LEND Symposiums

About the LEND Symposium

For years, the annual Symposium has served as a forum for students in the Maternal and Child Health Center of Excellence (CoE) and the University of California-Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (UC-LEND) training programs to present their research, internship insights, and engage in sharing knowledge and experiences that have occurred over the academic year.

In June 2024, the UCLA Maternal and Child Health Center of Excellence (CoE) and the University of California-Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (UC-LEND) training programs were excited to expand their annual Symposium offering with the First Annual Neal Halfon Public Health Trainee Symposium. Students from across UCLA were invited to attend the poster symposium, with lectures from student researchers and a plenary lecture from Dr. Michael Lu, Dean of the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.

In 2025, the Neal Halfon Symposium continued to grow to serve the broader UCLA student community, partnering with the UCLA Tarjan Center and the UCLA Bixby Center to provide a local, no-cost interdisciplinary conference experience to students from a variety of disciplines. Thirty four student posters were accepted, with three selected to give oral presentations of their work following the plenary lecture by Dr. Candace Gragnani. We hope to continue providing this event in future years as a showcase of student research in public health and beyond.

Applications for the 2026 Neal Halfon Public Health Trainee Symposium are now open!

We invite all UCLA students and trainees to submit an abstract for the 2026 Neal Halfon Public Health Trainee Symposium! This annual symposium aims to be a collection of student academic work in the fields of Public Health, Neurodevelopmental Conditions, Maternal & Child Health, and more!

The goal of the symposium is to provide UCLA students and trainees with an accessible opportunity to develop the ability to identify key project components or research findings suitable for presentation, effectively communicate their significance in advancing their field, and navigate the full presentation process—from ideation and application to poster creation and final delivery. This experience is free of charge for UCLA students and trainees.

All projects are welcome, including works in progress, formal research, QI and capstone projects, or other applicable work!

Key Information & Deadlines

Registration with a tentative title and 250 to 500-word abstract or project summary is due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, November 23rd, 2025.
Top submissions will be invited to give an additional oral presentation; all other submissions will be poster presentations.
Poster acceptances will be sent by Friday, December 12, 2025, and oral presentation invitations will be sent by Friday, January 30, 2026.

We will be sending additional resources, including Poster Development Workshop offerings, to participating students after the submission deadline.

Feel free to reach out to mch@mednet.ucla.edu with any questions or concerns!

Ready to Apply?

Apply Here!

FAQs

Do I have to print my own poster?

No, the Symposium Committee handles poster printing and setup. As a student presenter, all you have to do is submit your poster by the deadline and we will handle the rest!

What type of work can be submitted?

We do not have strict requirements for the type of work that can be submitted. Works in progress and/or works done as part of other programs are welcome! Previous students have presented formal research, capstone projects, etc.

Are there poster design guidelines?

Yes, upon acceptance, the Symposium Committee will send all accepted students the poster design guidelines, including a template and recommendations. In general, posters should be landscape style and formatted to be 36” tall x 48” wide. Submissions are accepted as Microsoft PowerPoint files only, please do not use Canva or other resources to design posters.