Kia ora koutou, and hello from Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand!

Last month the Australian Professional Association of Transgender Health and Professional Association of Transgender Health Aotearoa hosted our combined conference on 2-4 November in Narrm/Melbourne, Australia. The collaboration brought together over 650 professionals and experts in the field of transgender health and gender-affirming care, by far our biggest event yet. 

The event started with a pre-conference workshop day run by the AusPATH Education Committee, offering nine interactive workshops focusing on practical skills and deep conversations. The demand for the workshop day was overwhelming, with the workshop content adding both depth and practicality to the packed scientific program of the overall event. 

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For the main conference program, we were proud to host three keynotes, all by speakers who identify under the trans umbrella. The first keynote was the team from Walkern Katadjin, and Shakara Liddelow-Hunt, James Hill, Katrina Daglas spoke on their groundbreaking research into rainbow Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health. Phylesha Brown-Acton of F’INE Pasifika Aotearoa Trust was the second keynote, discussing how MVPFAFF+ health and cultural values can be embedded into service delivery. On the second day of the conference, David Azul explored trans narratives and wellbeing from a transdisciplinary lens.

The conference was full of energy, enthusiasm and good will. was the best vibe of any conference I've been to, in my 20+ yrs of attending conferences - Conference delegate

The AusPATH/PATHA joint hybrid conference was organised by a planning committee with members from both organisations, and a variety of professional and personal identities. We were delighted to receive over 173 abstracts for consideration, which became a final program consisting of 76 abstract presentations and 60 poster presentations, plus multiple panels, keynotes, and workshops. Panels were led by lived expertise in discussions about nonbinary identities, disability, and incarceration, with additional panels discussing fertility, research ethics, and disinformation. 

The hybrid format was a huge success, increasing accessibility and facilitating cross pollination between virtual and on-site attendees. Inspired by the TPATH conference in 2021, we chose to use Whova and more than 90% of attendees downloaded the app, with a high level of engagement from both on-site and virtual attendees. The hybrid formula was particularly important to PATHA, for their members who were unable to travel across the Tasman to participate, as well as anyone who didn’t have institutional support for flights or accommodations, such as students. The flexibility of the hybrid format was also incredibly valuable in regards to covid safety and disability access.

As conference convenor Julian Grace (they/them) stated in the closing remarks “This was the biggest conference AusPATH and PATHA have ever run, and dare I say, the most trans conference we have ever run. I want to give a huge shout out to all of the trans community here - you are, without a doubt, the heart and soul of this conference, I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to create the space for us, which wouldn't have been possible without the tireless advocacy of other trans people involved in AusPATH and PATHA over the years. I hope you've all had moments of community connection that will stay with you long after the end of today and the end of this session. And I also want to extend this gratitude to every single attendee who's been here, absolutely everyone, both in person and online. You've made this conference just have such a rich, beautiful atmosphere. And it's been such a meaningful gathering. So thank you so much”.

Ngā mihi nui, many thanks from 

Julian Grace (they/them), conference convenor, Australia
Cassie Withey-Rila (they/them), hybrid coordinator, Aotearoa

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