Texas Public Health Association's 

102nd Annual Education Conference
"Boots on the Ground for Public Health"

May 19-21, 2026 (Tuesday-Thursday)
Houston, Texas (IN PERSON CONFERENCE)

FORM LOCATED AT BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE

The Texas Public Health Association invites abstract submissions for oral presentations and rapid-fire presentations on various public health topics including original research, program implementation and evaluation, community assessments, public health methods, theories, and issues relating to health promotion and disease prevention, community health, public health nursing, outbreak investigations, disaster preparedness and response, epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, mental health, maternal and child health, social determinants of health and social justice, population health, health administration, public health partnerships, public health accreditation, school health, vision health, oral health, aging, community health, planning, public health urban planning, and health policies that affect individuals, groups, communities, and populations at any age or stage in life.  

The Texas Public Health Association (TPHA) is a non-profit, state-wide association of public health professionals dedicated to public health in Texas. TPHA was established in 1932, and a  statewide community for discussion, sharing best practices, and networking among public health professionals in Texas. Learn more about TPHA at http://www.texaspha.org/.

Learn more about TPHA at http://www.texaspha.org/.

Click HERE for Tips for Submitting Conference Abstracts

Abstract Categories 

Abstracts for the Texas Public Health Association are limited to no more than 300 words.

There are two major categories of abstracts:

Research Abstracts-Please include the following information if submitting a research abstract:

• Background
• Objectives
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion(s)
• Public health implications
  

Practice Abstracts -(Program Planning, Implementation, Evaluation) -Please include the following information if submitting a practice abstract:

• Introduction to problem/issue being addressed
• Description of evidence and theory used to inform program development/implementation
• Description of program activities and outcomes (or plan to evaluate outcomes)
• Conclusion(s)
• Recommendations for practice

Presentation Types

Breakout Session (oral presentation)-presenters in this type will be given 10-15 minutes to present (depending on the number of presentations in your assigned breakout-to be determined later).  Each one-hour breakout session will have multiple (2-4) presentations.  Each individual presentation may have up to two (2) presenters only.  No exceptions.  

Rapid Fire Session-During this innovative presentation format you will be presenting your research or program in 5 minutes using 3 slides.   The 5-minute rapid fire presentation is designed to give you an opportunity to share your research in a clear, succinct manner.  Rapid Fire presentations are limited to one (1) presenter only.  No exceptions.  Click HERE for Powerpoint template.  Abstracts selected for a Rapid Fire presentation, will also be asked to submit a 10-minute self-recorded video presentation of your abstract presentation that will be made available to conference attendees via QR code or link.  

Student Competition Oral Presentation-Students from a School of Public Health or related health science program are selected to compete for a $100 prize. To be considered for the competition, students should check “Student Competition Oral Presentation" on the abstract submission form and on the Breakout Session Preference question. Students may only submit one abstract for consideration for the student oral competition.  Abstracts selected for this category will ONLY be considered for the Student Competition Oral Presentation Track of the program. Non-students may be co-authors but a student must be the first author and sole presenter. No exceptions.

For a list of Student Competition Oral Presentation Judging Criteria click HERE

Additional Information on Abstract Submission

• Abstracts may be submitted for consideration for more than one presentation type (rapid fire, oral presentation, student competition oral presentation).
• Authors may submit multiple abstracts for consideration for oral presentations and rapid fire sessions. Authors may only submit one abstract for consideration for the student competition oral presentation, but they may submit additional abstracts in the other categories.
• All selected presenters are responsible for purchasing and completing the required conference registration prior to April 1, 2026.
• All presenters are responsible for the resources needed to participate and present at the conference.
• All presenters are required to attend and register for the full conference. 
• Avoid abbreviations when possible.
• Tables, graphs, and charts are not permitted in abstracts.
• Citations are strongly discouraged.
• Abstracts for the Texas Public Health Association are limited to no more than 300 words.  Abstracts over 300 words (not including section headers) will NOT be reviewed.  It is the responsibility of the submitter to use a word processor to count the total words submitted (the form will allow more than 300 words so you WILL need to do a word count).
• Abstracts will be reviewed for public health significance. Abstracts that do not clearly demonstrate public health significance will not be considered for presentation. 
• Research Abstracts should include:  Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, Conclusion(s), and Public health implications.  
• Practice (Program Planning, Implementation, Evaluation) Abstracts should include:  Introduction to problem/issue being addressed, Description of evidence and theory used to inform program development/implementation, Description of program activities and outcomes (or plan to evaluate outcomes), Conclusion(s), and Recommendations for practice.
• Please indicate if work is in progress or completed. The work should not be in the pre-implementation (i.e. planning) phase.
• If the work has been previously presented in any capacity, please indicate when and where and how this presentation will add to the body of public health knowledge.
• The quality of the submission will strongly affect the outcome of the review. TPHA may publish all or parts of the accepted abstracts in the Final Program for the 2026 Annual Educational Conference and the abstract information is exported directly from the submission without any edits or changes. To ensure publication accuracy, submitters (not TPHA) are responsible for submission accuracy and completeness.
• Meritorious abstract submissions from any category may be considered for publication in the TPHA Journal.
• If you experience problems or have questions about the abstract submission process, please email TPHA AEC program planners at  AECProgram@texaspha.org
  

Dates and Details

All must be received by 11:59 PM Central Time on due date/deadlines listed below.

Thank you for submitting an abstract!  We hope to see you in Houston, Texas!