Abstract guidelines

Call for abstracts: poster presentations

Emirates Health Services (EHS) is pleased to invite mental health professionals, researchers, innovators and advocates to submit abstracts for poster presentations at the EHS International Mental Health Conference, to be held on 6 – 7 November 2026 at the Dusit Thani, Dubai, UAE.

Under the theme “Stronger Together: Families, Communities, and a System Built for All,” the conference seeks to showcase the latest research, evidence-based practices, innovative interventions and community-centred models that contribute to advancing mental healthcare. We welcome submissions that align with the conference objectives and demonstrate meaningful approaches to improving mental health outcomes and driving transformative change across healthcare systems and communities.

The conference brings together a diverse audience of local and international experts, policymakers, academics, clinicians and practitioners from across sectors, providing a platform to share knowledge, exchange ideas and foster collaboration.

Why submit

• Visibility — gain international exposure for your research.
• Networking — connect with leading experts and peers.
• Recognition — contribute to the global dialogue on mental health.
• Collaboration — enhance opportunities to work with global networks.
• Sharing knowledge — share findings and information with a wider audience.
• Certificate — a certificate of participation as a poster presenter.

Themes

We seek original research and innovative ideas across the following four themes.

Cross-cutting topics (applicable across all themes)

• Children and adolescents
• Older adults
• Vulnerable and underserved populations
• Cultural and community contexts
• Research, innovation and implementation science
• Digital mental health solutions

Selection process and criteria

All submissions undergo peer review and are evaluated against the following criteria:

• Relevance to the conference theme
• Completeness of submission, with results available at the time of submission
• Clear structure and clarity of content
• Significance to the field of mental health

Abstract requirements

Required content, in this order

• Authors
• Affiliation
• Introduction / background
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion
• References

Terms and conditions

• Each presenter, usually the main author, may submit a maximum of two abstracts. The presenting author must register and attend the conference if an abstract is accepted.
• It is the responsibility of the presenting author to submit the abstract. They are the main contact and are responsible for communicating with co-authors.
• The presenting author must register for the conference and pay in full by the deadline stated in the abstract review outcome email. If they do not register, the abstract will be removed from the programme and other associated publications.
• All accepted abstracts will be published on site and may appear on the conference website and other conference-related materials. This will not raise any copyright issues.
• A submission made under a particular presentation type or theme may be reassigned to a different type following review, in order to be accepted and included in the programme.
• By submitting, the presenter consents that the work has not been previously presented at other conferences.
• Assigning the delegated presenter must be agreed with the other authors. Only one presenter may present the abstract — please note this for abstracts with multiple authors.
• Presenters are expected to use their allocated session solely for scientific discourse, and to refrain from any form of product, service or personal promotion.
• For accepted abstracts, please obtain authorisation from your department, chief or academic department regarding attendance at the conference.

Submission and deadlines

The committee reserves the right to extend or shorten the abstract submission date.

Acknowledgement

Abstract submission will be acknowledged by email. If you have not received an acknowledgement within one week of submitting, or if you have any additional queries, please contact the event coordinator.

Language

All documents must be submitted and presented in English. It is the author’s responsibility to submit a grammatically and scientifically correct abstract.

What you will need to provide

Prepare the following before you start. The submission form asks for each of these.

Presenting author details

• Complete name
• Designation or profession
• Institution or facility
• Email address, and an alternate email address
• Mobile number, and a WhatsApp number
• Brief biography, up to 150 words
• Whether you are the principal author or a co-author

Co-author details

For each co-author, up to a maximum of five: name, designation and affiliation, email address and contact number.

Submission details

• Attendance mode — live, in person
• Presentation mode — poster
• Category — clinical research, case report, or review papers, such as systematic or scoping reviews
• Abstract title — in UPPERCASE
• Abstract — maximum 300 words, following the required content order

Declarations

• Whether the abstract has been published or presented at any international conference
• Whether the study received any funding or financial support, with disclosure of the funding source where applicable.
• Whether the abstract is complete — incomplete submissions will not be considered for review