vries (The Netherlands)
John White (United Kingdom)
Sébastien Fouéré (France)
Georg Stary (Austria)
Christopher Kenyon (Belgium)


14:15-15:00 Lunch break
15:00-16:30 Session 10: Psoriasis, hidradenitis suppurativa and other Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases on the anogenital area 
Chairs: Electra Nicolaidou (Greece) - Alexandros Stratigos (Greece) - Usha Hartgill (Norway) 

Electra Nicolaidou
 (Greece): Treatment of genital psoriasis: tips and tricks
Irene Stefanaki (Greece): Psoriasis treatment with systemics and biologics in special populations
Evangelos J. Giamarellos-Bourboulis (Greece): Hidradenitis suppurativa with genital manifestations
Marie-Aleth Richard (France): Women with Hidradenitis suppurativa in childbearing age: special issues
Usha Hartgill (Norway): Current trends and future strategies in medical and surgical management of HS
Sandra Jerkovic Gulin (Sweden): Crohn’s disease lesions in the genital area
Symposium 6: ECDC | STI Testing and Treatment Policy Across the EU/EEA – Results from the first round of data collection by ECDC and discussion on the implications 
Chairs: Otilia Mardh (Sweden) - Lina Nerlander (Sweden)  

Presenters: 
Lina Nerlander (Sweden) - Sarah North (Denmark)

Panel: 
Eija Hiltunen-Back (Finland), Marco Cusini (Italy), Nikos Dedes (Greece), Sébastien Fouéré (France)
Workshop 6: Pearls from experts: STIs history taking. The psychological impact of STI's 
Chairs: Rochelle Hamilton (Australia) - Jacob Bornstein (Israel) 

Rochelle Hamilton
(Australia): The 5P principle for taking a sexual history - but don't forget the 6th
Maria-Angeliki Gkini (United Kingdom): Psychiatric and psychosocial commorbidities in STIs
Jacob Bornstein (Israel): I have just been diagnosed with cervical HPV infection. What should I tell my partner?
Andrei Tanasov (Romania): Stigma as a Barrier to STI Testing and Care: Evidence from a Multio-Country Exploration
Discussion
16:30-18:00 Session 11: IUSTI World Presidents 
Moderator: Christopher Fairley (Australia) 

Angelika Stary
(Austria): What is the secret of success for IUSTI?
Raj Patel (United Kingdom): The Lost Years - Fracture and Unification
Michael Waugh (United Kingdom): The Challenges I saw as Secretary General and The Name Change at Melbourne 1997
David Lewis (Australia): Why is it so important for IUSTI to build up and support the African region?
Janet Wilson (United Kingdom): Why your involvement in IUSTI is important
Christopher Fairley (Australia): Observations and reflections on the organisation
Discussion
Free Communications 4
Chair:  Vasiliki Nikolaou (Greece) - Béatrice Bercot (France)

To view the full structure, please click here
Workshop 7: Genital diseases - a never ending story 
Chairs: Alexander Katoulis (Greece) – Aikaterini I. Liakou (Greece) 

Evdoxia Panou
(Greece): The genital skin in clinical practice 
Karolina Kijowska (Poland): Ocular abnormalities in patients with syphilis
Jacob Bornstein (Israel): Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia - why can’t it be eliminated by the HPV Vaccine
Carmen Lisboa (Portugal): Balanitis-Dermatitis: an overlooked clinical entity
Victor Gabriel Clatici (Romania): AI & STIs
Aikaterini I. Liakou (Greece): Hidradenitis suppurativa: Treatment paradigms
Discussion
18:00-18:30 Closing Ceremony

Electra Nicolaidou
(Greece)
Jana Tresnak Hercogova
(Czech Republic)
Christopher Fairley
(Australia)
Andrew Winter
(United Kingdom)
Janneke Heijne
(The Netherlands)
George-Sorin Tiplica
(Romania)
Claudia Heller-Vitouch
(Austria)