The health workforce is a vital component of the nation’s health care delivery system. Efforts to expand access to care, improve quality, and advance health equity all depend on a workforce that is adequately staffed, well-trained, and supported in increasingly complex care environments. Yet persistent shortages, high turnover, burnout, and changing models of care continue to challenge health systems and policymakers alike. Health workforce research plays a critical role in identifying solutions and offers evidence to guide policy, improve working conditions, and strengthen care delivery across settings.
At the 2026 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM), workforce-focused sessions will bring together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to examine these challenges and highlight emerging strategies to build a more resilient and effective workforce. Many of these sessions are part of the Safety, Quality, and Workforce Theme, but many are located across other themes – reflecting the importance of workforce in all aspects of health care and care delivery. Here is a full list of the workforce sessions, including time and location.
Here are some highlights of what to expect from this year’s health workforce sessions:
Workforce retention, well-being, and working conditions
A central theme at ARM 2026 is understanding how to retain and support the workforce in the face of ongoing strain. Sessions will explore how benefits, working conditions, and policy environments shape retention, as well as how burnout and turnover are affecting sectors such as behavioral health. In particular, research on integrated care models and workforce innovation will highlight promising approaches to addressing shortages while improving provider well-being. Together, these sessions emphasize that strengthening the workforce requires not only expanding supply, but also improving the conditions under which care is delivered.
Policy levers and system-level change
Several sessions will examine how policy levers, including payment models, regulatory frameworks, and workforce investments, affect staffing patterns, care delivery, and outcomes. A panel will also focus on how workforce data can be used more effectively to inform policy decisions, offering practical insights for researchers and policymakers seeking to translate evidence into action. These sessions underscore the importance of aligning policy with workforce needs to support high-performing health systems.
Workforce dynamics across sectors
The challenges facing the health workforce vary across settings, and ARM 2026 will highlight these differences through sessions focused on public health, primary care, long-term services and supports, and reproductive health. Presentations on public health workforce capacity will examine how recent shifts are affecting system performance, while sessions on primary care and long-term care will explore team-based models, workforce pipelines, and continuity of care. Additional sessions will consider how new models of reproductive care are reshaping workforce roles and expanding access points. Collectively, these sessions reflect the diversity of the workforce and the need for tailored solutions across sectors.
Innovation, training, and the future workforce
Looking ahead, several sessions will focus on how to prepare and support the next generation of the workforce. Topics include training the learning health system workforce, leveraging new models of care delivery, and strengthening workforce pipelines. Poster sessions and presentations will also highlight the intersection of workforce, safety, and quality—reinforcing the link between workforce capacity and patient outcomes. These forward-looking discussions will help define the skills, structures, and systems needed to sustain the workforce in the years ahead.
A shared agenda for advancing workforce research
Across these sessions, a common thread emerges: improving health care delivery depends on investing in the workforce. Whether through better data, more effective policies, or innovative care models, the research presented at ARM 2026 will contribute to a growing evidence base on how to build a workforce that is both resilient and responsive to changing needs.
Lastly, we would like to invite all workforce researchers to a joint social and networking gathering with the Interdisciplinary Research Group on Nursing Issues (IRGNI) on Saturday, May 30, from 5:00–8:00 PM. Please RSVP for the networking event if you plan to attend!