CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — APHA 2026 Annual Meeting and Expo
International Health
Meeting theme: "Together We Thrive: Health Across the Lifespan"
Submission Deadline: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
The International Health Section welcomes abstracts for the 2026 APHA Annual Meeting (November 1-4, 2026, San Antonio, TX). We accept submissions on both research- and program-based work; however, all submissions should present a novel contribution to some aspect of global health policy, practice, or knowledge.
PLEASE NOTE:We will only accept within the topic areas listed below. As part of the International Health Section program, all submissions should relate to health issues in countries outside the US.
The APHA annual meeting is a premier forum for scientific presentation and discussion of global public health issues. The International Health Section maintains high standards for quality and content. Please read the specific instructions in the abstract submission portal and follow the format and process carefully. Abstracts that do not follow the exact format of the submission process will lose scoring points.
If accepted for presentation, the presenter will be expected to register and attend the conference. The International Health Section cannot provide financial aid or assistance for travel or registration. Individuals who may have difficulty attending the APHA Annual Meeting should identify a co-author that will be able to register/attend and present the abstract. Once an abstract is confirmed, schedule changes are NOT permitted.
Questions to consider when addressing each component of an abstract (University of California, Berkeley, 2000):
Background: Why is the problem important? What public health needs is your work addressing? In what way does the work present something new to the field of global health?
Methods: What did you actually do to get your results (e.g., conducted a survey of three villages, analyzed household survey data from five countries, held semi-structured interviews with 17 community health workers)? Please be specific.
Results: What did you learn? Was there enhanced knowledge, increased participation, or measurable changes in health outcomes?
Conclusion and discussion: What are the larger implications of your findings, especially for the need initially identified in the context section above? Ideally, you will suggest policy implications.
Process for review:All submitted abstracts will be peer reviewed for consideration of inclusion in the program. Please indicate your preferences for your presentation format in the abstract form. You may submit your abstract with the designation “oral only,” “poster only,” or “no preference.”
Note: The International Health Section encourages abstracts submitted by nationals and residents from low- and middle-income countries. These individuals should note their status on the abstract form.
Student presenters: Each year, we designate one or two of the Section’s oral panels for presentations by students. Please submit your abstract under this category if you wish to compete in the peer review process for these openings. Should more abstracts qualify for acceptance than we have space available, we will consider placing those submissions elsewhere in the peer-reviewed program.
Abstract word limit: 350 words
The full list of IH program topics is provided below. Topics can be either oral session, poster session or both, depending on the submissions received related to the topic and the suitability of abstracts for oral vs. poster presentation.
Climate Change and Global Health Submissions in this category may address a range of issues related to climate change, e.g., epidemiology of related disease burden, policies to make health systems more resilient to climate change, and health sector interventions that contribute to global action on climate change.
Community-Based Primary Health Care Submissions in this category may cover approaches to community-based health care, and health care that engages communities as full partners and extends health services beyond health facilities to communities and households.
Current and Emerging Challenges in Infectious Diseases Submissions in this category may cover infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, malaria, hepatitis, COVID-19, Ebola, SARS, or Zika, Mpox, and other emerging diseases. Submissions in this category may also address strategies, lessons learned, and innovations in pandemic preparedness and response.
Determinants of Health Submissions in this category may cover a range of determinants of health such as effects of globalization, social determinants, commercial/economic determinants, trade and intellectual property, political determinants, environmental determinants, and cultural determinants.
Disparities and Inequities in Global Health Submissions in this category may cover a range of factors that play an important role in disparities and inequities such as gender, wealth, race, sexual orientation/identity,power, geography, etc.
From Power Asymmetry to Partnerships in Global Health Submissions in this category may address power dynamics and structural inequities in global health, including how these manifest in academia, publishing, workforce development, governance, and program implementation. Topics may include problem definition, policy reform, and innovative models that promote equity, shared leadership, and accountability across global health systems.
Global Health Financing and Practice Submissions in this category may cover a range of issues such as health financing trends, innovative financing mechanisms,, the development and distribution of the global health workforce, and the practical implementation of global health initiatives. Topics may also address the roles and influences of various stakeholders—such as governments, international organizations, private sector entities, and philanthropic foundations—in shaping global health agendas.
Harnessing Innovation and Technology for Global Health Submissions in this category may explore innovative, technology-enabled solutions addressing global and local health challenges across diverse settings. Topics may include digital health and mHealth applications; artificial intelligence and machine learning for diagnostics, treatment optimization, and resource allocation; telemedicine and remote monitoring platforms; and novel approaches to strengthening health systems and service delivery. This category also welcomes integrative, complementary, and traditional health practices; inter-professional collaboration; and innovative methods for evaluating effectiveness. Submissions are encouraged to consider ethical, equity, and privacy implications to ensure that digital and innovative health solutions are inclusive, responsible, and contextually grounded.
Health Systems Strengthening and Service Delivery in Global Settings Submissions in this category may cover strategies, responses, and activities that are designed to sustainably improve country health system performance. According to WHO, health systems strengthening building blocks include health service delivery, health information systems, medical products/vaccines/technology, health financing, and leadership and governance.
Health, Human Rights, and Ethics in Conflict and Displacement Submissions in this category may address health challenges arising in contexts of war, armed conflict, humanitarian crises, and forced displacement, including the experiences of refugees and internally displaced people outside the United States. Topics may examine access to health services, protection of vulnerable populations, and health system responses in fragile and conflict-affected settings. Submissions are encouraged to engage with the right to health, human rights frameworks, and ethical considerations in global health practice, including humanitarian principles, accountability, equity, and the responsibilities of global actors working in conflict and displacement settings. IMPORTANT: We will only accept submissions only on displaced populations outside the US. For submissions on refugees and migrants inside the US, please refer to the Caucus on Refugee and Immigrant Health Call for Abstracts.
Implementation Science in Global Health Submissions in this category may focus on the systematic study of methods to promote the adoption, integration, and sustainability of evidence-based practices, interventions, and policies in diverse global health settings. Topics may include identifying barriers and facilitators to implementation, scaling up successful interventions, strategies for effective community engagement, and the evaluation of real-world impact.
Justice-Centered Reproductive and Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health Submissions in this category may address sexual and reproductive health and rights across the life course, encompassing reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health. Topics may include prenatal, obstetric, postpartum, and newborn care; vaccination, nutrition, and early childhood public health; family planning; and access to comprehensive reproductive health services, including abortion care. Submissions are encouraged to examine these issues through a reproductive justice lens, centering equity, bodily autonomy, and the experiences of women, men, and gender-diverse people across diverse social, cultural, and policy contexts.
Mental Health Submissions in this category may cover the full spectrum of issues related to mental health from epidemiology to policy and programs to lived experience to addiction, e.g. interventions addressing the global mental health treatment gap.
Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Submissions in this category may cover a range of topics, other than mental health (see separate category). These may include highly emphasized NCDs, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and chronic lung (and related risk factors such as tobacco or vaping); other NCDs such as oral conditions; and neglected NCDs affecting the poor and the marginalized such as blindness, rheumatic fever and its consequences, and lack of or poor access to treatment.
CONTINUING EDUCATION (CE) CREDIT
APHA values the ability to provide continuing education (CE) 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 CE Credit, all presenters in that session must provide all of the following:
1) An abstract free of trade and/or commercial product names.
2) At least one measurable outcome. Note that “to understand” or “to learn” are not measurable outcomes, and compound outcomes are not acceptable.
3) A signed Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form with a relevant qualification statement.
For example, “I am the principal or co-principal of multiple federally-funded grants focusing on the epidemiology of drug abuse, HIV prevention and co-occurring mental and drug use disorders. Among my scientific interests has been the development of strategies for preventing HIV and STDs in out-of-treatment drug users” summarizes a body of work relevant to the presentation topic and demonstrates the presenter’s expertise. Note that “I am the principal investigator of this study” is not an acceptable qualification statement.
All continuing education learning content must be of sound science or professional practice and serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills and professional competence of the health professional. Learning content should be evidence-based if available. A list of over 30 areas will be provided online for you to choose from. Choose at least one or up to six areas that your presentation will address.
Please contact presenters@apha.org if you have any questions concerning continuing education.
For general program or submission questions, please contact the program planning co-chairs at: IHProgramCommittee@gmail.com
