Investigators with the Institute for Global Health and Infectious Diseases participated in the Shanghai International Syphilis Symposium (SISS 2025), October 20-22, an invitation-only forum convening global leaders in syphilis research, clinical practice, and public health policy.
Approximately 80 preeminent experts from academia, healthcare institutions, and global health organizations came together in China to address the alarming increase in the incidence of syphilis worldwide. The symposium focused on translating cutting-edge research into actionable strategies to combat the syphilis epidemic across diverse populations and regions, as organizers urged immediate and collaborative action to address critical gaps in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Dr. Mitch Matoga and Dr. Suzanne Day described willingness to participate in syphilis vaccine trials while Dr. Joe Tucker discussed pro-social strategies to increase syphilis testing. Dr. Tom Fitzpatrick, UNC’s China Medical Board Fellow, presented findings from a randomized controlled trial to prevent syphilis infections using doxycycline. The following highlights their contributions to the symposium.
Day 1: Epidemiology, modeling, and congenital syphilis priorities.
Arlene C. Seña, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine presented “Syphilis in the United States: Turning the Tide”
Day 2: Diagnostics, prevention, and novel management approaches.
Scaling Up Doxy-PEP: Challenges, Concerns, and Strategies for Implementation
Thomas Fitzpatrick, MD – IGHID Fellow: CMB/US Postdoc (2024-2025)
Day 3: Vaccine development, in vitro research, and community-driven solutions.
Participatory syphilis research: Ask not what syphilis can you do for you, but what you can do for syphilis
Joseph Tucker, MD, PhD, UNC Project-China, Co-Director; Professor of Medicine
Willingness to Participate in Syphilis Vaccine Research in Malawi: Considerations for Community Engagement
Mitch Matoga, MD, MSc, PhD, UNC Project-Malawi, Director of STI Research and Clinical Services
UNC partners Dr. Bin Yang, Dr. Ligang Yang, Dr. Lan Li, Dr. Gifty Marley, Dr. Dan Wu, Dr. Bolin Cao and Dr. Heping Zheng also attended.
Learn more about the symposium here.