This year’s theme is Recentering Human Rights in Medicine and will focus on the urgent structural conditions shaping health in Inland Southern California, with particular attention to food systems, housing, and safety net protections as fundamental human rights. We aim to bring together clinicians, community leaders, undergraduate and graduate scholars, organizers, artists, and policymakers to share work that reflects the lived realities, resilience, and innovation within our region.

The goal of this conference is to unpack the current structural and political determinants of health that are impacting patient quality care and our collective health and well-being. We hope this conference can serve as a gathering of folks interested in reshaping healthcare systems and institutions, and a space for organizations and communities to share how they are enduring in spite of their circumstances.

We are holding three panels to amplify expert voices in the following fields: 
Food Politics, Insecurity, and Food Systems
Food as medicine, the food industry’s influence on health, chronic disease burden, and community lived experiences in Inland Southern California.
Spatial Determinants of Health and Housing
The health consequences of displacement, environmental exposures such as air quality, and zip code based disparities.
Health System Adaptation and the Safety Net
Innovative care models such as Street Medicine and mobile units, insurance inequities, and community centered disaster recovery efforts.

Call For Abstracts:

We welcome submissions in a wide range of formats, including community-based research, policy analysis, quality improvement initiatives, narrative work, cookbooks, poetry, artwork, infographics, zines, and mini installations. Abstracts are limited to 250 words, not including title or references. Please note that oral presentations will not be accepted this year. We strongly encourage submissions in all languages and are committed to creating space for diverse forms of expression.

Eligibility: Students who are 18 and over and currently enrolled in a degree program whether that is associates, bachelors, masters, or graduate/professional degrees (MD, PhD, JD, etc.).

• Final deadline: April 6, 2026
 

If your work engages these themes and speaks to structural conditions shaping health in our region, we strongly encourage you to submit via the conference Google Form during the submission period. This opportunity is for students currently enrolled in a degree program. For any questions, check out our FAQ page, updated frequently, or feel free to email Sophia Rodriguez at sophia.rodriguez@ucr.edu or Kulpreet Chhokar at kchho009@ucr.edu. 
We look forward to gathering in May to deepen dialogue and advance collective action toward health equity in Inland Southern California.