CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — APHA 2026 Annual Meeting and Expo
Integrative, Complementary and Traditional Health Practices
Meeting theme: "Together We Thrive: Health Across the Lifespan"
Submission Deadline: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
The APHA Integrative, Complementary, and Traditional Health Practices (ICTHP) Section invites you to submit abstracts and session proposals for the 2026 APHA Annual Meeting in San Antonio, TX.
We welcome submissions related to the research, policy, and evidence-based practice of integrative, complementary, and traditional health practices. This includes acupuncture, Ayurveda, mind-body interventions, health coaching, holistic nursing, massage therapy, integrative care, physical activity, energy healing, herbal medicine, holistic nutrition, spiritual healing, yoga, tai-chi, among others.
While submissions related to the annual theme will be prioritized, work within the ICTHP Section often pertains to the following topics:
Advocacy, Policy, and Health Equity in ICTHP
Increasing Scientific Rigor and Evidence-Based Practices in ICTHP
Innovations in Integrative, Complementary, and Traditional Health Interventions
Promoting Evidence-Based Traditional and Indigenous Health Practices
Utilizing ICTHP in Clinical and Public Health Practice
Workforce Development, Certification, and Professionalization in ICTHP
Areas of Interest. This year, ICTHP also invites submissions related to:
Health and Wellness Coaching. There has been a surge in health and wellness coaching (HWC) scholarly and research activities in the past decade, showing HWC positively impacts both behavioral and health care outcomes. This session includes a call for evidence showing the opportunity and impact for using health and wellness coaching as an effective public health tool to prevent and manage chronic disease and promote whole-person health.
Integrative Nutrition (Collaborative Session). Integrative nutrition is a whole-person, systems-based approach that recognizes the primary role of food in health and wellbeing. A collaboration between the ICTHP and Food & Nutrition Sections, this session highlights the critical intersection of nutrition and integrative health. We welcome abstracts that examine clinical, policy, and community/public health applications, including but not limited to, Food is Medicine initiatives, longevity-focused nutrition, dietary supplements and herbal medicine, as well as functional and mindfulness-based approaches that influence health behaviors and outcomes across the lifespan. Particular emphasis will be placed on considerations for the equitable delivery of healthcare and integrative nutrition interventions.
Psychedelics in Public Health (Collaborative Session). Held in collaboration with the Alcohol, Tobacco and other Drugs (ATOD) and Mental Health sections, this session will explore the evidence, safety, efficacy, acceptability and policy landscape related to the use of psychedelics to improve health. Since the role of psychedelics as part of traditional health practices has been shown to be culturally acceptable, we encourage Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to submit abstracts assessing the role of psychedelics as part of their traditional practices.
Submission Format. Abstracts of 250 words should be submitted for oral or poster sessions. Submissions should be structured with a background, methods, results, and discussion/conclusion.
Introduction/Background: Provides relevant context, summarizes existing literature to justify the importance of the problem being investigated, and states the study purpose/research question.
Methods: Describes the study design, setting, population, and procedures, including data sources, measures, and the approaches used to address the research question.
Results: Characterizes the study sample and reports key findings, including descriptive statistics or primary outcomes relevant to the study objectives.
Discussion: Interprets findings in relation to existing literature, discusses strengths and limitations, and explains the implications of the results for research, practice, or policy within the ICTHP field.
Review Criteria. Preference will be given to abstracts that feature originality, use of innovative approaches, potential impact on the field, clarity of presentation, reliance on high-quality scientific data, and relevance to ICTHP and the aforementioned topics of interest. Submissions related to the following types of evidence-based research are encouraged:
Analyses of observational studies
Demonstration projects
Efficacy or effectiveness studies
Health care policy analyses
Methodological innovations or strategies to increase scientific rigor
Pragmatic or effectiveness trials
Public health or educational program development
Systematic reviews
Presenter Requirements. All authors making an oral or poster presentation at the 2026 Annual Meeting & Exposition must register for the annual meeting. APHA does not typically pay honoraria or expenses to any presenter. Several sections have historically offered scholarships to offset the costs of attending the annual meeting for students, such as those found here.
Awards. The ICTHP Section advocates for rising professionals in our field and seeks submissions from students and junior scholars for oral and poster presentations. Poster, presentation, and section-wide awards will be presented at the annual meeting during the ICTHP Section Award Reception.
Continuing Education Credit. APHA values the ability to provide continuing education credit to physicians, nurses, health educators, and those certified in public health at its annual meeting. Please complete all required information when submitting an abstract so members can claim credit for attending your session. These credits are necessary for members to keep their licenses and credentials. For a session to be eligible for Continuing Education Credit, each presenter must provide:
A submission free of trade and/or commercial product name.
At least ONE MEASURABLE outcome.
Describe using the following verbs: Explain, Demonstrate, Analyze, Formulate, Discuss, Compare, Differentiate, Describe, Assess, Evaluate, Identify, Design, Define or List.
A signed Conflict of Interest (Disclosure) form and Qualification Statement.
Questions. Please contact Malik Tiedt (mt3726@tc.columbia.edu), Katherine Smith (ksmith2@muih.edu), or Victoria Yunez Behm (victoria.behm@unc.edu), the ICTHP Program Planning co-chairs.
