WELCOME MESSAGE

Dear Colleagues, Friends and Partners,

It is with immense pleasure and pride that I welcome you to PENSA 2027 in Sri Lanka.

Hosting PENSA for the first time in Sri Lanka represents an important milestone for our country and for the nutrition community of the region. It is more than an international congress; it is an opportunity to bring together professionals, researchers, educators, policymakers, industry partners and future leaders with a shared commitment to improving nutrition, health and food systems.

Our vision for PENSA 2027 is to create a truly multidisciplinary and internationally connected congress, bringing clinical nutrition together with dietetics, food science, food safety, agriculture and food security. Today, nutrition challenges cannot be addressed by one profession or one sector alone. They require collaboration across disciplines, institutions and countries.

PENSA 2027 therefore aims to build bridges between science and clinical practice, between nutrition and food systems, between research and policy, and between Asia and the wider international community.

We are particularly proud that this congress will bring together national professional organisations, universities, government institutions and international nutrition societies on a common platform. Through collaboration with PENSA and our international partners, including ESPEN, ASPEN, BAPEN, ISPEN and IAPEN, we hope to create opportunities not only for scientific exchange, but also for education, training, research partnerships and long-term professional collaboration.

As Congress Chair, one of my greatest aspirations is that PENSA 2027 will leave a lasting legacy. We want young doctors, nutrition physicians, dietitians, food scientists, researchers and other healthcare professionals to gain new knowledge, establish international networks and develop collaborations that continue long after the congress concludes.

Sri Lanka is uniquely positioned to host such a meeting. Known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, our island represents a meeting point of cultures, traditions and extraordinary biodiversity. Our own experience with the double burden of malnutrition, changing food systems and emerging metabolic disease also provides an important setting in which to discuss the future of nutrition.

Beyond the scientific programme, we want PENSA 2027 to reflect the warmth and hospitality for which Sri Lanka is known. We invite you not only to participate in the congress, but also to discover our heritage, cuisine, wildlife, mountains and beaches, and, most importantly, our people.

I warmly invite our colleagues from across Asia, Europe and the rest of the world to join us in Sri Lanka in July 2027. Together, we can make PENSA 2027 a congress that advances science, strengthens friendships, creates new partnerships and inspires the next generation of nutrition professionals.

Come together for science. Connect across borders. Discover Sri Lanka.

I look forward to personally welcoming you to Sri Lanka for an unforgettable PENSA 2027.

Dr Thimathi Dhananjaya Wickramasekara
Congress Chair — PENSA 2027
Consultant Nutrition Physician, Sri Lanka

PENSA 2027 is being developed as a dynamic multidisciplinary forum for the exchange of knowledge, clinical experience, research and innovation across the evolving field of nutrition.

Our academic ambition is to create a programme that connects clinical nutrition, dietetics, food science, food safety and food security, while exploring the increasingly important relationships between nutrition, healthcare and food systems. By bringing these disciplines together, we hope to encourage conversations that extend beyond traditional professional boundaries and lead to new approaches to research, education and practice.

We anticipate a truly international gathering, with approximately 1,000 overseas delegates from Asia, Europe and beyond, together with around 500 participants from Sri Lanka. This diversity will create an exciting environment in which clinicians, researchers, academics, dietitians, nutrition professionals and other experts can exchange perspectives, challenge established thinking and build new professional connections.

A particular strength of PENSA 2027 will be the breadth of its national and international collaboration. The meeting will bring together the Sri Lanka Medical Nutrition Association (SLMNA), Sri Lanka College of Nutrition Physicians (SLCNP), Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), Nutrition Society of Sri Lanka and Dietetic Association of Sri Lanka, together with academic participation from the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine, University of Colombo, and the Faculty of Livestock, Fisheries & Nutrition, Wayamba University of Sri Lanka. International engagement with organisations including ESPEN, ASPEN, BAPEN, ISPEN and IAPEN will further broaden the exchange of knowledge.

Importantly, PENSA 2027 will also connect the scientific community with the wider national conversation around nutrition and food systems. Engagement with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade, Commerce and Food Security, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Tourism will help create opportunities for dialogue across health, food, agriculture and related sectors.

For younger clinicians, researchers and nutrition professionals in particular, we want PENSA 2027 to be a place to present work, meet international experts, exchange ideas and establish relationships that can shape future careers and collaborations.

Our goal is simple: for every participant to leave PENSA 2027 with new knowledge, new perspectives and new professional connections that can be translated into better research, education and practice.

We look forward to sharing an inspiring scientific and academic programme with you in Sri Lanka in July 2027.

Dr Nalinda Herath
Dr Jayani Tennakoon Jayaweera
Academic Chairs — PENSA 2027

As Joint Secretaries of PENSA 2027, our focus is on creating a Congress experience that is welcoming, engaging, well connected and memorable from the moment you begin planning your journey to Sri Lanka.

Over five days, PENSA 2027 will bring together a diverse international community of clinicians, nutrition professionals, researchers, academics, industry partners and emerging professionals. Beyond the formal programme, we want to create an environment where conversations happen naturally, new connections are made and delegates have opportunities to engage with colleagues from across the region and the world.

Every aspect of the Congress is being planned with the delegate journey in mind — from registration and arrival in Colombo to scientific sessions, networking opportunities, the exhibition, social experiences and the PENSA Delegate Run. Our aim is to make it easy for you to participate, connect and make the most of your time at PENSA 2027.

We also want this Congress to reflect the character of our host country. Sri Lankan hospitality is personal, generous and warm, and we hope you will experience that spirit throughout your time with us.

In the months ahead, we will continue to share important information on registration, accommodation, travel, the programme, Congress activities and delegate services through this website.

Whether you are joining us from Sri Lanka, elsewhere in Asia or further afield, we look forward to helping make your PENSA 2027 journey a rewarding one.

Come ready to learn. Come ready to connect. And come ready to experience PENSA in Sri Lanka.

Dr Sajitha Mallawarachchi
Dr Gowri Samarasekera
Joint Secretaries — PENSA 2027