The GANSID International Congress is the annual international scientific and advocacy congress organized by the Global Action Network for Sickle Cell & Other Inherited Blood Disorders (GANSID). The congress was established to create a global forum for scientific exchange, clinical updates, patient engagement, and policy dialogue on sickle cell disease and other inherited non-malignant blood disorders, extending GANSID’s advocacy and capacity-building mission into a recurring international convening.[1][2][5]
Background and Purpose
GANSID established the congress as part of its broader mission to unite patient organizations, healthcare providers, researchers, academic societies, industry partners, and other stakeholders working on inherited blood disorders worldwide. The congress functions as the organization’s primary annual convening, bringing together patients, caregivers, clinicians, researchers, policymakers, industry partners, and advocates in a single forum, mirroring the cross-disease and multi-stakeholder structure that defines GANSID’s regional network model.[1][2]
Each edition of the congress has offered plenary sessions, abstract presentations, clinician and patient tracks, workshops, and networking opportunities intended to foster global collaboration and share knowledge across the inherited blood disorders community. The division between clinician and patient tracks reflects the congress’s dual purpose of advancing scientific and clinical knowledge while also directly engaging patients and caregivers as participants rather than only as subjects of discussion.[5]
2023 Congress
The first GANSID congress was held in 2023 as a virtual international congress, the inaugural edition of what would become an annual event. It set a precedent for convening world-class speakers and diverse stakeholders around urgent issues facing the inherited blood disorders community, establishing the virtual format, session structure, and stakeholder mix that subsequent congresses would follow.[1][2][5]
2024 Congress
The second GANSID congress followed in 2024, emphasizing themes such as equitable access to therapies and strengthening regional infrastructure for care and research. This second edition built directly on the foundation of the 2023 congress while shifting its thematic focus toward the practical challenges of delivering care and research capacity across GANSID’s eight defined regions.[1][2][5]
2025 Congress
Building on its first two editions, GANSID held its third international congress on November 14 to 15, 2025, under the theme “Transforming Care and Strengthening Communities.” The 2025 congress featured plenary sessions, abstract presentations, clinician and patient tracks, and global networking opportunities, continuing the format established in 2023 while introducing a theme centered on community-level impact.[1][2][5]
Planned 2026 In-Person Congress
GANSID is planning its first in-person congress, to be held in India in 2026, marking a shift from the virtual format used in the congress’s first three editions. This planned transition to an in-person format represents a new phase for the congress series following three consecutive years as a virtual event.
Format and Structure
The congress has been organized as an annual virtual international event since its founding in 2023, structured around plenary sessions, abstract presentations, and separate clinician and patient tracks, alongside global networking opportunities for attendees. This structure is designed to serve the congress’s dual audience of scientific and clinical stakeholders on one hand, and patients, caregivers, and advocates on the other, consistent with GANSID’s broader identity as a connector across research, clinical care, and patient advocacy communities.[1][2][5]
