2026 AAPL Annual Leadership Conference

Learning Tracks

All submissions must be designated to one of the six learning tracks below. For more details on each learning track, visit the proposal page via the Submit Your Proposal button.

1. Leading Self - Resilience, Wellbeing, Identity & Career Navigation

2. Leading Teams & People - Interprofessional Collaboration, Shared Leadership & Team Development

3. Leading the Organization - Finance, Strategy, Data & Operational Excellence

4. Leading Change & Innovation - Transformation, Disruption & Strategic Adaptation

5. Leading with AI - Technology, Ethics & the Future of Care

6. Leading with Purpose - Stewardship, Equity & Systems Change

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Session Formats

All submissions must be designated to one of the following six learning tracks:

• Concurrent Sessions - A concurrent session is a 60-minute presentation delivered by either a solo presenter or co-presenters.

• Workshops - A workshop is an immersive 2-hour, hands-on learning experience designed to go beyond knowledge transfer to active skill building.

• Panel Sessions - A panel session is a 60-minute moderated discussion featuring three to four subject matter experts who bring diverse perspectives to a shared topic or challenge relevant to physician leadership.

NEW FORMAT ADDED

• Poster Sessions: AAPL Emerging Leaders Showcase
  Your Leadership Journey Starts Here.
  You chose medicine because you wanted to make a difference. And somewhere along the way — in a challenging rotation, a difficult patient encounter, a team that needed direction, or a system that needed to change — you discovered that leadership was part of your calling too. The American Association for Physician Leadership wants to hear that story.
  
  AAPL is proud to introduce the Emerging Leaders Showcase at the 2026 Annual Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona — a dedicated poster session created exclusively for medical students, residents, and fellows who are already thinking, working, and leading differently. This is your opportunity to share your work, your insights, and your vision for the future of physician leadership with an audience of the most accomplished physician leaders in the country.
  
  Why the Emerging Leaders Showcase?
  AAPL believes the future of healthcare depends on cultivating physician leaders early — not after decades of practice, but now, while you are still in training and closest to the frontlines of care.

The Emerging Leaders Showcase was created to:

• Celebrate the leadership work already happening in residency programs, fellowships, and medical schools

• Create meaningful connections between emerging and established physician leaders

• Amplify fresh perspectives and innovative ideas that are reshaping how we think about physician leadership

• Build a pipeline of purpose-driven leaders who will carry the profession forward

This is not a student poster competition. This is a national stage.

Who Should Submit to the Emerging Leadership Showcase?
The Emerging Leaders Showcase is open to:

• Medical students currently enrolled in an accredited MD or DO program

• Residents currently enrolled in an accredited residency program

• Fellows currently enrolled in an accredited fellowship program

All submissions must be sponsored by a faculty advisor or program director who can attest to the quality and accuracy of the work. Faculty sponsors are not eligible to be listed as primary presenters.

When will the Emerging Leadership Showcase take place?
Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 5:00 - 6:30

If your poster is accepted, you will receive a complimentary pass to the full 2026 AAPL Annual Conference, which we encourage you to attend.

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Three Session Levels

1. Novice Level Sessions - Introduce fundamental concepts and build a basic understanding.

2. Intermediate Level Sessions - Enhance existing knowledge and develop intermediate skills.

3. Advanced Level Sessions - Master complex concepts and explore cutting-edge developments.