The 19th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) in Health planning committee is excited to announce a special call for stories describing how D&I science led to measurable and sustained health and/or service delivery improvements, economic or payment reforms, or policy change.

The D&I Stories of Impact Plenary Session will provide 4-5 selected participants with the opportunity to share D&I impact stories in an engaging panel session, followed by a moderated discussion to share lessons learned.

The Call for Stories of Impact is now open. Submit your story today » 

How to Submit Your Story

To submit a story for consideration, complete a “Call for Stories of Impact” submission through the main call for presentations by Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. ET.

Please note that story submissions will undergo a phased review process. Submissions that advance to Phase Two will be asked to provide a one-minute video within one week of notification, which will be considered as part of the final selection process.

Benefits

If selected, the presenting speaker will receive:

  • Complementary conference registration
  • Personalized coaching to help prepare you for a successful presentation

Submission Timeline

  • Submissions open: May 14, 2026
  • Submission deadline: July 16, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET
  • Notifications for phase two: September 2026

What Makes a Strong Submission?

Selected storytellers will be asked to incorporate six core storytelling elements into their presentation. To learn more about these elements, read this one-pager and watch the video below featuring last year's Stories of Impact moderator, Rani Elwy. For further questions, please contact [email protected].

For an example of the type of story we are looking for, watch Lucy Marcil's TED Talk about how her organization StreetCred offered free tax prep to parents right in the waiting room, helping to lift families out of poverty and reimagine what a doctor's visit can look like.

Story Qualifications

D&I impact stories should report impacts in at least one of these areas:

  1. Patient, Community and Population Health Impacts 
    How did D&I research lead to improved patient health, expanded receipt of care for a population or community or other patient outcomes? Has the effect been sustained in participating sites and/or scaled up or spread to other care settings or communities?
     
  2. Health Service Delivery Impacts 
    How did D&I research lead to improved adherence to clinical guidelines or adoption of evidence-based practices, or reduced provider burnout?  Was this change sustained, scaled, or spread?
     
  3. Economic/Payment Reform or Policy Change 
    How did D&I research lead to new regulations, policies or payment models? Have these findings been utilized by decision-makers in other ways?

Requirements

  • Submissions must be 1750 characters (~250 words) or less and clearly articulate a compelling story of real-world impact.
  • Submissions must identify one (or more) of the areas identified above.
  • If your submission is chosen for presentation, you will be required to:
    • Attend a pre-conference group orientation session (date TBD) on the IGNITE format, provide an elevator pitch of your narrative/story to inform order/flow/grouping, and address questions
    • Submit slides for review by planning committee prior to the conference (exact date TBD)
    • Attend a practice ‘dry run’ that will take place prior to the conference (exact date TBD)

Review Criteria

Selected story presenters will be asked to include these 6 elements in their oral presentation at the conference. During review, preference will be given to data-driven submissions that address these components as part of their story.

  1. A moment in your story that shifted your thinking about your implementation effort
  2. The values that you needed to draw on to carry out this effort
  3. The challenge that you faced in your implementation effort
  4. The choice you needed to make to address your implementation challenge
  5. The outcome of your implementation effort, using empirical data
  6. Use hope to illustrate to others listening to your story how they can join with you on this implementation journey