07/21/2025

2026 ECA Convention Health Communication Interest Group Call for Submissions

Call for Submissions
 Health Communication Interest Group  
The 117th Annual Convention of the Eastern Communication Association
Emergence  
Sheraton Station Square, Pittsburgh, PA  

April 9 – 12, 2026  

Submission Deadline: October 19, 2025, 11:59 pm PST  

The Health Communication Interest Group invites submissions for ECA’s 117th Annual Convention in Pittsburgh, PA. The 2026 convention theme is “Emergence.” This theme invites reflection on the emergence of new perspectives, enlightenment, or awakening; the rise of cultural or societal trends, movements, or norms; and the emergence of creative ideas, movements, or transformative works. I encourage submissions that creatively, innovatively, and openly engage with this theme, drawing on your unique experiences. We call for submissions that address the following: 

• How can/will/must our discipline emerge in the context of the current political landscape?
• What ideas, transformative works, and best practices are emerging in teaching, learning, practicing, researching, and theorizing? How should we respond?
• How can we best support our students as they emerge from academics?
• In what ways is our emergence as communication educators, researchers, and practitioners nurtured, encouraged, or strengthened? How can this be celebrated? Alternatively, in what ways is our emergence as communication educators, researchers, and practitioners impeded, stifled, or silenced? How should we respond?
• How can we encourage our own emergence within ourselves?
• What is not emerging that should, and what should we do about it?

Submission Guidelines

Individual Papers

Only complete papers will be considered. Paper must be no longer than 25 pages and use a 12-point font size; double-spaced; 1-inch margins (abstract, references, tables, and figures are not included in the 25-page limit). Papers must conform to APA 7th Edition guidelines. All identifying author(s) information (names, institutions, hidden document properties) must be removed; if this requirement is not met, submissions will not be eligible for review.  When submitting a paper, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields: 

• Title  
• Author/s  
• Abstract  
• Categories: Indicate if student and/or debut paper.
• Additional Information:
  • Scheduling & Special Requests: Please identify any accommodations associated with physical or religious needs that may impact scheduling.  
• Documents: Upload Main Document (Must be BLIND. Accepted file types are Word and PDF.) 
  • At the bottom of the cover page, please include the following statement of professional responsibility: In submitting the attached paper, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional responsibility. I/We agree to present this paper if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend and present at ECA’s annual meeting must register and pay required fees.

Panel Discussions

These can take the form of a discussion panel of scholars, students, practitioners, or a combination. When submitting a panel, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields:

• Title  
• Chair/Respondents  
• Abstracts: Add individual presentation titles, descriptions, and presenters
• Panel Description  
• Rationale  
• Documents: Upload any relevant documents. (Must be BLIND. Accepted file types are Word and PDF.)  
  • In the document, please include the following statement of professional responsibility: In submitting the attached proposal, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional responsibility. I/We agree to present this panel if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend and present at ECA’s annual meeting must register and pay required fees.
• Additional Information:
  • Scheduling & Special Requests: Please identify any accommodations associated with physical or religious needs that may impact scheduling.  

Round Tables

These can take the form of an interactive session where a small group of experts or scholars focus discussion on a specific topic. Round tables emphasize dialogue and the exchange of diverse perspectives, often with the goal of generating new insights, fostering collaboration, or developing recommendations. When submitting a round table, complete the following Attendee Interactive fields:

• Title  
• Participants: Enter Chair and Featured Expert/s information  
• Round Table Description (100 words or less)  
• Rationale  
• Documents: Upload any relevant documents. (Must be BLIND. Accepted file types are Word and PDF.)  
• In the document, please include the following statement of professional responsibility: In submitting the attached proposal, I/We recognize that this submission is considered a professional responsibility. I/We agree to present if it is accepted and programmed. I/We further recognize that all who attend and present at ECA’s annual meeting must register and pay required fees.
• Additional Information:
  • Scheduling & Special Requests: Please identify any accommodations associated with physical or religious needs that may impact scheduling. 
  • Target Audience: Describe the intended audience, including who would most benefit from attending.

Technology A/V Availability
The 2026 Convention will be fully equipped with technology capabilities. A projector, screen, sound, wireless mouse and slide advancer, and Wi-Fi will be available in all breakout rooms. Presenters must supply their own laptop. Google Slides and PowerPoint templates featuring the convention theme and logo are available on the convention tab of the website. We encourage all attendees to take full advantage of these resources to create engaging presentations! 

Additional Submission Information

ECA utilizes Attendee Interactive to manage submissions and reviews, accessed through https://ww4.aievolution.com/eca2601/. Training material is available online for using this site. 

Submissions must not have been presented at another conference and can only be submitted to one interest group at ECA. Our division will win Top Paper Awards, including one Top Student Paper Award.

Student-led submissions (i.e. student is first author, faculty member is co-author) are eligible for the Top Paper Awards. We strongly encourage students to submit their work to the ECA Health Communication Interest Group!

Criteria for Acceptance

Submissions will be reviewed/assessed based on the following criteria:

• Conceptual rationale. To what extent does this submission have a clear and well-chosen theoretical basis? Does this submission contain innovative ideas? Does the submission address important questions? To what extent does the submission craft a compelling rationale?
• Methodology. To what extent is the method of data collection and/or analysis appropriate for the research question/idea or hypothesis?
• Discussion of findings/analysis. To what extent will the submission substantially improve our understanding of health communication? Does this submission have compelling theoretical and/or practical implications? Does the submission challenge existing paradigms? To what extent are the findings important and compelling?
• How well does this submission reflect the 2026 convention theme of “Emergence”?

Please contact the interest group planner for questions about the submission process.

Athar Memon (MBBS, MSPH PhD Candidate)
Health Communication Interest Group Chair and Planner
Ohio University, Athens OH
Am344021@ohio.edu 

Convention Acceptance Notifications: January 2026