ASA President Welcome

On behalf of the Australian Society for Antimicrobials, I would like to invite you to the Society’s 25th Annual Scientific Meeting “Antimicrobials 2026”, to be held at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Thursday 26th - Saturday 28th February 2026.

I am pleased to announce Mark Gilchrist from the UK, Angela Huttner from Switzerland, and Chris Blyth from Western Australia will be joining the Meeting.

Mark will present the plenary "Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Home", Angela will present "Management of Urinary Tract Infections: An Exciting New Frontier?", and Chris will present "Antimicrobial Resistance in Kids".

The 2026 Howard Florey Oration will be delivered by Christopher (Kit) Fairley AO, Director of the Melbourne Sexual Health Centre and Professor of Public Health at Monash University.

The programme's symposia cover many different aspects of antimicrobials and sessions including:

• Staphylococcus aureus
• Complex AMR Infections in Vulnerable Populations
• Better Diagnostics, Optimal Treatment
• Molecular Diagnostics
• Emerging Threats and Novel Solutions 
• Optimising Antimicrobials in Different Settings – Be Proactive!

We have scheduled Pharmacy and AusCAST workshops for Saturday afternoon. The agenda includes two literature review sessions featuring Tony Korman's presentation titled "The Year in Clinical Microbiology" and Elaine Cheong's discussion on "The Year in Infectious Diseases." Additionally, the meeting will consist of six short proffered paper presentations, two proffered paper sessions, two poster sessions, and the introduction of a fast-paced Flash Poster Presentation session for 2026.

To encourage engagement between delegates and invited speakers, the meeting registration includes lunches, as well as morning and afternoon teas, and admission to the Howard Florey Dinner. 

I am confident that you will find the meeting's program both scientifically stimulating and informative. We look forward to meeting you in Adelaide!