AACAP Annual Meeting 2026

Venue

Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Atlanta Marriott Marquis

Format

in-person

Registration

$65 – $1,125

Early-bird deadline

September 15, 2026

Official website → · Add dates & deadlines to calendar

Registration pricing

Who this conference is for

The definitive US meeting for child and adolescent psychiatry, balancing clinical workshops with developmental research. Essential for CAP subspecialists; less relevant for adult-only practices.

At a glance

Primary audience

Psychiatrists — Child & adolescent psychiatrists, fellows, and developmental researchers

Orientation

Clinical & research mix

Industry funding

Moderate industry presence

Typical attendance

~5,000

Program highlights

6 of 61 major sessions from the official program — excludes posters, exhibits, and social events.

• PlenaryPlenary SessionOpening Plenary: Calling In: Showcasing Your Passion with Compassion

  John T. Walkup, MD · Loretta J. Ross

  The meeting's opening plenary features activist and scholar Loretta J. Ross in conversation with AACAP President John Walkup on 'calling in' — engaging disagreement with compassion rather than public shaming.

• PlenaryPlenary SessionPresidential Interview: John T. Walkup, MD Interviews Awais Aftab, MD

  John T. Walkup, MD · Awais Aftab, MD

  AACAP's president sits down with psychiatrist and writer Awais Aftab for a live-streamed conversation on conceptual and philosophical issues facing modern psychiatry.

• LecturePlenary SessionJames C. Harris, MD, Developmental Neuropsychiatry Forum: Translational Frontiers in Autism: Advancing Discovery from Gene Pathways to Patients

  Rana Elmaghraby, MD · Suma Jacob, MD, PhD · Alexandra L. Bey, MD, PhD · Pankhuree Vandana, MD · Natasha Marrus, MD, PhD · Matthew State, MD, PhD · Alison T. Singer, MBA

  Matthew State presents how the identification of more than 100 high-confidence autism risk genes is being turned into therapeutic programs, with profound autism as a tractable starting point, while Alison Singer brings the family perspective on genetic testing and trial participation.

• PlenaryPlenary SessionResearch Symposium: Maternal Mental Health, Intrauterine Exposures and Child Outcomes

  Dorothy E. Grice, MD · Karen G. Martinez-Gonzalez, MD, MSc · Veerle Bergink, MD, PhD · Moriah E. Thomason, PhD

  A general-session research symposium examining how maternal psychiatric illness and intrauterine exposures shape child developmental and mental health outcomes, led by perinatal psychiatry and developmental neuroscience researchers.

• LecturePlenary SessionNoshpitz Cline History Lecture: Curious Children, Wise Elders: How Intelligences Evolve

  Kerim M. Munir · Gordon Harper, MD · Alison Gopnik, PhD

  Developmental psychologist Alison Gopnik delivers this year's history lecture on how cognition and learning differ across the lifespan, from exploratory young minds to the accumulated wisdom of elders.

• PlenaryPlenary SessionTown Meeting: Shaping Minds, Shaping Justice: Children's Mental Health Through the Lens of Atlanta's Civil Rights Movement

  John T. Walkup, MD · Sarah Y. Vinson, MD · Nicole K. Cotton, MD · Gail Arie Mattox, MD · Judy Fitzgerald, MSW · Mab Segrest · Darlene Lynch, JD · Danny Malec · Jose Ramirez

  A host-city town meeting connecting Atlanta's civil rights legacy to children's mental health, with Morehouse School of Medicine faculty, Georgia behavioral health leaders, and community advocates.

See the full program — all 61 sessions & speakers →

Program details verified August 20, 2026; sessions and speakers may change — confirm on the official site.

AACAP Annual Meeting: past & future editions

Held Monday–Saturday (6 days) in mid-to-late October; host cities are announced five or more years ahead.

Future host cities through 2031 are published on aacap.org.

Full AACAP Annual Meeting history & future dates →