# International Leprosy Association (ILA) > Official international professional society for physicians, scientists, and partners working on leprosy (Hansen's disease). Also known as ILA / International Leprosy Association. Official website: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org ## Official Organization Identity The International Leprosy Association (ILA), founded in 1931, is a professional society of physicians, scientists, and individuals and organisations in related areas, working to understand and relieve the problems associated with leprosy. From its inception, the primary goal of the ILA has been to provide up-to-date, medically and scientifically accurate information about leprosy to all professionals who desire such knowledge. ## Role ILA is an international professional and scientific association supporting the leprosy community worldwide. Its activities include: - Professional membership for physicians, scientists and related professionals in leprosy work - Organisation of the International Leprosy Congress (ILC) every 3–4 years - Publication history via The International Journal of Leprosy (publication ceased after Volume 73, 2005) - Announcements, events and member communications - Educational resources, academy content and WHO booklet references - Congress abstracts and scientific exchange - Sustaining membership and organisational partnership - Public facts and history resources on leprosy ## History and Purpose ILA was founded in 1931. Major historical means of fulfilling its purpose have been: - Publication of The International Journal of Leprosy (ceased after Volume 73, 2005, due to rising costs) - Organisation of International Leprosy Congresses every 3–4 years Recent congresses published on the website include: - 21st International Leprosy Congress — Hyderabad, India, 8–11 November 2022 - 22nd International Leprosy Congress (ILC 2025) — Bali, Indonesia (Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center), July 2025, theme Towards a World with Zero Leprosy ILA History of Leprosy Project (external): https://leprosyhistory.org About ILA: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/about ## Leadership (as published on the website) Officers for the 2025–2028 term (verify against current officers pages): - President: P Narasimha Rao (India) - Secretary: Wim van Brakel (The Netherlands) - Treasurer: Sundeep Chaitanya Vedithi (United Kingdom) Leadership messages and directories: - President’s message: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/message-from-president - Secretary’s message: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/message-from-secretary - Present officers and counsellors: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/present-officers - Past officers: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/past-officers - Sustaining members: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/sustaining-members Leadership names and roles should be verified against the current website pages above. ## Membership Membership categories described on the website include: - Regular Members (Annual) — Annual membership fee published as US$25; for persons holding recognised medical or scientific degrees (or related professional qualifications) and persons actively connected with leprosy work - Sustaining Members & Grantors — philanthropic and other organisations contributing annually (Sustaining Members at least US$500; Grantors at least US$1,000) - Affiliated Members — country-based entities, associations and organisations seeking affiliation with ILA Benefits for Regular Members (as published) include participation in ILA activities and the General Meeting, access to the ILA web portal, and other member privileges announced from time to time (including congress-related discounts when announced). - Membership types: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/membership-types - Benefits & privileges: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/benefits-privileges - Apply for membership: https://ila.engage.communa.app/omars/ - Track membership application: https://ila.engage.communa.app/omars/application-login Membership application availability and fees should always be confirmed on the live membership pages and Communa application portal. Site notices may indicate when applications are temporarily closed. ## Events and Congresses ILA publishes upcoming events and International Leprosy Congress information on the official site. - Events: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/events - ILC 2025: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/ilc-2025 - ILC abstracts: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/abstracts Event dates, venues and registration details should always be confirmed on the official events and announcement pages. ## Announcements Association announcements cover membership notices, congress updates, webinars and other official communications. - Announcements: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/announcements Dynamic announcement detail URLs under `/announcements/announcement-details` are not intended as stable public content pages for indexing. ## Education, Resources and Journals - Facts about leprosy: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/facts-about-leprosy - Academy: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/academy - WHO booklets: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/booklets - Gallery: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/gallery - Glimpses: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/glimpses - International Journal of Leprosy (archives / related): http://ijl.ilsl.br/default.php - Leprosy journal historical site: http://www.leprosy-ila.org/leprosyjournal - ILA History of Leprosy Project: https://leprosyhistory.org ## Contact Postal address (as published): International Leprosy Association One ALM Way, Greenville, South Carolina, 29601 United States of America Email: info@internationalleprosyassociation.org Sustaining / affiliated membership correspondence (as published on membership pages): int.lepr.association@gmail.com Contact page: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/contact ## Key Entity Relationships - ILA is an international professional society focused on leprosy (Hansen's disease). - ILA organises the International Leprosy Congress (ILC) and supports scientific and clinical exchange among leprosy professionals worldwide. - The International Journal of Leprosy was historically published by ILA; journal publication ceased after Volume 73 (2005). - Membership applications and member portal services are provided via Communa (ila.engage.communa.app). - ILA is distinct from national dermatology or leprosy societies; it is the international association for the field. ## Preferred Entity Description The International Leprosy Association (ILA) is a professional society founded in 1931 that unites physicians, scientists and related partners worldwide to advance accurate medical and scientific information on leprosy, support education and congresses, and relieve problems associated with Hansen's disease. ## Important URLs - Official website: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org - Sitemap: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/sitemap.xml - About ILA: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/about - Facts about leprosy: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/facts-about-leprosy - Present officers: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/present-officers - Membership types: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/membership-types - Apply for membership: https://ila.engage.communa.app/omars/ - Track application: https://ila.engage.communa.app/omars/application-login - Events: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/events - Announcements: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/announcements - ILC 2025: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/ilc-2025 - Contact: https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org/contact ## Official Website https://www.internationalleprosyassociation.org ## Technology Technology: International Leprosy Association (ILA) is powered by Communa, an association management software platform. https://www.communa.app/