BSAC Spring
Conference 2026

14-15 May 2026, QEII Centre, London & online

Advancing Infection Management -
From Global Challenges to Clinical Innovation

Cutting-edge research and innovation

Antimicrobial resistance is the greatest healthcare challenge of our time—be part of the solution.

Stay up to date with the latest discoveries in antimicrobial resistance, emerging treatments, and cutting-edge research presented by leading experts.

Programme, abstract submission and registration details below.  All accepted abstracts will be published in JAC-AMR

Presentations from previous conferences are available in the conference archive area.

Programme

0845
0945
1415
1045
0345
Registration & coffee
0945
1045
1515
1145
0445
Welcome and opening remarks
Professor Andrew Seaton, Consultant in Infectious Diseases & General Medicine, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde & President, BSAC - View Bio
SESSION ONE - What's new?
Chair: Professor Andrew Seaton, Consultant in Infectious Diseases & General Medicine, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde - View Bio
0950
1050
1520
1150
0450
De-linkage - making sense of the subscription model
Dr Sophie Cooper, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence - View Bio
1010
1110
1540
1210
0510
Novel antimicrobial strategies in management of diabetic foot
Professor Michael Edmonds, Kings College Hospital
1030
1130
1600
1230
0530
Beyond the bedside: The rising role of nurses as champions of stewardship
Laura Ahearn, Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust - View Bio
1050
1150
1620
1250
0550
Q&A
SESSION TWO - Microbes, money, and power: The political economy of infection
Chair: Dr Louise Sweeney, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust - View Bio
1110
1210
1640
1310
0610
Sustainable capitalism and antimicrobial effectiveness
Professor Adam Dixon, Adam Smith’s Panmure House - View Bio
1130
1230
1700
1330
0630
The price of protection: Financing infection control in an unequal world
Dr Koen Pouwels, University of Oxford - View Bio
1150
1250
1720
1350
0650
Q&A
1205
1305
1735
1405
0705
REFRESHMENT BREAK EXHIBITION & POSTER VIEWING
SESSION THREE - Infection in immunocompromised patients
1230
1330
1800
1430
0730
Low risk neutropenic sepsis – evidence and practice
1250
1350
1820
1450
0750
Managing infections in stem cell transplant recipients
Professor David van Duin, Editor-in-Chief, JAC-AMR & Professor of Medicine, University of North Carolina - View Bio
1310
1410
1840
1510
0810
Q&A
1320
1420
1850
1520
0820
LUNCH BREAK EXHIBITION & POSTER VIEWING
SESSION FOUR - SUPPORTED SESSION
1400
1500
1930
1600
0900
Supported Presentation
SESSION FIVE - Garrod lecture
Chair: Professor Andrew Seaton, Consultant in Infectious Diseases & General Medicine, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and BSAC President - View Bio
1435
1535
2005
1635
0935
Antimicrobials from bench to bedside and beyond
Dr J Peter Donnelly, former Editor in Chief, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - View Bio
1520
1620
2050
1720
1020
REFRESHMENT BREAK EXHIBITION & POSTER VIEWING
SESSION SIX - Fungal infections: Global epidemiology & new agents
1545
1645
2115
1745
1045
Global burden of fungal disease: Epidemiology, trends & emerging threats
Professor David Denning, University of Manchester
1605
1705
2135
1805
1105
Aspergillus and COPD: A Growing Concern
Professor Tom Rogers, Trinity College Dublin
1625
1725
2155
1825
1125
New antifungal agents & the future pipeline
1645
1745
2215
1845
1145
Q&A
SESSION SEVEN - JAC-AMR Invited papers session
Chair: Dr Elda Righi, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust & Associate Editor, JAC-AMR - View Bio
1700
1800
2230
1900
1200
To be selected from abstracts
1715
1815
2245
1915
1215
To be selected from abstracts
1730
1830
2300
1930
1230
To be selected from abstracts
1745
1845
2315
1945
1245
Q&A
1755
1855
2325
1955
1255
End of day 1 closing remarks
0830
0930
1400
1030
0330
Registration & coffee
SESSION EIGHT - Clinical conundrums - invited papers
Chair: Dr Ioannis Baltas, ST5 Infectious Diseases & Medical Microbiology, London Deanery & NIHR Academic Clinical Fellow in Infectious Diseases, University College London - View Bio
0850
0950
1420
1050
0350
To be selected from abstracts
0905
1005
1435
1105
0405
To be selected from abstracts
0920
1020
1450
1120
0420
To be selected from abstracts
0935
1035
1505
1135
0435
Q&A
SESSION NINE - Invited lectures
Chair: Professor Paul Long, Kings College London - View Bio
0950
1050
1520
1150
0450
Unequal care, unequal outcomes: Addressing disparities in infection management
Professor Diane Ashiru-Oredope, UKHSA - View Bio
1010
1110
1540
1210
0510
Companion animals and AMR - a rising public health risk
Professor Dorina Timofte, University of Liverpool
1030
1130
1600
1230
0530
Predicting outbreaks: How AI is transforming infection surveillance and prevention
1050
1150
1620
1250
0550
Q&A
1105
1205
1635
1305
0605
REFRESHMENT BREAK EXHIBITION & POSTER VIEWING
SESSION TEN - Fireside chat
Chair: Maggie Throup OBE - View Bio
1130
1230
1700
1330
0630
How can we close the gap and bring advanced infection diagnostics to the bedside?
Panellists:
Professor Gail Hayward, University of Oxford - View Bio
Professor Victoria Chalker, NHS England
Dr Rebecca Glover, LSHTM - View Bio
SESSION ELEVEN - SUPPORTED SESSION
1220
1320
1750
1420
0720
Supported presentation
SESSION TWELVE - Public engagement through the arts: Superbug the Movie
1255
1355
1825
1455
0755
Introducing Superbug the Movie
1310
1410
1840
1510
0810
LUNCH BREAK EXHIBITION & POSTER VIEWING
SESSION THIRTEEN - SUPPORTED SESSION
1350
1450
1920
1550
0850
Supported presentation
SESSION FOURTEEN - Neonatal sepsis
Chair: Dr Alicia Demirjian, UK Health Security Agency - View Bio
1410
1510
1940
1610
0910
Global burden and epidemiology of neonatal sepsis
Dr Abhi Das, University College Hospital
1430
1530
2000
1630
0930
Antimicrobial stewardship and challenges in LMIC settings
Professor Khalid Yunis, American University of Beirut
1450
1550
2020
1650
0950
Innovative diagnostics and early recognition
1510
1610
2040
1710
1010
Q&A
SESSION FIFTEEN - Debate: This house believes that MIC's are of minimal interest to clinicians
Chair: Dr Mandy Wootton, Public Health Wales, University Hospital of Wales - View Bio
1525
1625
2055
1725
1025
For
Professor Timothy Walsh, University of Oxford - View Bio
1535
1635
2105
1735
1035
Against
Dr Nick Brown, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust - View Bio
1545
1645
2115
1745
1045
Discussion and Q&A
1600
1700
2130
1800
1100
Closing remarks
Professor Andrew Seaton, Consultant in Infectious Diseases & General Medicine, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde & President, BSAC - View Bio

Registration

Registration is now open for either in person or virtual attendance, please register using the link below.

BSAC Members (NHS/not for profit) One day £80 / Full conference £140
Non-members (NHS/not for profit) One day £140 / Full conference £240
Commercial One day £350 / Full Conference £450
Student & LMIC concessions BSAC Members (NHS/not for profit) One day £25 / Full conference £50
Student & LMIC concessions Non-members (NHS/not for profit) One day £50 / Full conference £100

BSAC membership is free. If you are not already a member, we would be delighted if you could join us – you can JOIN HERE

For all enquiries, please contract Esme Carruthers

 

Register here

Abstracts

Please submit your abstract(s) using the online submission form for consideration for ORAL and /or POSTER presentation at the conference.

All accepted abstracts will be published in JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance and presenting authors will be offered a 50% discount on their registration for the conference.

For ORAL presentations, selected abstracts will be invited to present as part of Session 7 on Day One and Session 8 on Day Two. For Session 8, abstracts on ward/lab clinical conundrums are specifically invited.

ORAL submission deadline: 1700hrs GMT on Friday 27 March 2026
POSTER submission deadline: 1700hrs BST on Thursday 2 April 2026

Please note our Conditions of Submission:

  • Abstracts must be submitted by the deadlines stated above. Submissions received after this time may not be considered.
  • The first author should ideally be the presenting author. The presenting author must register for the conference and can attend either in-person or virtually.
  • PLEASE NOTE: It is the responsibility of the authors to provide printed poster(s) in A0 portrait for abstracts accepted for presentation at this conference. Posters will also be uploaded to the virtual poster gallery which will be accessible to all those who register (authors will be required to submit their poster in pdf format prior to the conference).
  • All abstracts are to be submitted using the online submission form. Please use the Supporting documents button to upload your full abstract in a Word file that includes the complete abstract formatted as specified below.
  • Please do not include figures, tables or references in your abstract (these can be presented in your poster, or slides for an oral presentation, but the abstract should be text only).

By submitting the abstract you confirm, and on behalf of any co-contributors, the following:

  • You have secured the necessary permissions (and paid any associated fees) to reuse any third-party material included in the abstract.
  • You grant to JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance/BSAC, and by extension its publisher, Oxford University Press (OUP), the license:
    a) to publish the final version of the conference abstract in JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance, and to distribute it and/or to communicate it to the public, either within the Journal, on its own, or with other related material throughout the world, in printed, electronic or any other format or medium whether now known or hereafter devised;
    b) to make translations of the abstract and to distribute them to the public; to authorise or grant licenses to third parties to do any of the above;
    c) to deposit copies of the abstract in online archives maintained by OUP or by third parties authorised by OUP; and
    d) to administer subsidiary rights agreements with third parties for the full period of copyright and all renewals, extensions, revisions and revivals.

Format of Abstracts:

Abstracts should be no longer than 500 words and contain:

  1. a title;
  2. the full list of authors (in the order they should appear on the published abstract);
  3. all author affiliations (including institution, city and country for each);
  4. an initial statement of specific objectives of the study, unless this is given in the title;
  5. a brief statement of methods;
  6. a summary of the results obtained;
  7. specific conclusions.

For example, standard headings are Background (optional), Objectives, Patients and methods (or Methods), Results, and Conclusions.

For any queries regarding abstract submissions, please contact Esme Carruthers

Abstract submission

Drag & Drop Files, Choose Files to Upload

Sponsors

There are various exhibition and sponsorship opportunities available at this conference, please contact Esme Carruthers for further details.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

This conference celebrates diversity across gender, discipline, and career stage, featuring leading clinicians, researchers, and behavioural scientists. Sessions explore equitable access to vaccines, AMR stewardship, and the social determinants of health, while highlighting the role of multidisciplinary approaches in addressing global challenges. The programme ensures diverse voices shape both scientific discussion and policy insights.

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