Conference professionals have been browsing the landscape, visits, funding and conference attendance are no longer guaranteed, said Pat Schaumann, president of Schaumann Consulting Group. Schaumann is also the director of the International Medical Conference Certificate of Compliance (HMCC) program for Conference Professionals.
In 2025, more than 1.5 million medical conferences are expected to be held in the U.S. with the support of 1,800 pharmaceutical companies and 3,600 medical device companies, Schaumann said. But political uncertainty is raising challenges that may affect these predictions.
“Third-party planners continue to be busy with medical meetings,” Schaumann said. “The advisory committee, clinical trials and related gatherings may not happen or be much less.”
Medical conference ban reversal
According to Reuters, on April 10, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reversed the ban on scientists attending meetings and meetings.
The ban prevents researchers from attending scientific gatherings, even using their personal time and funds. Critics believe that the policy hinders cooperation and exchange of knowledge.
“Many meetings organized or funded by the NIH have been cancelled, including the grant review team and the advisory committee meeting. These cancellations undermine critical research evaluations and hinder advances in scientific research,” Schaumann said.
It is not clear whether these meetings have been revoked and will resume.
“NIH travel restrictions were announced and then reversed, but we were unable to make plans based on rumors until the official overview was changed,” said Jacqueline Beaulieu, senior marketing director for the Poretta & Orr exhibition event.
“The most challenging thing is the frequency of these transitions,” Beaulieu added. “They force planners to have a constant pattern of response, especially in the medical and scientific fields, where policy changes directly affect many of these factors (speakers, sponsors, compliance and even attendance).
HITAC meeting suspended
Schaumann said the Trump administration also suspended the Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC) meeting. HITAC advises the federal government on rules and standards for healthcare data and technology. This suspension has made the future of medical technology regulations and the role of artificial intelligence in medicine uncertain.
The destruction of the American Medical Conference landscape can have far-reaching international impacts. The increasing focus on the American political climate has prompted some global medical conferences to explore places outside the country.
In addition, Schaumann is concerned about increased medical conference costs due to tariffs.
