The call for abstracts is now OPEN

Hospice Palliative Care Ontario (HPCO) is now accepting submissions for workshop, poster, and Lightning Talk presentations for the HPCO2026 Annual Conference.

The abstract submission link is at the bottom of this page. 

HPCO2026 will be held Sunday, June 14, to Tuesday, June 16, 2026, followed by the Biennial Paediatric Palliative Care Symposium on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.

Location: The Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Suites in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

Absract submissions are due by Friday, January 9, 2026, at 11:00 PM Eastern Standard Time 

HPCO2026 is Canada’s premiere Hospice Palliative Care conference. This in-person conference attracts over 800 delegates from across Canada and worldwide, representing all professions, roles, and care settings across the healthcare continuum. We aim to highlight, inspire, and encourage fresh and innovative approaches to embracing hospice palliative care, providing opportunities to spotlight the depth and breadth of research, program delivery, and clinical practice across all care settings. We will gather to share, debate, learn, and co-create solutions to advance hospice palliative care through five conference tracks. 

Conference Tracks 

  1. Research
  2. Clinical Practice
  3. Organizational Development
  4. Program Design, Delivery, and Innovation
  5. Caring for the Care Team 

Within the tracks, topic themes may include:

  • Anti-Racism and Equitable Access to Care
  • Care for the Care Team
  • Caregivers
  • Clinical Practice
  • Fund Development
  • Organizational Governance
  • Program Design, Delivery, & Innovation
  • Research
  • System Design (regional/OHT, etc.)
  • Volunteer Engagement
  • or other themes identified by you

HPCO encourages submissions from members of the Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour communities, as well as other equity-seeking communities.  

Guidelines for Abstract Submissions and Presenting

Download a PDF copy of these Guidelines

You are invited to submit abstracts for a poster, lightning talk (15 minutes, formerly Oral Papers, or a workshop. Workshops are 75 minutes in duration, and a limited number of double workshops (2.5 hours) are available.

The primary workshop or Lightning Talk presenter (one person only) MUST register to attend the conference. The primary presenter receives a reduced full conference registration fee of $500 for the three-day conference. Additional presenters who plan to attend and present along with the Primary Presenter must register at the full conference rate.

General Guidelines and Instructions for Abstract Submissions

  1. Abstract submissions must be submitted online and be directly related to hospice palliative care.
  2. Abstracts should specify study/program/learning objectives, methods, results, and conclusions. 
  3. A maximum of five (5) abstract submissions will be accepted by a primary author (a primary author may be a secondary author on additional abstract submissions).
  4. Abstract descriptions are to be written in English, in clear, concise language, and are limited to 250 words, using standard abbreviations and key words. Please DO NOT type in all capitals.
  5. Include author(s) post-nominal initials, credentials, designations, and other affiliations in the biographic sketch section of the submission process. If your abstract/submission is accepted, we publish the post-nominal initials, credentials, and designations that you provide. We cannot verify the accuracy of your personal information, and once published, we will not make changes.
  6. Authors/presenters whose abstracts have been accepted grant HPCO permission to list their name, affiliations, and abstract in the conference program materials, both in print and online/electronic format.
  7. The primary presenter/first author of a workshop or Lightning Talk abstract submission that is accepted must attend the conference and is required to register and pay a reduced registration fee of $500 by April 11, 2026. All additional authors/presenters may register at the regular conference rate. Presentations will be cancelled if the primary presenter’s registration fee is not received by April 11, 2026.
  8. Abstract Submissions on the topics of Health Care Consent, Advance Care Planning and Goals of Care will only be considered if the work is compliant with the Ontario legal framework (Health Care Consent Act 1996, Substitute Decisions Act 1992, etc.) Please visit the Advance Care Planning Ontario website for more information. If you have any questions, please contact Nav Dhillon at Dhillon@hpco.ca.

Workshop Guidelines

Workshop sessions are one hour and 15 minutes in length. A limited number of spaces are available for more in-depth double workshops, which are offered in two consecutive one-hour and 15-minute sessions on the same day. Please request the length of your workshop on your submission form. Workshop abstracts must include three expected learning outcomes for participants; a comprehensive summary and description of the workshop; learning level (intermediate or advanced); training methods; the intended audience of the workshop; and a description of the skills and/or knowledge participants will gain from the workshop and how the knowledge is applicable in their community.   

Workshop sessions should be interactive. Interactive workshops come in various formats, each designed to engage participants and foster collaboration. Here are some common types: 

  1. Campfire Sessions: Open discussions where participants share experiences and insight.
  2. World Café: Small group discussions at multiple tables, with participants rotating to explore different topics.
  3. Fishbowl: A small group discusses a topic in the center while others observe, with the option for observers to join the discussion.
  4. Live Polling or Word Cloud: Real-time audience engagement through polls* or word clouds* to gather feedback and opinions.
  5. Table Teams: Group discussions, projects, or problem-solving activities assigned to table teams.
  6. Hackathons: Intense, collaborative sessions where participants work together to solve problems or create new products within a set timeframe.
  7. Design Thinking Workshops: Participants use design thinking principles to brainstorm and prototype solutions to specific challenges.
  8. Role-Playing Scenarios: Attendees act out scenarios relevant to the conference theme, helping them understand different perspectives and solutions.
  9. Interactive Panels: Panel discussions with real-time audience interaction through Q&A, live polling*, or social media. Please note that you must provide your own technology for these options. HPCO is unable to provide polling or social media support.
  10. Case Study Analysis: Groups analyze and discuss real-world case studies, applying theoretical knowledge to practical situations. 

Lightening Talk Guidelines

Lightening Talk presentations must be 15 minutes in length, followed by 3 minutes for questions and answers. Lightening Talks are limited to three presenters per talk. If you are using PowerPoint or another electronic presentation, you may upload it via the abstract submission system. As a backup, please bring a copy of your presentation on a USB drive. A lightning talk session is a fast-paced presentation format designed to cover multiple topics in a short time. There will be four presentations within a 75-minute session.

Poster Guidelines

Posters will be displayed throughout the conference. Author(s)/presenter names, degrees, organizational affiliations, city, province/state, and country must be listed as briefly as possible. The poster author or representative must set up and dismantle the poster on site. All posters left behind will be disposed of. All poster presenters are encouraged to be available to answer questions during breaks and at lunchtimes.

Posters can be categorized into one of two categories: Scientific/Research or Community-Based.

Abstract Review and Selection Criteria

All submissions will be evaluated by an Abstract Review Committee and accepted based upon the following criteria:

• Relevance and significance of topic to hospice palliative care
• Alignment to at least one of the conference themes
• Based on evidence and/or innovative hospice palliative care research
• Presentation of practical tools for practice and service delivery
• Abstract is well written/clearly communicated

Workshops will be selected based on originality, relevance to hospice palliative care, community-based outcomes, educational objectives, and/or scientific merit. A volunteer team of reviewers will review all workshop and Lightning Talk abstract submissions. The corresponding author/presenter (workshops, Lightning Talks, and posters) will receive communication regarding accepted abstracts in late January to mid-February 2026.

To Submit an Abstract

Click here to submit an abstract  You will be redirected to HPCO’s abstract submission page at site.pheedloop.com.  You will be required to create a profile on the abstract submission system, which will allow you to access your content at any time and receive updates from HPCO regarding the status of your submission.

Please note that the system allows an administrative support person to submit multiple abstracts on behalf of others. 

Questions?

Please contact the Conference Team by email: conference@hpco.ca