Medical Humanities Conference 2026

mhc_2026

 

Date & Format

The 2026 Medical Humanities Conference will take place on Friday, October 2. The theme of this year’s meeting is Medical Technologies, which will comprise (at least) one track. Note that this track includes, but is not limited to, artificial intelligence in medicine. Other tracks will can be on any topic related to medical humanities.

We will accept submissions for online presentations, as well as solicit interest for in-person presentations; please note that the submission platform asks for your preferences.

Call for Abstracts

The Call for Abstracts is now available. Submissions will be accepted through August 15th; we will use Oxford Abstracts to manage the process. Acceptances will be posted by September 1st. Presenters must register by September 15th to confirm their spots on the program.

Conference Program

The conference program will be published in September. (All times are EST.) 

Conference Keynote

This year's conference will have two keynotes. Relating to our conference theme in medical technologies, we are pleased to host Dr. Jeremy Greene. Dr. Greene is the William H. Welch Professor of Medicine and the History of Medicine at Johns Hopkins University. 

Student Prizes

We are grateful for the opportunity to award two separate student prizes this year. The first is the Shirley Bach award, which commemorates work in bioethics done by: (1) undergraduate students; (2) graduate students (in any field); and (3) medical students. We will confer one award in each category. The second is our inaugural award in health equity, which will be awarded to a student (in any category) who makes a substantial contribution in this area. All awards will carry cash prizes, and all student submissions will be considered for them.

Conference Registration

Conference registration is open!  Registration is required for all presenters, both faculty and students; students are encouraged to seek funding from their home institutions.  Please note that registrations fund: a faculty course buy-out, graduate assistants, keynote honoraria, and a student essay prize, among other expenses.

If faculty would like to invite their classes or other undergraduate participants, please reach out to the conference organizers to make arrangements (@email).

Microsoft Teams

All conference registrants will be added into Microsoft Teams.  Please review the attached document for further instructions.  If you need additional help, please email @email.

Western Michigan University Homer Stryker, M.D., School of Medicine Sponsors

Western Michigan University Sponsors