2008 National STD Prevention Conference

Conference Overview

Challenges in slowing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases continue to grow as resources shrink and other national priorities take center stage.  Yet, STD programs continue to try to respond to a plethora of new initiatives such as the HPV vaccine, expedited partner therapy, screening in correctional populations, social network interventions, integration with related programs, and improved laboratory diagnostics. STD researchers continue to ask how to better use these and other innovations to help the STD prevention field accomplish its mission.  Policy-focused efforts aim to find legislative, programmatic and structural responses to create environments that support programs and help reduce disease transmission. Yet, successful STD prevention is impeded by a number of factors:

• Persistent racial disparities have been reflected in STD rates for too many years.
• Disparities in STD rates based on such characteristics as sexual orientation, age group, and geography have also persisted over time.
• Discussion about sexual behavior has been complicated by the diversity of opinions about how, when, and where the topic should be addressed.
• The ever-evolving health care system makes it increasingly difficult for people infected with STDs to access care and for providers of care to offer it. 
• While there is consensus on the importance of integrating STD prevention with related health care services such as reproductive health and HIV prevention, implementation of such integration has faced multiple barriers. 

This conference will bring together STD prevention program, research and policy communities, creating a forum to confront current challenges in STD prevention as well as barriers to application of solutions to these challenges.  Conference delegates from academia, public health departments, the private health care sector, and nongovernmental organizations are invited to explore these issues, share successes and challenges, discuss new questions, and seek answers that will advance STD prevention into the future.