ISH-ECS 2026 is a joint meeting of the 31st International Society of Hypertension Scientific Meeting and the 17th Emirates Cardiac Society Annual Conference, held in Dubai from 22 to 25 October 2026. It marks the first time in the society's history that the ISH biennial meeting comes to the Middle East and North Africa — a significant moment for a region carrying one of the world's heaviest burdens of hypertension, diabetes and premature cardiovascular disease.
The meeting is co-chaired by Prof. George Stergiou (ISH President, Greece) and Prof. Abdullah Shehab (ECS Vice-President, UAE), with Prof. Kazuomi Kario (ISH Secretary, Japan) and Dr. Juwairia Alali (ECS President, UAE) as co-chairs. That leadership line-up sets the tone: global hypertension science paired with regional cardiology practice, rather than a conference addressing either in isolation.
The scientific programme spans the latest hypertension research and clinical guidelines, blood pressure measurement and out-of-office monitoring, resistant and secondary hypertension, renal denervation and device-based therapy, integrated cardiovascular risk management, preventive cardiology, heart failure, and the intersection of hypertension with diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Dedicated tracks address shared learning across the spectrum of vascular risk, heart health and general cardiology integration — reflecting how these patients actually present in Gulf clinics.
Early and mid-career attendees are a stated priority. The organisers run dedicated activities for young investigators, offer several awards, and provide financial assistance on application to delegates travelling from eligible regions, keeping the meeting accessible to trainees and researchers from lower-income countries.
Registration is tiered and includes both physical and virtual attendance across every category. Physician and researcher rates run from USD 250 for ISH/EMA members at the very early rate through to USD 700 for late on-site non-member registration; allied health professionals, delegates from low and lower-middle income countries, and residents, students and trainees all have reduced tiers, with trainee rates starting at USD 100. Industry representative registration is priced separately.
For cardiologists, internists, nephrologists, family physicians, pharmacists and nurses across Saudi Arabia and the GCC, ISH-ECS 2026 is an unusually short trip to a meeting of this calibre. The combination of ISH's global faculty and ECS's regional clinical focus makes it directly relevant to blood pressure management as it is practised in the Gulf — and the virtual attendance option means the programme is reachable even for those who cannot travel to Dubai in October.
