2026 Disability Health Symposium
We are excited to invite you to the 2026 Disability Health Symposium, presented by CEDHARS, the newly formed UAB Disability Health Promotion Research Center (DHPRC) and the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD).
When: Monday, Aug. 31 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. | Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Where: The Hilton Birmingham Downtown at UAB | 808 20th St S, Birmingham, AL, 35205
Register for the symposium that will bring together experts, advocates and community members to explore the latest in disability health research.
The symposium will feature keynote speakers, posters and a national forum on the forefront of how inclusion science feeds into programs and back into research. Registration is free and includes breakfast, lunch and refreshments.
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Call for Posters
Students, staff, faculty and trainees from any institution are welcome to submit abstracts for poster presentation on basic, clinical, translational, and population science that are broadly related to disability health and rehabilitation science. In the abstract submission below, students and trainees can indicate if they would like to be considered for the competition for cash awards.
Note: While faculty and staff submissions are welcome and encouraged to submit abstracts for the poster session, they will not be eligible for the competition and cash prizes, as these awards are reserved for students to support their professional development and to encourage continued research pursuits.
Accepted posters will be notified two weeks before the symposium. The deadline to submit is Aug. 1.
Abstract Guidelines:
- Limit of 350 words in the abstract body, excluding title and authors. The abstract body should be formatted with the following headings: Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusions, Future Directions, and Acknowledgments. Use Arial, 12-point font, left justified, single line spacing, with 1-inch margins. Any embedded figures or tables must use no less than 12-point font.
- The title is limited to two lines of bold, Arial 12-point font. Immediately below the title, list all authors and their affiliations. The presenter must be the first author, and the author’s position should be listed above the abstract body.
- Please save the abstract file name in the following format before uploading to the submission form: Primary author's full name - "Abstract title" - 2026 Disability Health Symposium
Submit your Abstract Opens in a new window.
Keynote Speakers
Simon Driver, Ph.D.
Simon Driver, Ph.D., is the Director of the Discovery Center for Brain Injury and Concussion Recovery Research at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on health promotion efforts for people with brain injury with an emphasis on cardiovascular health through physical activity and nutrition. He has a growing interest in comparative effectiveness research and implementation science to ensure evidence-based interventions are accessible to people after injury.
Shiv Hiremath, Ph.D.
Shiv Hiremath, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at Temple University with expertise in rehabilitation science, personal health informatics, and rehabilitation engineering. He is also the director of Personal Health Informatics and Rehabilitation Engineering laboratory.