Chicago – September 15, 2026 -- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) will gather more than 400 healthcare professionals at the Loews O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, from September 16-18 for its annual conference on physician board certification.
Conference agenda spans 40 breakout sessions and AI-focused workforce debates
The three-day program includes two plenary sessions, 40 breakout sessions, one Sponsor Spotlight, four Exhibitor Showcases, and a 40-poster session. Core topics cover artificial intelligence in medicine, professionalism standards, innovation assessment methods, competency-based medical education, and structural shifts in the US physician workforce.
Opening plenary tackles unionization and private equity ownership trends
The September 16 opening session, titled "The Evolving Medical Workforce Landscape—From Unionization to Private Equity Practice Ownership," features Catherine R. Lucey of UC San Francisco, Zirui Song of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, and Maria E. Theodorou of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Song also serves on the Massachusetts Health Care Affordability Working Group and as Associate Editor of JAMA Health Forum.
Second plenary elevates patient perspective through named endowed lecture
On September 17, the Lois Margaret Nora Endowed Lecture Plenary examines patient involvement in certification policy. Speakers include Wunmi Bakare, co-founder of Sickle Cell Prodigy and a member of the ABMS Patient and Family Advisory Committee; Brant J. Oliver, System Vice President for Quality and Safety at Dartmouth Health; and Laura L. Sessums, Chief Medical Officer of the American Board of Internal Medicine.
Sponsorship roster includes ExamStudio, AMA EdHub, and eight other organizations
ExamStudio holds the Platinum Impact Sponsor slot, while AMA EdHub is named Platinum Presence Sponsor. ROC-P serves as Digital Impact Sponsor, Heuristic Solutions as Signature Sponsor, and ITS as Puppy Playtime Sponsor. 2Sigma is the Foundation Patron Sponsor, joined by Foundation Sponsors Church Hill Classics, Dane Street, Data Recognition Corporation, and risr/.
ABMS oversees certification standards for more than one million physicians and medical specialists across 38 specialties and 89 subspecialties through its 24 Member Boards.