Call for submissions are now open! Submit by May 29.
Call for Submissions
Key details
Date: Friday, October 23, 2026, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: University of Toronto’s Conference Centre
Registration: Eventbrite
About
The 2026 Climate & Health Conference provides a forum for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to share evidence and innovations that advance understanding and action to strengthen health in a changing climate. This full-day event will bring together researchers, students, health professionals, policymakers, government leaders, and system partners to connect, share knowledge, and advance climate and sustainability action for health, health systems, and planetary health.
Call for submissions
We invite submissions for papers, panels, workshops, and posters that examine climate change alongside related ecological challenges, including biodiversity loss, pollution, land and water degradation, and their implications for planetary health. Submissions may report on rigorous research from diverse medical, social or physical science disciplines, or innovative and impactful solutions in policy and practice across local, national, and global contexts. Topics can relate to Climate Change and Health, Planetary Health, Sustainability, One Health, Political Ecology of Health and others. See “themes” below for more detail.
- Panels: 3-4 speakers addressing a topical issue, followed by a facilitated discussion (75 minutes). Panel proposals must identify a clear focus, appropriate speakers and facilitator.
- Interactive workshops/roundtables: Interactive sessions that actively engage participants, with short presentations, facilitated dialogue, participatory activities, or collaborative problem-solving related to a specific issue (75 minutes). Workshop proposals should identify a clear objective, interactive process, appropriate speakers, and facilitator.
- Oral presentations: Presentations can be submitted or accepted in two formats:
- Full (15 minutes + Q&A), scheduled with other similar talks in sessions featuring 4 speakers.
- Rapid fire (7 minutes + Q&A), scheduled with other similar rapid fire presentations in sessions featuring 8-10 speakers.
- Poster presentations: Accepted posters will be displayed for all-day viewing and featured in a scheduled poster session to support discussion and networking among presenters and attendees. Specific poster requirements will be provided with the acceptance letter.
Submissions due by May 29. Notifications will be sent out by mid-July.
We are open to submissions on a wide variety of topics related to Climate Change and Health, Planetary Health, Sustainability, One Health, Political Ecology of Health and related topics. Previous years have featured panel discussions, paper presentations, rapid fire rounds and workshops on a wide range of topics, including:
Health Impacts of Climate & Ecosystem Change
- Extreme Temperatures and Child Wellbeing
- Association between Long-Term Ambient Air Pollution and Myocardial Fibrosis
- Climate Change and the Developing and Aging Brain
- Psychosocial Interventions in the Context of Climate Change
- Health and Environmental Impacts of Recommended Diets
Sustainable & Resilient Health Systems
- Care in a Changing Climate
- Climate Costs of Health AI
- Environmental Destruction & Labour Rights Abuse from Medical Supplies
- Environmental Co-Benefits of Reducing Low-Value Care
- Bridging the Gap: Quality Improvement & Implementation Science
Planetary Health Equity
- Indigenous Voices in Decision Making for the Health of the Planet
- Climate Action and Infectious Disease Prevention: Posthuman Provocations
- Community Engaged Research for Planetary Health
- Protecting Communities from Extreme Heat
- From Climate Distress to Collective Action
- Life, Death, and Urban Health under Climate Change
Strengthening Academic Capacity for Planetary Health
- Conducting Sustainable Health Research in the Anthropocene
- Developing Planetary Health Education and Competencies for Health Professionals
- Addressing the Climate Education Crisis with Planetary Health Learning Modules
Please use the following guidelines for your abstract submission:
Oral presentations
Paper presentations can be submitted or accepted in two formats:
- Full-length (15 minutes), in sessions featuring 4 speakers plus Q&A, or
- Rapid-fire (7 minutes) in sessions featuring, 8-10 speakers plus Q&A
Please note: to be considered for oral presentation, the research must have results ready for reporting, with ethics review as appropriate. In general, evidence reviews not be considered for oral presentation and should be submitted as posters.
Panel submissions
Panels consist of 3-4 speakers addressing a topical issue, followed by a facilitated discussion, over 75 minutes. Applicants should be prepared to participate in the identification, recruitment and coordination of panellists and moderator for accepted panels.
Interactive workshops
Workshops are designed as interactive sessions that actively engage participants, with short presentations, facilitated dialogue, participatory activities, or collaborative problem-solving related to a specific issue, over 75 minutes. Workshop proposals should identify a clear objective, interactive process, and appropriate speakers. Applicants will be asked to coordinate accepted workshops, including speakers and facilitators.
Posters
Accepted posters will be displayed for all-day viewing and featured in a scheduled poster session to support discussion and networking among presenters and attendees. Specific poster requirements will be provided with the acceptance letter.
Please note:
- Speaker registration: All presenters and panel hosts will be expected to pay the registration fee for the conference. If you are unable to pay the registration fee, we will be offering bursaries based on financial need (application form will be included with the application decision). While we do not want finances to be a restriction for attendance, the cost of convening an event this size is high and therefore, we are only able to provide a limited number of bursaries for registration.
- Student presenters: We have allocated a limited number of spaces to posters and presentations led by students, who will be considered for an Outstanding Presentation/Poster award.
The following information is required to submit an application:
- A title
- Name and affiliations of primary presenter, and 3-4 additional names of speakers, host/facilitators, or non-presenting authors, as appropriate
- Bios required for all participating speaker(s) or host/facilitator(s) (bios for non-participating authors are not required) (max 150 words)
Oral presentations and posters
- A short description for the conference program (max 100 words)
- A structured abstract that does not exceed 350 words: background and objectives, approach, outcomes, and results/impact
Panels
- A short description for the conference program (max 100 words)
- A structured abstract that does not exceed 500 words: background on issue, objectives/questions the panel seeks to address, and a brief description of the issues to be reviewed by each speaker
Workshops
- A short description for the conference program (max 100 words)
- A structured abstract that does not exceed 500 words: background on issue, objectives/questions the workshop seeks to address, planned interactive components, and a brief description of the contributions of the proposed facilitators.
- March 5: Application opens
- May 29: Submission deadline
- May-July: Application review period
- Mid-July: Notification of decision