ISGA 2026

The 17th Congress of the International Society for the Study of Human Growth and Clinical Auxology (ISGA) will be held June 22-24, 2026, at the Burleigh Court Conference Centre and Hotel, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK. This is a joint SSHB-ISGA conference.

Loughborough is a market town in the East Midlands, between Leicester and Nottingham, easily accessible by bus and train, with excellent transport connections to London and the main international airports (How to find us: https://www.lboro.ac.uk/about/location/)

For more information: https://www.sshb.org/conference/human-biology-the-exposome-growth-maturation-and-health/

Conference Overview

The objective of this proposed conference is to present recent advances in population and clinical research on human growth and development. This will be the 17th congress of the International Society for the Study of Growth and Clinical Auxology (ISGA) and the second to be held in conjunction with the Society for the Study of Human Biology (SSHB).  Building on the 2024 meeting, the conference will bring together a diverse group of researchers and clinicians to maximize the synergy of interdisciplinary collaboration.  Human biologists, pediatricians, endocrinologists, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, geneticists, bioanthropologists, and others will contribute updates from their fields and engage in cross-disciplinary discussions to advance research and clinical understanding.  Topics linking the exposome and genome to human growth and development from conception onward will include climate change, environmental toxicants, social determinants of health, bone health, nutrition, obesity, body composition, microbiome, epigenetics, and sensitive windows of effect during the growth span that have later health consequences.

Scientific Programme: This conference will explore how interactions between the exposome and the genome shape human growth, maturation, development, and health across the life course. Two days of focused sessions will be structured around five main themes:

  1. Biocultural Determinants of the Exposome

  2. Genomics of Growth and Maturation

  3. Child Growth, Maturation, and Later Health Outcomes

  4. Nutrition, Genomics, and Obesity: Clinical and Public Health Perspectives

  5. Evolutionary Approaches to Human Growth

Committed Speakers include: Linda Adair (University of North Carolina); Tim Cole (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, UK); Nicola Hawley Yale University, US); Will Johnson (Loughborough University, UK), Pétur B. Juliusson (National Institute of Public Health, Norway); Jelena Sarac (Institute for Anthropological Research, Croatia): Amanda Thompson (University of North Carolina, US); Samuel Urlacher (Baylor University, USA); Paula van Dommelen (The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the Netherlands); and Babette Zemel (Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, US).

Abstract Submission: The abstract submission portal will open on 1 February 2026 and close on 17 April 2026. Abstracts will be considered for either an oral or a poster presentation. Preferences will be accommodated wherever possible.

Registration: You may register on the SSHB website. The registration portal will open soon, and you will receive an email announcement.

Registration Fees:

  • Non-members: £190

  • Full members of SSHB or ISGA: £150

  • Student non-members: £70

  • Student members: £40

  • Junior researchers (post-PhD, less than 3 years*), non-members: £95

  • Junior researchers (post-PhD, less than 3 years*), members: £60

  • Online attendance: £30 (includes access to live sessions, including Q&A, and access to recordings after the conference; online presentations will not be available)

*Accounting for career breaks, such as parental leave or sick leave.

Registration Includes: Access to all sessions; morning and afternoon refreshment breaks; lunches; access to recordings after the conference.

Tickets for the gala dinner on 23 June must be purchased separately and are limited to 50 places.

Membership Information

ISGA membership inquiries can be made through this site: https://www.auxology.org/membership

Early Career Researchers and Students: The conference places strong emphasis on mentoring and active engagement with early-career researchers and students, recognising their central role in the future of human biology and growth research.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: The conference is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and actively encourages geographical and disciplinary diversity, as well as participation from researchers and students working in underrepresented contexts.