In July 2024, dozens of African health experts with accepted talks to a major HIV/AIDS conference in Munich found themselves watching from home as their visas denied by the host country. Around the same time, U.S. government agencies facing new budget cuts outright banned their scientists from traveling to conferences (even on personal time) until an outcry forced a reversal (Source: US NIH reverses conference travel ban for scientists). These incidents underline a stark reality: academic and nonprofit public health conferences are being squeezed by a perfect storm of shrinking travel grants, slashed research funding, and record-high visa restrictions. The stakes are high. If we don’t adapt, we risk conference halls filled only with those privileged enough to afford airfare and visas, and an empty seat where a young scientist from the Global South should have been sitting, sharing insights that could save lives.
