More Than 400 Health Care Professionals to Gather in Illinois to Improve Patient Care

CHICAGO, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS), the leading not-for-profit organization that oversees U.S. physician and medical specialist certification, will host ABMS Conference 2026 September 16-18 at the Loews O'Hare Hotel in Rosemont, IL. 

ABMS Conference 2026 is the premier conference on board certification that convenes more than 400 professionals from across the healthcare community who work to accelerate the transformation of board certification and the delivery of quality care. Attendees will expand their knowledge, share best practices, connect with their peers, and engage in opportunities to learn and grow.

The conference will feature two plenary sessions, 40 breakout sessions, one Sponsor Spotlight, four Exhibitor Showcases, and a poster session with 40 posters. Topics include artificial intelligence, professionalism, innovation assessment, competency-based medical education, and the future of the US physician workforce.

ABMS Conference 2026 highlights include:

Opening Plenary: The Evolving Medical Workforce Landscape—From Unionization to Private Equity Practice Ownership (September 16)

• Catherine R. Lucey, MD, MACP, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, University of California, San Francisco 
• Zirui Song, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Health Care Policy and Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital; Member, Massachusetts Health Care Affordability Working Group; and Associate Editor, JAMA Health Forum 
• Maria E. Theodorou, MD, FACP, FHM, Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine Residency Program and Assistant Professor, Division of Hospital Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

The Lois Margaret Nora Endowed Lecture Plenary—The Patient Voice: The Importance of Involving the Patient Perspective in the ABMS Community (September 17)

• Wunmi Bakare, Co-Founder, Sickle Cell Prodigy and Member, ABMS Patient and Family Advisory Committee
• Brant J. Oliver, PhD, MS, MPH, FNP-BC, PMHNP-BC, System Vice President for Quality and Safety, Dartmouth Health; Associate Professor, Departments of Community & Family Medicine, Psychiatry, and the Dartmouth Institute, Geisel School of Medicine; Director, Chronic Health Improvement Research Program at Dartmouth Health (CHIRP), Department of Community & Family Medicine; and Executive Director, Promise Partnership Coproduction Learning Health System
• Laura L. Sessums, JD, MD, FACP, Chief Medical Officer, American Board of Internal Medicine

The ABMS 2026 Conference Platinum Impact Sponsor is ExamStudio, the Platinum Presence Sponsor is AMA EdHub, the Digital Impact Sponsor is ROC-P, the Signature Sponsor is Heuristic Solutions, the Puppy Playtime Sponsor is ITS, the Foundation Patron Sponsor is 2Sigma, and the Foundation Sponsors are Church Hill Classics, Dane Street, Data Recognition Corporation, and risr/.

About ABMS 
Established in 1933, the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) is responsible for the creation of standards overseeing physician certification in the United States. Dedicated to improving the quality of care to the patients, families and communities they serve, the 24 ABMS Member Boards develop educational and professional standards and programs of assessment to certify physicians and medical specialists. More than one million physicians and medical specialists are certified by one or more of the ABMS Member Boards in one or more of 38 specialties and 89 subspecialties. For more information about ABMS, abms.org or call (312) 436-2600.

SOURCE American Board of Medical Specialties