Late-Breaking Abstracts (LBAs) at the 2026 Annual Research Meeting are submitted to a theme for consideration for podium or poster presentation. Up to four abstracts accepted for podium presentation are grouped according to topic area. All accepted presenters are expected to attend in person.

Submissions for 2026 are now closed.

  • Submission Deadline: Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET
  • Notifications: Mid April 2026

Will Your Late-Breaking Research Qualify?

To qualify for presentation as a Late-Breaking Abstract, the submitted research should be likely to have a significant impact on the research community and/or represent a major advance or new finding for which the data or analyses were not available by the regular call for presentations deadline of January 6, 2026. During the submission process, you will be asked to explain why your data/analyses were not available by the original call for presentations deadline, and why your abstract should qualify as late-breaking. Failure to speak to this point directly will affect your likelihood of being accepted.

Why Submit?

  • Expand your audience: share findings with researchers, clinicians, policymakers, community leaders, payers, data scientists, and other decision-makers who turn evidence into impact.
  • Accelerate impact: get peer feedback, forge cross-sector partnerships, and spark collaborations that move research beyond publication and into practice.
  • Showcase diversity of evidence: we welcome traditional and nontraditional contributions — from randomized trials and large-data analyses to implementation case studies, community-engaged evaluations, policy analyses, rapid-cycle learning, reproducibility efforts, and practice-led innovations.
  • Support career growth: visibility, constructive review, and networking opportunities for trainees, first-time presenters, and seasoned investigators alike.

What We’re Looking For

We seek high-quality work that combines rigor with relevance and drives tangible improvements in health and health care, including projects that:

  • Advance health AI with rigorous approaches for meaningful impact that consider the patient perspective
  • Further the collective understanding of trust as essential to health
  • Showcase new partnership paradigms that drive innovation and impact
  • Advance health equity and community-centered approaches
  • Engage patients, families, and community partners as leaders in research
  • Translate evidence into policy, delivery, and practice change
  • Demonstrate real-world implementation, scalability, and impact

Conference Themes

2026 Themes and Subtopics »

  • Aging, End-Of-Life, and Complex Conditions
  • Child and Family Health
  • Digital Health, Data, and Analytics
  • Dissemination, Implementation, and Impact
  • Global Health and Systems Research
  • Health Equity and Disparities
  • Healthcare Access, Payment, and Coverage
  • Healthcare System Design and Transformation
  • Mental Health and Substance Use
  • Methods and Measurement Science
  • Patient-Centered Care and Engagement
  • Public and Population Health
  • Safety, Quality, and Workforce
  • Women and Gender Health