2026 Annual Meeting

Format of Presentations: Accepted scientific abstracts to the SAHM Annual Meeting are presented in one of the following three formats:

• • Oral Presentation: Presenters are featured to formally present their findings in front of a larger audience followed by questions and answers.
  • Poster Symposia: Presenters print their posters and display them with a small number of other posters for an interactive session in which they formally describe their findings to the session’s participants and then participate in small group discussions.
  • Poster Session: Presenters print their posters and display them in a large room alongside other poster presenters. Participants read and receive information from presenters with self-paced discussion.
  • Requesting a Poster Only Presentation: Scientific Abstracts can be submitted for consideration as a poster presentation only (traditional poster session or poster symposia), and not for oral presentation. If you wish to only present the abstract as a poster, please select “poster only” in the submission system.
  • Presenter Requirements: Presenters must be available to present at the time and date assigned by the Program Committee between March 3-6, 2026. If your submission is accepted for presentation, the accepted presenting author is required to register to attend the in-person meeting at the standard rates.
  • IRB Approval: To be accepted for presentation at the SAHM Annual Meeting, the project presented in the submitted abstract must be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) OR be designated by an IRB as exempt from review.
  • Overlapping Abstracts: The submission of overlapping abstracts from the same group of investigators is strongly discouraged. Multiple abstracts considered to be the result of excessive splitting of data will be evaluated accordingly and will not be given priority. To accommodate as many submitters as possible, the Abstract Review Committee Chair may request that submissions such as these be combined and that a revised abstract be provided.
  • Research in Progress: Research abstracts without data (i.e., research in progress without results at the time of submission) will not be accepted for presentation at the SAHM Annual Meeting.
  • Edits and Revisions: Submissions can be edited through the submission site until the submission deadline. No changes can be made to the abstract, including, but not limited to, adding authors, after the submission deadline. All authors must be included at the time of submission.
  • Abstract Fee: $40 (US) for all submitted scientific abstracts to be paid through the submission site by authorize.net.
  • Submission Deadline: To be considered for presentation at the SAHM 2026 Annual Meeting, abstracts will only be accepted through the online submission site before August 26, 2025 at 11:59 PM CT (Chicago). Your abstract will not be considered for presentation unless all required fields are completed and your submission has been finalized by this deadline.

Scientific Research abstracts submitted to the SAHM 2026 Annual Meeting may be eligible for consideration for the following awards. To be considered for ANY of the below-mentioned awards, you must upload a supplemental Word document that provides expanded methods and results. You may include tables and figures in this document. There are no guarantees of acceptance.

• • Charles E. Irwin Jr., New Investigator Award: This award recognizes trainees and early career professionals who demonstrate excellence in research that advances the development, synthesis, and dissemination of scientific and scholarly knowledge specific to the health and developmental needs of adolescents and young adults. First authors who meet the eligibility criteria as shown below for the Charles E. Irwin Jr., New Investigator Award(s) may indicate their interest in being considered during the submission process. Eligibility criteria include the following: (1) Candidate is the first author on the abstract and must be either in training or have completed their fellowship (or graduate training) within the last five calendar years since submission. (2) Research must be in an area of knowledge unique to the development and health care needs of adolescents and young adults. (3) The awards will be given for a specific piece of research and is not dependent upon the awardee’s total research. (4) Abstracts must be submitted for oral presentation to be considered for this award. Abstracts submitted for poster presentation only are not eligible for consideration. New in 2026: Up to 5 abstracts will be selected to receive the Charles E. Irwin Jr., New Investigator Award. Awardees will be notified at the same time abstract acceptance notices are sent. Previous winners are not eligible for consideration.
  • Robert H. DuRant Award for Statistical Rigor and Innovation in Adolescent Health Research: The Robert H. DuRant Award for Statistical Rigor and Innovation in Adolescent Health Research recognizes the top-rated abstract submission that features sophisticated methodology and/or innovative analytic approaches in adolescent health research. The Abstract Review Committee will evaluate eligible abstracts and select the recipient based on the quality of statistical rigor and innovation demonstrated. SAHM Headquarters will notify the awardee in their abstract acceptance notification. An individual may receive the DuRant Award only once; however, finalists may be nominated again in subsequent years. SAHM reserves the right not to name a recipient in any given year if no submission is deemed to meet the award criteria.
  • Vaughn Rickert Vaccine Research Award: The Vaughn Rickert Vaccine Research Award recognizes the highest-rated abstract submission focused on vaccination research. The Abstract Review Committee will select the recipient based on abstract quality and relevance. SAHM Headquarters will notify the awardee in the abstract acceptance notification. An individual may receive the Vaughn Rickert Vaccine Research Award only once. SAHM reserves the right to withhold the award in any year in which there is no suitable nominee.

• • Consistent with SAHM’s overall mission of promoting the optimal health and well-being of all adolescents, authors should consider conducting and presenting their research with attention to identifying assets, using inclusive language, and addressing health equity.
    • • The abstract can frame the research within an assets framework.
      • The abstract should include consideration of socioecological/contextual contributors to outcomes, so as to avoid inadvertent negative stereotyping of any sub-population of adolescents and young adults.
  • Do not repeat the title or include author information in the body of the abstract.
  • Tables and Figures: Abstracts are text only. Do not include table or figures in abstract.
  • Proofreading and Publication: Proofreading, including spelling and punctuation, is the responsibility of the submitting author. Please review the abstract carefully before submission as your writing is a reflection of you, your organization and SAHM if accepted. All accepted abstracts will be published in a February 2026 online Journal of Adolescent Health

The key abstract scoring/ selection criteria are the following for a total of 20 points:

• • Purpose (max 2 points)
    • • Clearly explained hypothesis, aim, or objective
  • Methods: Study Design (max 10 points)
    • • Explanation: design is clearly explained
      • Design appropriateness to study: design maximizes study question
      • Data Collection: methods are appropriate and well described. Design flaws are recognized, clearly described, and potential impact on results is acknowledge or explained.
      • Study population/participant selection: Higher points awarded for participants representing a population historically underrepresented in research, vulnerable or difficult to access, or research poor setting
  • Results (max 4 points)
    • • Analysis: Well-described data analysis (advanced approach)
      • Explanation: Results are clearly explained and match methods
      • Organization: Results are well-organized and narrative is clear
  • Conclusions (max 1 point)
    • • Conclusions are supported by results
  • Overall Impact (max 3 points)
    • • Innovative content that can change/challenge how attendees conduct clinical practice, education, research, programming. Higher points for the potential for results to be used in near future (rather than needing several further steps before rolling out)
  • Are there ethical or other concerns?
    • • Abstracts are excluded if there is no approval from an institutional review board, if there is concern for undue financial influence, or if there are other ethical concerns around the study.

Download the AM26 Scientific Research Scoring Rubric

To complete your scientific research abstract submission, please provide the following through the online submission:

• • Title (Up to 120 characters, excluding spaces)
  • Abstract (up to 500 words, excluding spaces): Briefly describe the objectives of the study or investigation, the basic procedures (study subjects and analytical methods), the main findings (giving specific data and the statistical significance, if possible), and the principal conclusion. Emphasize new and important aspects of the study. There is a cumulative total of 500 words allowed for all fields including sources of support. Your abstract should contain the following sections:
    • Purpose
    • Methods
    • Results
    • Conclusion
    • Sources of Support
  • Topic Areas: Select 1-3 topic areas that best fit your presentation. If you choose “other” please specify. Topic options include: ADHD; Adolescent Healthcare and the Resident Learner; Adolescent Nursing; Adolescents with HIV/AIDS; Advocacy; Avoiding Burnout and Finding Wellness; Bone Health; Chronic Illness and Transition; Climate & Adolescent Health; Clinical Counseling/Communication Skills; College Health; Contraception; Diversity; Early Career Professionals; Eating Disorders; Education; Electronic Health Records; Ethical & Legal; Family Medicine; Global Adolescent Health; Global/International Health/Millennial Developmental Goals; Health Equity/Health Disparities; Health Policy; Health promotion/prevention & population health; Health Services/Primary Care; HIV; Immunizations; International Adolescent Health Week; Internist in Adolescent Medicine; Intervention Development; Juvenile Justice; LGBTQIA Adolescent Health; Male Adolescent and Young Adult Health; Media/Social Media; Mental Health; Military Adolescent Health Professionals; Multicultural/Multiethnic; Nutrition; Obesity Management; Parent-Teen Relationships; Peace, Armed Conflict and Adolescents ; Physical activity/nutrition; Positive Youth Development; Power of One; Pregnant and Parenting Teens; Private Practitioners in Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine; Quality Improvement; Quality of Life; Reproductive Health; Runaway and Homeless Youth; School-Based Health Care; Sexual and Gender Diverse Health; Sexual/Reproductive Health; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Social Work; Spirituality; Sports Medicine; Student/Trainee; Substance Use; Suicide; Technology-based interventions; Transition to Adult Care; Vaccines; Violence (physical and non-physical); Violence Prevention; Wellness; Workforce;  Youth Engagement; and Other (please specify in text box). 
  • Methodologies: Select 1-3 methodologies that best fit your research. Options include: Advanced Statistical Methods, Community Based Participatory Research, Descriptive/exploratory/survey studies, Intervention Study, Program Evaluation, Qualitative Methods- Focus groups, key informant interviews, unstructured/semi-structured interviews, Quality Improvement, RCT, Secondary Data Analysis, and Systematic Review/meta-analysis
  • Learning Outcome (up to 150 words, excluding spaces): learning outcome describes the overall purpose or goal of the educational activity.
  • Educational Objective (up to 250 words, excluding spaces): Objectives are used to structure the content of an educational activity, and may include tasks such as “list”, “compare”, or “explain. Do not use words: understand, appreciate, learn, know, or familiarize. Please note that learning objectives are not an overview or outline of the abstract. Objectives of accepted abstracts will be listed on the SAHM 2026 Annual Meeting website and conference app. Example of objectives: Analyze the current epidemiology of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic; Identify and verbalize effective HIV prevention strategies; State an alternative intervention framework for approaching prevention of HIV among adolescents and young adults. For additional guidance on creating objectives, please visit: Writing Learning Objectives: Writing Learning Objectives (aamc.org)
  • Keywords (up to 5): Provide up to 5 keywords, separated by commas, for your abstract from the MeSH database to be published with your abstract if accepted in the supplement of the Journal of Adolescent Health.
  • Name & Contact information for authors. Only the first author will be listed on the SAHM 2026 Annual Meeting website and conference app. The lead author (name listed first) will serve as the primary contact for all correspondence related to the abstract. It is the responsibility of the first author to share all correspondence with co-authors. If accepted, authors will be listed in order entered in the Journal of Adolescent Health
    • Full name
    •  Credentials
    •  Institution
    • Email address
  • Lead Author/Presenter Curriculum Vitae (CV): CVs are required only for the Lead/Presenting Author. Please upload the CV with the following naming convention: presenter’s last name, first name in the document name, for example: Smith, John. Documents must be uploaded as a PDF. Word documents are not accepted.
  • Consider for Charles Irwin Jr., New Investigator Award (yes/no) – Please see above for more information.
  • Consider for DuRant Award (yes/no) – Please see above for more information.
  • Consider for Vaughn Rickert Award (yes/no) – Please see above for more information.
  • Supplemental Materials: If you would like to be considered for any of the awards, please upload a word document that provides expanded methods and results. You may include tables and figures in this document. There are no guarantees of acceptance.
  • Ethics Review (Yes/No response): I acknowledge that this research has been approved by an institutional review board (IRB). If you selected “No”, please explain in the textbox. Include enough detail in your explanation for abstract reviewers to understand rationale. If the IRB indicated to you that study was exempt or review not indicated, please state this. Note: All abstracts published in Journal of Adolescent Health must have been approved by an IRB or designated by an IRB as exempt from review.
  • Faculty Financial Disclosures: Presenting authors are considered faculty for the annual meeting and MUST disclose whether or not they have any financial relationship with commercial interests, including but not limited to, participation on speaker bureaus or advisory boards, receipt of grant support, etc. Should the abstract be accepted, the lead author associated with the submission will receive a link to a disclosure survey. The disclosure must be completed by December 10, 2025.