The 2026 TxSUS Symposium will be held March 2-3, 2026, at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.
We welcome proposals from a wide range of professionals in the substance use and behavioral health fields — including researchers, peer specialists, health and behavioral health providers, and community leaders. Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals for presentations and posters that highlight practical solutions, emerging research, and collaborative approaches that improve outcomes across the continuum of care. Join us in advancing substance use education, innovation, and recovery across Texas.
Why Present at TxSUS?
- Share your expertise with an engaged, cross-sector audience.
- Highlight your professional expertise and organization across TxSUS platforms and symposium materials.
- Contribute to shaping substance use research and practice in Texas.
- Expand your professional network and connect with leaders across disciplines.
- Strengthen evidence-based responses to substance use across Texas.
- Applicants with accepted workshop or panel presentations will receive complimentary registration for the conference, including access to all sessions and networking opportunities. Note: this does not apply to poster submissions.
Submission Categories
TxSUS invites workshop, panel, and poster proposals that provide innovative, practical, and research-informed perspectives for substance use disorder (SUD) professionals.
While not an exhaustive list of acceptable topics, we strongly encourage sessions or posters on the following topics:
- Evidence-based behavioral therapies for SUD
- Advancing pharmacotherapies for substance use disorders
- Evidence and innovations in peer recovery support services
- Evaluating substance use disorder and recovery interventions
- Digital and smart technologies that support SUD recovery
- Building and sustaining the SUD workforce
- Research-informed approaches to overdose prevention
- Integrated or coordinated care models for SUD treatment
- Substance use policy or systems innovations
- Cross-sector SUD collaborations and partnerships
- Novel and emerging drugs
- Implementation strategies for SUD best practices
- Behavioral health services during disaster responses
- Substance use, mental health and physical health comorbidities
- Financial sustainability of substance use services
- Treatments for specific substance use disorders (e.g., stimulant use disorder, alcohol use disorder)
- Emerging research findings related to substance use or substance use disorder
Session Formats
Hands-On Workshops (HOWs) (60 minutes):
Interactive and experiential sessions designed to give learners an in-depth understanding of a specific clinical, community-based, or scientific topic. Workshop sessions must use a variety of interactive teaching formats such as group discussions, case-examples, demonstrations, or other skill-building exercises.
Panel Presentations (60 minutes):
Group presentations in a panel format, with an identified moderator, providing an in-depth understanding of a specific clinical, community-based or scientific topic by identified experts in the field.
Poster Presentations:
Poster presentations offer an opportunity to showcase relevant SUD research findings. Presenters are required to prepare physical and electronic posters, and present them in person on Monday, March 2, 2026, at the poster reception.
Submission Requirements
Each submission must include:
- Presenter details (name, credentials, organization, title)
- Additional presenters (if included)
- Lead presenter biography (up to 300 words)
- Presentation or poster title
- A brief description (up to 500 words)*
- Three learning objectives
- Learner level – introductory, intermediate, or advanced
- References (3–5 scholarly publications)
- Interactive modalities to be used (for workshop and panel submissions only)
*Note: For poster submissions, brief descriptions should include the following sections: Background & Introduction, Methods, Results, and Conclusions & Discussion (up to 500 words).
Proposal Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be reviewed based on the following criteria:
- Relevance to the symposium theme (Science Matters) and suggested topics
- Clarity of session description and stated learning outcomes
- Innovations or new information/applications
- Appropriateness for the intended audience
- Evidence-base for the identified topic
Notification of Selection
Applicants will be notified of acceptance or non-acceptance via email. Notifications will be sent no later than mid-January 2026.
