Abstract Call

The National WIC Association invites you to be part of shaping the future of WIC!

Join us at the 2026 NWA Annual Conference, May 27–30 in Dallas, Texas, where professionals, participants, and partners come together to engage, inspire, and energize. This event is a prime opportunity to enhance your professional skills, expand your knowledge, support and learn from your peers, and prepare for current and future WIC challenges and opportunities.

Who should Submit?

We welcome proposals from:

• WIC staff
• WIC participants
• Those featuring WIC staff or WIC participants as co-presenters. 

NWA ensures quality educational content for IBCLCs and RDN/DTRs that meets IBCLE* and CDR requirements. Submissions will be evaluated on the following: relevance to lactation, nutrition, and infant feeding*; innovation and originality, clarity and organization; applicability to diverse populations; and evidence-based or experiential grounding. To comply, sessions must be free of marketing and promotional content, bias, and any conflicts of interest must be disclosed for transparency. Having a conflict of interest does not disqualify a presenter. 

Share your research, clinical skills and expertise with our attendees! We look forward to receiving your abstract submission.

If you are a company or organization interested in promotional opportunities, please email [email protected].

Conference Topics/Tracks 

Submission Deadline: January 2, 2026 

If accepted, presentation Submission deadline: April 17, 2026

Conference Theme: Engage, Inspire, Energize

Please note: The points listed under each track are meant as a helpful guide and are not all-encompassing.

Breastfeeding Education

• Breastfeeding promotion and counseling techniques, including case studies, protocols, or innovative approaches to lactation support and education
• Guidance on pump usage and support for pumping parents
• Innovations in breastfeeding research, lactation science, public health or clinical practice

Nutrition Education

• Managing food allergies and feeding challenges
• Impact of implementing changes to the WIC food package 
• Nutrition counseling, including case studies, protocols, or innovative approaches to nutrition education
• Innovations in nutrition and nutrition education practice or research

Policy & Advocacy

• Legislative, institutional, or organizational policy strategies to protect, enhance, or expand access to WIC

Ethical Practices 

• Research integrity, data, and evaluation practices
• Confidentiality, consent, and reporting
• Privacy, security, and responsible use of technology, AI and digital tools

Community Engagement and Support

• Addressing community health through WIC partnerships
• Community-based models to increase positive maternal and infant outcomes

Mental Health & Family Well-being

• Maternal mental health and its impacts on lactation and nutrition outcomes
• Supporting perinatal mood disorders within WIC services
• Parenting support and trauma-informed care models

Workforce Sustainability & Retention 

• Mentorship and professional development pathways in WIC 
• Strategies for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce
• Building resilience in the WIC workforce

• Building inclusive, supportive workplaces

Innovation in Service Delivery

• Hybrid models of WIC service delivery 
• Telelactation and virtual nutrition counseling outcomes
• Collaborative partnerships between WIC and healthcare systems and early childhood programs

When submitting an abstract you will be asked for the following:

• Abstract details: Title, Abstract proposal, short description (used to share with the public if selected), format (60-minute oral, 30-minute power, poster), objectives. 
• Tip: Your proposal should be engaging and thorough. Think of an elevator pitch. 
• Speaker details: Contact Information. Please note, there is a maximum of 3 presenters per presentation.
• Speaker Disclosure/Conflict of interest Policy (this includes non-presenting authors)
• Accept Media Disclaimer

The National WIC Association is committed to promoting equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging (EDIB) in all aspects of our work. Abstracts submitted for the conference should incorporate these values into their content. Authors should be able to describe how they will utilize diverse and inclusive content, language, and references. Our committee will evaluate the submission to ensure that content, language, and references focus on EDIB principles.

Presentation Formats

• 60 Minute Oral: 45 minutes with 15-minute Q&A
• 30 Minute Power Session: This session will be paired with another presentation of the same track. Each presenter/group will have 23 minutes to present. Total session combined 60 minutes. Moderator will hold Q&A until the end of the full session.
• Poster Presentation: Poster presenters will print and bring their posters with them to the conference. There will be dedicated time for attendees to visit with presenters during breaks.

Before Submitting an Abstract

By submitting an abstract to be considered for the conference you acknowledge that all presenting authors are responsible for their own registration, travel, and hotel costs.

Before you begin, you must set up your profile in Ex Ordo. Once you are logged in you will navigate to the Submit Your Abstract link to get started. Submissions may be up to 300 words. For more information on how to submit an abstract see this guide. Check out this helpful article when it comes to submitting an abstract. 

Click here to Submit Abstract! 

Tip: When using Ex ordo, please use Chrome. You also may need to clear your cache from time to time.

Important Deadlines

Please, add the following important dates to your calendar if accepted.

• January 2: Abstract Submission Deadline
• Week of January 26: Notification of Acceptance/Rejection
• February 4: Speaker Confirmation/Acceptance
• February 17: Online Speaker Details Due – First Draft of Agenda Posted
• February 17: Registration & Housing deadline for Presenters
• April 20: Presentation Submission deadline
• May 27 – 30: 2026 NWA Annual Education and Training Conference

By submitting an abstract to be considered for the conference you acknowledge that all presenting authors are responsible for their own registration, travel, and hotel costs.

• Discounted Presenter Registration Rate: TBD
• We have negotiated a discounted rate with the hotel of $170 (per diem) plus taxes and fees per night.
• By agreeing to present, you acknowledge that your session may be scheduled for presentation on any of the 4 days of the conference, which runs from May 27 - 30. You must be available all days. Please note that these days are Wednesday – Saturday. Your session date and time will be confirmed once the program is finalized.

Contact Information

If you have any questions regarding this process or the conference in general, please contact our Conference Support Team at [email protected]

Click here to Submit your Abstract!