NAMICon 2026 Call for Proposals
Track Descriptions
The Science That’s Changing Mental Health Care
From discovery to better care for everyone.
Explore the latest breakthroughs in brain science, treatment, and care innovation—and what they will mean in real-world practice. This track will highlight advances that are improving outcomes, shaping systems, and informing recovery, including how data, technology, and collaboration will accelerate progress. It will offer Continuing Education opportunities and welcome anyone interested in how new research is redefining what’s possible.
The Next Generation: Youth Mental Health
Building solutions that support and empower young people.
Learn what’s shaping youth mental health today and how schools, families, clinicians, and communities will work together to respond. Sessions will feature programs and partnerships designed to reach youth where they are, expand access to care, and reflect the diverse realities of a generation growing up in a rapidly changing world.
Connections That Heal
Empowering families, caregivers, and communities in recovery.
Healing happens through connection with family, friends, and peers. This track offers strategies and shared insights to help people strengthen support systems, improve communication, and build pathways to recovery together. Sessions also explore peer support innovations, culturally grounded approaches, and community models that foster belonging and resilience.
Making Mental Health Work for Everyone
Building care that meets people where they are.
This track will focus on real-world solutions that make mental health care more responsive and accessible. Sessions will highlight efforts to close gaps, strengthen community-based supports, and design systems that meet people’s needs in their everyday lives. Participants will hear how leadership, partnership, and innovation are helping make quality care available and effective for all.
Leading the Change: Policy, Crisis, and the Future of Mental Health
Turning big ideas into lasting impact.
See how leadership, collaboration, and smart policy design will shape the future of mental health care – from protecting health care coverage to transforming crisis response and expanding access to care. Sessions will highlight impacts of a rapidly changing policy environment, policy innovation and best practices, and cross-sector partnerships that will strengthen community care and long-term recovery.
The Power of Awareness
Changing minds, sparking connection, and expanding NAMI’s reach.
Discover how storytelling, partnerships, and innovative digital engagement are changing the way people understand and talk about mental health—building trust and breaking stigma. Sessions will share ways to reach and engage more people with credible, compassionate information while ensuring the voices of lived experience remain central in every conversation. They will also explore how emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, are changing the ways people find information, seek help, and connect with others.