Call for Abstracts
2026 Joint AAPM | COMP Annual Meeting & Exhibition (July 19-July 22, 2026)
Deadline Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2026 8:00 PM Eastern (5:00 PM Pacific)
No extensions will be granted. All abstracts must be submitted by the deadline above to be considered for review.
Registration and in-person attendance are required for all presenting authors.
For those traveling on a Visa into Canada, please review the Visa Process.
When beginning a submission:
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Current AAPM Members: Log in through the Current AAPM Members area.
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Non-Members: Log in through the Non-Members area.
Important: If you are a member, do not create a new people record.
Important Notice for All Submitters: To ensure you receive all notifications regarding your abstract submission, please add the Confex email address (aapm@confex.com) to your email contacts or safe sender list. This will help prevent important messages from being directed to your spam or junk folder.
- Items of Interest
- General Instructions
- General Rules and Guidelines
- Enter Title | Presenting Mode
- Category Classification
- Enter Authors
- Agreements and Disclosures
- Abstract Submission Information
- Confirmation
Registration Fee Waivers for Presenting Authors from Low or Middle-Income Nations:
- Individuals who are interested in the potential registration fee waiver must be an AAPM Member and complete the Registration Waiver Request Form and submit to HQ as instructed by January 26, 2026.
- Non-members: Apply for AAPM Membership. Simply click here to complete your application. If you have any questions regarding the membership process, please contact the Membership Services Manager.
- Preference is given to those abstracts that are accepted for Oral presentations.
- Only the PRESENTING AUTHORS (who reside and work in Low or Middle-Income Nations per the recognized AAPM list above) of Oral presentations are eligible for the first round of the selection process for the registration fee waivers.
- If the number of eligible authors is more than 15, Global Representatives Subcommittee (GRSC) will select one from each region. The remaining waivers will be selected by GRSC from the remaining eligible authors by ballot.
- Recipients of the registration fee waivers will be contacted by May 19, 2026.
Abstract Review Criteria
The following criteria will be used in determining the abstract score. If a supporting document is included, it will be used as additional information in determining the score. Inclusion of a supporting document is strongly encouraged.
- Clarity
- Significance
- Innovation and/or professional scientific impact
- Approach
- Quality and rigor of supporting data
- Interest to the medical physics community
In addition, abstracts submitted to the Innovation in Medical Physics Education will be judged on the following criteria:
- Education utility
- Extent to which the innovation has been implemented and assessed
- Extent to which the innovation can be implemented and adopted at other institutions
Presenting authors will be automatically informed of the unique ID numbers assigned to their abstracts. Abstracts may be viewed by all authors. Only the corresponding author may modify the abstract at any time before the deadline by logging in to the Author's Homepage.
SUPPORT
Contact technical support for help submitting an abstract online or help retrieving login information.
Contact AAPM Customer Service for non-technical process questions.
- All accepted posters will be presented as either paper posters or ‘digital-only’ PDF posters on the platform during the meeting.
- Proffered Abstracts should be original work not previously presented or scheduled to be presented at any other conference except for at the Presenting Author’s local AAPM chapter meeting. The work should not be published in a journal, although work submitted, but not accepted for publication, is acceptable. Substantial overlap with other previous presentations at conferences with substantially different audiences may be submitted with prior specific permission from the Program Directors.
- Presenters of proffered papers are encouraged to submit their work to Medical Physics for review and possible publication.
- To submit an abstract, you are not required to be a member of AAPM, unless otherwise indicated for that submission type in the instructions.
- Abstract submitters may choose one or both presentation formats (Oral and Poster) during the submission process. Selecting both options increases the likelihood of your abstract being accepted.
- Please note that once abstracts are submitted and the submission deadline has passed, no further modifications are permitted. This includes edits to the title, author byline, supporting documents, and any other submission details.
POLICY ON NUMBER OF SUBMISSIONS
- The system will restrict submitters to two (2) proffered submissions as presenting author.
- An individual may present up to two (2) presenting-authored abstracts at the meeting; however, their name may appear on additional abstracts as a co-author.
Note: After session assignments are made, each presenting author may be assigned to no more than two (2) oral presentations. There is no limit to the number of poster presentations a presenting author may have.
TITLE
Enter the Title of your abstract submission.
- Use title case when entering your title. This will allow for consistency in formatting when published in the journal and online meeting program.
- Title case converter. (Open link, paste or type in words and select title case under convert.)
PRESENTING MODE
Select Your Presentation Mode. Choose one or both presentation formats. Selecting both increases your chances of having your abstract submission accepted.
- Oral Presentation
- This involves delivering a brief oral presentation followed by a Q&A or discussion period.
- Specific details will be provided upon acceptance of the abstract.
- Top-scoring abstracts in each proffered science category may be considered for Best in Physics.
- Poster Presentation
- General Poster Discussion: High-scoring abstracts selected for this format will be presented in designated Poster Lounges. These sessions include scheduled times for interaction with the attendees.
- ePoster Viewing: Accepted abstracts without a dedicated timeslot will be displayed online for digital viewing through the meeting platform.
PRIMARY CATEGORY
Choose the category most closely related to your submission.
SECONDARY CATEGORY
You can select up to 3 to further specify your submission.
DETAILED CATEGORY
Select your submission type.
PROFFERED SUBMISSION
- Accepted proffered abstracts will be used to develop the scientific and professional programs for the annual AAPM meeting. Sessions will consist of oral, snap oral, or poster presentations. The oral and snap oral presentations are shorter than those in the other sessions of the conference and are often within a specific topic. All proffered abstracts accepted must be presented in person.
- Supporting documentation is not mandatory but is highly encouraged. Lack of supporting documentation often leads to a significantly lower evaluation by the reviewers and may result in abstract rejection.
- Proffered abstracts from early-career presenting authors may be submitted for consideration to ONE of the two early-career award competitions, according to the following rules:
Early-Career Eligibility
| Career stage at the abstract submission deadline | John R. Cameron & John R. Cunningham Early-Career Investigator Symposium (ECIS) | Early-Career Investigator Competition (ECIC) |
|---|---|---|
| Student in a graduate program | Eligible | Not eligible |
| Student in a certificate program | Eligible | Not eligible |
| Medical physics resident | Eligible | Eligible |
| Postdoctoral fellow | Eligible if within two-years post-graduation (date of conferring of degree) | Eligible |
| Staff/faculty member | Not eligible | Eligible if within four years post-graduation (date of conferring of degree) |
| AAPM membership (Associate, General, or Full, as appropriate) | Not required | Required |
JOHN R. CAMERON & JOHN R. CUNNINGHAM EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATOR SYMPOSIUM (ECIS)
Each year the AAPM conducts an Early-Career Investigators Symposium competition at the Annual Meeting. This year the Early-Career Investigator Symposium will be held jointly between AAPM and COMP. Early-Career Investigators, as defined in the table above, are encouraged to submit abstracts for the competition. The top ten Early-Career Investigator Symposium submissions, as determined by the abstract reviewers and the Program Directors, will be selected for presentation in a special symposium in honor of University of Wisconsin Professor Emeritus John R. Cameron, Ph.D., and University of Toronto Professor Emeritus John R. Cunningham, Ph.D.
FINALISTS will be required to submit a letter of eligibility from the presenting author's thesis advisor identifying the institution. The letters are not to be submitted until the Finalists are identified via the abstract disposition notice, at which time the Finalists will be contacted with further instructions. Contact the AAPM Meetings Content Manager with any questions regarding the Early-Career Investigator Symposium.
Early-Career Investigator Symposium Definition:
At the time of abstract submission, candidates for the John R. Cameron Early-Career Investigator Symposium must be a trainee in:
- a graduate program, OR
- a CAMPEP certificate program, OR
- a medical physics residency, OR
- a postdoctoral fellowship within two-years post-degree.
A panel of judges will score the oral presentations according to criteria that include scientific merit, originality, and organization/presentation of the material. Awardees will be announced at the Awards Ceremony during the Annual Meeting. The top three awardees, including the overall winner, will receive a plaque and a cash award.
- Supporting documentation is REQUIRED and limited to 2 pages in length.
- Early-Career Investigators are not eligible for the Science Council Session.
- All abstracts submitted to the Early-Career Investigator Symposium that are NOT selected for the competition will be considered for other presentation modes.
- Only one submission from each Early-Career Investigator can be submitted for consideration for the Early-Career Investigator Symposium.
- NOTE: The winner of the Early-Career Investigator Symposium is not allowed to participate in the Early-Career Investigator Symposium of future AAPM Annual Meetings.
EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATOR COMPETITION (ECIC) [MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED]
An award for the Early-Career Investigator Competition has been established:
Jack Krohmer Early-Career Investigator Award, sponsored by the Krohmer Memorial Fund and Science Council through the AAPM Education and Research Fund.
The Awardee will receive a plaque and a cash award. One Early-Career Investigator Competition submission will be selected from the highest scoring abstracts judged to be at the highest level of scientific innovation and impact, and the awardee will be announced at the Awards Ceremony during the Annual Meeting.
Early-Career Investigator Competition Definition:
At the time of abstract submission, candidates for the Early-Career Investigator Competition must be a member of AAPM and must currently be:
- a medical physics resident, OR
- a postdoctoral fellow, OR
- a staff/faculty member who is within four years of having obtained a graduate degree.
The AWARDEE will be required to submit a letter of eligibility from a Full Member of AAPM at the early-career investigator's sponsoring institution. The letter is not to be submitted until the Awardee is identified via the abstract disposition notice. Contact the AAPM Meetings Content Manager with any questions regarding the Early-Career Investigator Competition.
- Supporting documentation is REQUIRED and limited to 2 pages in length.
- A single abstract cannot be submitted to both the John R. Cameron Early-Career Investigator Symposium and the Early-Career Investigator Competition.
- Abstracts submitted to the Early-Career Investigator Competition are eligible for the Science Council Session provided that the abstract is appropriate to the topic of the Science Council Session.
- All abstracts submitted to the Early-Career Investigator Competition (ECIC) that are NOT selected as the winner will be considered for oral or poster presentations.
SCIENCE COUNCIL SESSION
The topic selected for this year's Science Council Session is: Innovations in Medical Physics.
Criteria for abstract evaluation will focus on scientific innovation in all areas of medical physics research. High scoring abstract will demonstrate novel and creative science that demonstrates breakthrough or disruptive concepts. The top ten Science Council Session submissions, as determined by the abstract reviewers and the Program Directors will be selected for presentation.
- Supporting documentation is REQUIRED and limited to 2 pages in length.
- All abstracts submitted to the Science Council Session that are NOT selected, will be considered for a proffered oral or poster presentation.
INNOVATION IN MEDICAL PHYSICS EDUCATION: ARTHUR BOYER AWARD [MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED]
AAPM members are invited to submit abstracts describing novel and innovative medical physics educational projects for learners (e.g. students/residents, professional development, patients). Examples include describing innovative teaching strategies, novel educational materials or program designs, or other innovations in the education space.
Please do not submit original clinical, preclinical, or basic science research topics to this category. Such abstracts will not be reviewed.
Submissions for the Innovation in Medical Physics Education: Arthur Boyer Award will be judged on the following criteria:
- the level of innovation in the education strategies designed and implemented
- the potential for widespread educational use
- the extent to which the innovation has been implemented and assessed (quantitatively and/or qualitatively)
- and, how simply and/or readily this educational innovation could be adopted by other institutions.
The top six submissions will be invited to share their abstracts as oral presentations at the session during the Annual Meeting.
The top presenting abstract will be announced at the Awards Ceremony during the Annual Meeting, where the author will be presented with a plaque and a $2,000 prize.
The Innovation in Medical Physics Education: Arthur Boyer Award is made possible by a generous lead donation from Arthur and Suzanne Boyer; donations to the Boyer Innovation in Medical Physics Education Fund; and the final remaining funds bequest by Harold Marcus for the previous iteration of this award.
- Supporting documentation is REQUIRED and limited to 2 pages in length.
- All abstracts submitted to the Innovation in Medical Physics Education: Arthur Boyer Award that are not selected in the top six for the session, will be considered for a poster presentation based on the stated criteria for educational innovation.
Enter author name, affiliation, and contact information.
- The Corresponding Author is automatically added to the submission.
- Continue adding additional authors, if needed.
- You are only allowed one affiliation per author.
- Select the Presenting Author.
- If you need to change the Corresponding Author to someone other than yourself, the submitter, then you agree that you have obtained prior authorization from that author to sign off on the Agreements & Disclosures in the following step. If you have not obtained authorization, please withdraw this submission (link is in menu in upper left corner) the new Corresponding Author should begin a new submission.
- Also identify the 'Senior Author.' If you have a Senior Author, please designate them by checking the "Senior Author" box on the personal information page and list the Senior Author as the LAST author. Senior Authors are optional, and there is a limit of one (1)
- Each submission is allowed only ONE Presenting Author.
- Each submission is allowed only ONE Senior Author (the last author in the author list -- i.e. PI of the lab).
Enter all sources of funding if applicable and read and agree to each statement.
ABSTRACT
- Submitted abstracts will be published as-is, please proofread them before submission.
- Review the Sample Abstract before preparing your submission.
Any abstract that does NOT conform with this structured format (refer to Sample Abstract) will be REJECTED. Prior to finalizing your submission, confirm that your abstract follows the required format exactly. The Abstract text MUST be structured as follows:
Purpose:
Methods:
Results:
Conclusion:
- Abstracts must NOT exceed 300 words.
- Enter Abstract text directly in the designated field in the system. If you Copy/Paste, be sure to proofread the integrity of the text. The abstract entry field is text only and does not support symbols or equations except those shown in the table.
- DO NOT include Title, Author names/institutions, graphs, figures, tables, images, or multimedia elements. Titles and Author information is entered elsewhere in the system and will be merged with the abstract file later in the process.
- DO NOT refer to material in the Supporting Document in the Abstract since the former will not be published together with the latter.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENT
- The Supporting Document should include a statement of Innovation/Impact to help identify the most exciting and interesting submissions.
- The Supporting Document must not include the title or list any author names. To maintain the integrity of our blind review process, no author information or institutional affiliations should be included anywhere in the Supporting Document.
- The Abstract cannot depend on the Supporting Document, nor should it refer to it. The Supporting Document will not be published in the program, so references to it (e.g., "as can be seen in Fig 1 of the Supporting Document" "Results are listed in the table in the Supporting Document") should not be made.
- A Supporting Document is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED, but optional, for PROFFERED submissions and is limited to 1 page.
- A Supporting Document is REQUIRED for the following submission types and limited to 2 pages:
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- John R. Cameron & John R. Cunningham Early-Career Investigator Symposium (ECIS)
- Early-Career Investigator Competition (ECIC)
- Science Council Session
- Innovation in Medical Physics Education: Arthur Boyer Award
- If a supporting document is longer than the allowed page limit, it will receive a lower score.
- Use 11-point Arial Font and 0.5" margins. The Supporting Document should be limited to a small number of clear figures and/or equations with self-explanatory captions.
- The Supporting Document should NOT be used for extensive text descriptions and should not repeat material contained in the abstract.
- Preferred format is illustrated in the Sample Supporting Document.
- The Supporting Document must be submitted as a PDF format file.
- The Supporting Document must be uploaded to our server by clicking the "Upload Supporting Document" icon that will appear on your status page once you have provided all the required information.
Enter author name, affiliation, and contact information.
- The Corresponding Author is automatically added to the submission.
- Continue adding additional authors, if needed.
- You are only allowed one affiliation per author.
- Select the Presenting Author.
- If you need to change the Corresponding Author to someone other than yourself, the submitter, then you agree that you have obtained prior authorization from that author to sign off on the Agreements & Disclosures in the following step. If you have not obtained authorization, please withdraw this submission (link is in menu in upper left corner) the new Corresponding Author should begin a new submission.
- Also identify the 'Senior Author.' If you have a Senior Author, please designate them by checking the "Senior Author" box on the personal information page and list the Senior Author as the LAST author. Senior Authors are optional, and there is a limit of one (1)
- Each submission is allowed only ONE Presenting Author.
- Each submission is allowed only ONE Senior Author (the last author in the author list -- i.e. PI of the lab).
You will have the opportunity to review the submission to ensure everything is complete.
Your submission is automatically submitted when you reach the confirmation page. You can still edit your submitted information by accessing the relevant step, making the change, and saving before the submission deadline.
Review the Sample Abstract before preparing your submission.
The Abstract text MUST be structured as follows:
- Purpose:
- Methods:
- Results:
- Conclusion:
**Any abstract that does NOT conform with this structured format will be REJECTED. **
- Abstracts must not exceed 300 words.
- Enter Abstract text directly in the designated field on the website. If you Copy/Paste from word processing software, be sure to proofread the integrity of the text. Symbols and equations are not supported.
- DO NOT include Title, Author names/institutions, graphs, figures, tables, images, or multimedia elements. Titles and Author information is entered elsewhere in the system and will be merged with the abstract file later in the process.
- DO NOT refer to material in the Supporting Document in the Abstract since the former will not be published together with the latter.
Note: The Supporting Document should include a statement of Innovation/Impact to help identify the most exciting and interesting submissions.
- A Supporting Document is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED, but optional, for PROFFERFED submissions and is limited to 1 page - using 11-point Arial Font and 0.5" margins. The Supporting Document should be limited to a small number of clear figures and/or equations with self-explanatory captions.
- A Supporting Document is REQUIRED for the following submission types and limited to 2 pages:
- JOHN R. CAMERON EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATOR SYMPOSIUM (ECIS)
- EARLY-CAREER INVESTIGATOR COMPETITION (ECIC)
- SCIENCE COUNCIL SESSION
- ARTHUR BOYER AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN MEDICAL PHYSICS EDUCATION
- Similar to the above instructions, the Supporting Document should be limited to a few figures and/or equations with clear, self-explanatory captions. The Supporting Document should NOT be used for extensive text descriptions and should not repeat material contained in the abstract.
- Preferred format is illustrated in the Sample Supporting Document
- The Supporting Document must be submitted as a PDF format file.
- The Supporting Document should not include the title and should be limited to a few equations and/or a small number of figures or tables with self-explanatory captions. A small number of references may also be included.
- Do NOT list authors in the Supporting Document. In support of our blind review policy, there is to be no author information in the Supporting Document nor any information identifying the authors or affiliation.
- The Supporting Document must be uploaded to our server by clicking the "Upload Supporting Document" icon that will appear on your status page once you have provided all the required information.
You will have a chance to look over the submission to make sure all is complete.
Your submission is automatically submitted when you reach the confirmation page. You can still edit your submitted information by accessing the relevant step, making the change, and saving before the submission deadline.