Sunday Times 2
Sri Lanka to host ‘twin’ congress next year
View(s):Sri Lanka will host the Joint 8th World Congress on Twin Pregnancy and the 20th Congress of the International Society of Twin Studies (ISTS) from August 11-13, next year (2025) in Colombo.
This decision had been taken at the 7th World Congress on Twin Pregnancy and the 19th Congress of the ISTS held from September 26-28 in Assisi, Italy.
The Founder of the Sri Lanka Twin Registry, Director of the Institute for Research and Development (IRD) in Health and Social Care and ISTS Secretary General, Prof. Athula Sumathipala gave a lecture at this congress on the ‘Ethical aspects in twin research’, shedding light on ethical considerations that shape the future of twin research across diverse populations.
This is while Dr. Helena Zavos from King’s College London, United Kingdom, delivered a presentation on the ‘Sri Lankan Twin Registry: The First and Largest Twin Research Programme in a Low- and Middle-Income Country’, emphasizing the pioneering role Sri Lanka plays in global twin research.
Dr Zavos has been instrumental in advancing collaborative research between the Sri Lankan Twin Registry and the IRD, helping to deepen understanding of genetic and environmental factors affecting health outcomes in twins.
The Assisi congress saw international physicians, researchers and experts from diverse fields exploring the latest scientific advancements in twin studies and multiple pregnancies. There were insightful presentations, interactive workshops, robust discussions and cutting-edge lectures.
Prof Sumathipala, meanwhile, had been elected ISTS Secretary General for 2024-2025 at the 18th congress held in Budapest, Hungary, in 2023.