Brisbane, Australia, has secured the World Congress of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition (WCPGHAN) in 2028, which will also mark the first time the international event will be held in Australia.
The congress, expected to attract over 2,000 delegates, will be held at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) from June 6-10, 2028. The conference is set to inject more than A$10 million (US$6.7 million) in direct and incremental spend.
The bid was spearheaded by the director of the gastroenterology, hepatology and liver transplant service at Queensland Children’s Hospital Professor Nikhil Thapar. Thapar chairs the paediatric faculty of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, as well as the Gastrointestinal Motility Subcommittee of the Congress host organisation, the Asia Pan-Pacific Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition.
WCPGHAN is held every four years, with the 7th World Congress being hosted in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, in December 2024.
Thapar said the importance of research and best practice in gastroenterology and its related areas, specifically nutrition and its impact on children, as gastrointestinal conditions account for some of the most common reasons for children presenting to hospital.
“This World Congress is designed to assist countries that really need it, specifically in terms of education, and there are many in the Asia Pacific that will benefit,” he said.
“There are still too many children dying in the world from gastrointestinal-related illnesses. We want this Congress to be the catalyst for change in this part of the world by providing those who are not able to attend a congress in Europe, with the opportunity to attend the Brisbane Congress.
“We intend it to have a strong education platform where practitioners will be able to take back to their hospitals and countries new ideas and new practices to implement immediately.”’
Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre General Manager, Kym Guesdon, said the BCEC had been working on securing WCPGHAN 2028 since 2018. “The Centre’s team works closely with medical, research and scientific leaders to secure major sector meetings of this calibre, which are an endorsement of Queensland’s strengths in the key science and research sectors.”
