The Pharmacy Section invites abstracts that fit with the theme of the 2026 Annual Meeting and with the Pharmacy Section's interests in advancing public health interdisciplinary partnerships, access to care, quality of care, health equity, and social determinants of health.  

Abstracts are welcomed for oral, poster, or lightning round presentations. APHA members are encouraged to submit abstracts that reflect quality science and align broadly with interests and values of the Pharmacy Section. After reviewers score abstracts, the program committee arranges the high-ranking submissions into sessions organized by topic. We will try to honor preferences for oral, poster, or lightning round presentations.

CONTRIBUTED SESSIONS

There is particular interest in abstracts related to:

• Access to pharmacist services in rural and other underserved areas
  
• Pharmacy standards of care
  
• Policies and programs that improve access to appropriate, cost-effective medication therapies
  
• The use of and available interventions related to synthetic designer drugs
  
• The use of artificial intelligence including medication management and patient counseling
  

IMPORTANT NOTE:  If you are not yet a Pharmacy Section member, please join our Section!  Student members are very welcome.

Submission Process

Abstracts submitted for consideration should reflect new information. Abstracts are limited to 250 words and should not contain charts, figures, etc. Abstracts should adequately describe the content and focus of the proposed presentation and follow the general outline of background, methods, results, and conclusions.

In addition to your abstract, you will be asked to provide the following information as part of the online submission process:

• Learning Objectives: At least two measurable learning objectives are needed as a standing APHA requirement. The learning objectives are not included in the word count. Learning objectives must clearly identify the intended outcomes participants will be able to demonstrate as a result of attending/participating in your presentation. Verbs that cannot be clearly demonstrated (understand, learn, etc.) do not meet this criterion. Per APHA, learning objectives MUST include one of the following demonstrable verbs: explain, demonstrate, analyze, formulate, discuss, compare, differentiate, describe, name, assess, evaluate, identify, design, define, list, or similar measurable word. Each learning objective should be listed separately and numbered sequentially. Compound learning objectives (those containing more than one verb) are not permitted. For more information, please see: http://apha.confex.com/apha/learningobjectives.htm

• Relevant Keywords: Keywords assist program planners in developing cohesive sessions and in assigning your abstract for blind peer-review. Please select only the keywords that best reflect the primary focus of your abstract submission. If the keyword options in the drop-down menu do not adequately reflect your content, please list your keywords in “Comments to Organizers.”

• Preferred Presentation Format: You may select oral, poster, or lightning round. Please note other preferences in the “Comments to Organizers.” Program planners will try to honor, but cannot guarantee, preference requests.

• Qualifications Statement: You must include a brief (1-3 sentences) statement regarding why you are qualified to present on the content of your abstract. Statements should be tailored to the content, rather than generic statements related to education, training, or employment. 

• Conflict of Interest Disclosure: APHA requires presenters to disclose “any relevant personal financial relationship with a commercial entity that benefits the individual and may ultimately bias the presentation of that content.” The policy may be viewed at http://apha.confex.com/apha/disclosurepolicy.pdf

All abstracts are reviewed using a blind peer-review process. Incomplete abstracts or those failing to meet guidelines established by APHA will NOT be reviewed. View additional information regarding abstract submission guidelines at the following URL: http://apha.confex.com/apha/2020/intro.html.

NOTE: Submission of an abstract implies a commitment to make the presentation at the annual meeting. Presenters of accepted abstracts must be, or become, members of APHA and must be registered by the early-bird deadline.

This year there is a streamlined session submission process for full session proposals. This process allows session organizers to submit complete session details along with individual speaker abstracts in a single submission, rather than submitting each abstract separately and grouping them later. This new process is optional and is like how sessions are submitted during the invited session submission period.  These sessions will still be peer-reviewed and go through the same acceptance process as individual abstracts do.

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Ready?

Program Planner Contact Information:

Nancy Lewis,
njwlewis@umich.edu


and

Candace Haugtvedt, PhD, RPh, MS
clhaugtvedt@gmail.com