The International Society of Wildlife Endocrinology holds biennial international conferences to promote the field of wildlife endocrinology throughout the broader scientific community, facilitate networking and encourage information dissemination and discussion.

We're exciting to announce our 9th International Society of Wildlife Endocrinology Conference, hosted by the Saint Louis Zoo, November 3-6, 2025.

View information about the upcoming event here 

The 8^th ISWE conference took place at Jim Corbett National Park, India, hosted by Ahmedabad University, Ahmedabad, the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, LaCones, Hyderabad, and the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Our plenary speakers were Dr. Maria Thaker (Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science), Dr. Janine Brown (Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute) and Dr. Samir Sinha (Uttarakhand Cadre of the Indian Forest Service). Travel Scholarships for the were awarded to Alicia Dimovski (Australia), Shiv Patel (India), Andrea Webster (South Africa), Emily Potratz (USA) and Brinky Desai (India).

For the first time in our history, the conference was also held in a hybrid format to allow members to access presentations virtually.

ISWE8 Program - ISWE8 Proceedings

This event was hosted on the ISWE website and focused on studies of glucocorticoids in wildlife with a live keynote speaker, a panel of diverse experts discussing their experiences and answering questions, and brief talks by top Indian scientists to give a taste of what is to come at the 8th ISWE Conference in Jim Corbett National Park, India.  The keynote speaker was Dr. Michael Romero of Tufts University. Dr. Romero spoke on, “Glucocorticoids in Ecology and Conservation: Promises and Pitfalls.” 

Indian Wildlife Research Panel - Measuring Glucocorticoids Discussion Panel -  Plenary Lecture by Dr. Michael Romero

ISWE Virtual Event Proceedings

The 7th ISWE Conference was hosted by the Mammal Research Institute of the University of Pretoria and South African National Parks in 2019 and was held at Skukuza Rest Camp in Kruger National Park, South Africa. The keynote speakers were Dr. Nigel Bennett of the University of Pretoria and Dr. Ann MacLarnon from Durham University. Dr. Rupert Palme led a workshop on advances and problems related to the non-invasive measurement of glucocorticoids. Travel scholarships were awarded to Justine Hudson (Canada) and Laura McCaw (Canada). ISWE thanks our conference sponsors for an enlightening and productive meeting: Arbor Assays, Enzo Life Sciences, Inc., and the National Research Foundation of South Africa.

ISWE7 Program -  ISWE7 Proceedings

The 6th ISWE Conference was hosted by Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2017. In addition to our normal focus on reproduction, health and welfare, we were happy to have a special session this year on aquatic species, a growing area of study. The keynote speakers for the conference were Dr. Tyrone Hayes of UC Berkley and Dr. James Gelsleichter from the University of North Florida, who presented talks focused on endocrine issues in amphibians and elasmobranchs. Travel Scholarships for the 6th ISWE Conference were awarded to Sanjeeta Sharma Pokharel (India), Gabriela Martins (Brazil) and Kristen Counsell (USA). 

ISWE6 Program - ISWE6 Proceedings

The 5th ISWE Conference was hosted by IZW (Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research) in Berlin in 2015. The keynote speakers for the conference were Gabriela Mastromonaco, who presented “Reproductive hormone analysis: Developing tools to understand population health”, André Ganswindt, who presented “A matter of perception – Endocrine responses to stressors in African Wildlife” and Lee Koren, who spoke about “Integrated matrices reveal wild vertebrate life history traits”. Travel Scholarships for the 5th ISWE Conference were awarded to Juan Scheun (South Africa), Annais Carbajal (Spain) and Ee Phin Wong (Malaysia). 

ISWE5 Program - ISWE5 Proceedings

The 4th ISWE Conference was hosted by Lincoln Park Zoo in 2013. The keynote speakers for the conference were Sam Wasser, who presented “Integrating physiology and ecology to influence wildlife policy” and Neena Schwartz, who presented “Building a Lab of My Own”. Travel Scholarships for the 2013 Conference were awarded to Kelly Robinson (UK), Bonnie Baird (USA) and Susanne Pribbenow (Germany).

ISWE4 Program - ISWE4 Proceedings

ISWE held its 3rd annual conference in 2012 at Vetmeduni Vienna, Austria. The conference focused on “Non-invasive Monitoring of Hormones”. The keynote speakers were Janine Brown, Michael Heistermann, Erich Möstl, Tobias Deschner, Nadja Wielebnowski, Chadi Touma, Martin Dehnhard, Tim Ellis and Katharina Hirschenhauser.

ISWE3 Program - ISWE3 Proceedings

The 2nd ISWE Conference took place in 2011 and was hosted by the Toronto Zoo. Drs. Janine Brown and Nadja Wielebnowski were ISWE co-chairs. The keynote addresses for the conference were by Glen Van Der Kraak “Environmental Endocrinology: Applications to Understanding the Fitness of Wildlife”, and Rudy Boonstra “The Ecology of Stress: Insights from Natural Populations” 

ISWE2 Program - ISWE2 Proceedings

ISWE held its 1st conference at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2010. The conference offered a keynote address by Dr. Rupert Palme and three sessions: Methods Development, Innovative Endocrinology and Recent Advances in Basic Endocrinology.

ISWE1 Program - ISWE1 Proceedings