The Graphic Medicine International Collective is thrilled to team with Johns Hopkins University for the 2026 annual Graphic Medicine conference in Baltimore, from July 23-25, 2026.
The conference theme is Drawing Perspectives: Health Graphic Narratives Under Pressure. We will explore this theme broadly to include the many ways our community of graphic medicine authors, artists, and scholars leverage the medium of comics to propose diverse perspectives on healthcare, illness, disability, or social medicine, often working under various pressures, whether these relate to living with chronic illness, shifting institutional conditions for health and medical research and care practices, or other constraints such as time, healthcare disparities, ableism, and various forms of marginalization and prejudice.
Download the 2026 Conference Program
Registration
We are offering two levels of tickets for this year’s conference. When registering, please choose the ticket level that best represents your available resources, including institutional funding, bearing in mind that those able to afford a higher level ticket will be assisting those unable to do so.
In-person tickets:
- $300 (Recommended for Professionals)
- $100 (Recommended for Students and unfunded)
When registering, you will also have the following options:
On-Campus Housing
***As of May 22, 2026: Our on-campus rooms have been fully booked. Please look further down the page for additional housing options***
We have secured 20 rooms on-campus at the Scott-Bates Commons Residence Hall for $100/night.
(it’s centrally located and a 3-minute walk from where most of the conference will take place)
Rooms are single bedrooms within 2-person or 4-person suites (2 people per bathroom) that include kitchenette with stove-top and refrigerator. Note: linens and towels are not provided.
These rooms will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis. For information about additional housing options, please continue reading.
Tabling
***As of May 29, 2026: We have filled out tabling capacity***
If you are interested in having a table in our exhibition space during the conference, please select that option on the registration form and we will follow up with more details as they become available.
Location & Housing Options
The conference will take place at the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University, located at:
3400 North Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Hotel Options
Our local planning committee has secured agreements with two campus-adjacent hotels (both about a 5-minute walk from campus) for discounted rates of around $180/night+tax.*
The Inn at the Colonnade
4 W University Pkwy
Baltimore, MD, 21218)
- Online Reservations: Guests can book their stay with the special group rate here, GRAPHICMEDICINEANNUALCONFERENCE (If any guests wish to stay only one or two nights, they simply change the dates once the weblink opens and click update.)
- Phone Reservations: If preferred, guests may call 667-899-5305 (Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM EDT) and ask for the Sales Department. Guests may also call Hilton Worldwide Reservations at 800-774-1500 and give them your Group Code of “SB3” and their arrival date.
The Study
3215 N Charles St
Baltimore, MD, 21218
- Online Reservations: Guests will be able to confirm reservation beginning at $189.00 for King Guest Rooms using this link: 2026 Graphic Medicine Conference Preferred Accommodations – The Study at Johns Hopkins
- Phone Reservations: Guests can contact the Front Desk at The Study 24 hours a day via telephone at 410-243-0030.
*Group Rate offer expires June 13th for The Study and June 23rd for the Inn
Agenda & Format
View the full 2026 Conference Program here
Day 1 – Thursday, July 23, 2026
| 4:00-6:00 p.m. | Conference Reception and Registration |
Welch Reading Room (East Baltimore Campus) |
Day 2 – Friday, July 24, 2026
| 8:30-9:00 a.m. | Light Breakfast | Mudd Atrium |
| 9:00-9:30 a.m. | Conference Welcome | Mudd 26 (and streaming on Zoom) |
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Keynote Speaker: Nathan Gray | Mudd 26 (and streaming on Zoom) |
| 10:30-10:45 a.m. | Coffee Break | Mudd Atrium |
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – Session I
| 12:15-1:15 p.m. | Lunch |
1:15-2:45 p.m. – Session II
| 2:45-3:00 p.m. | Coffee Break, sponsored by The Sequential Artists Workshop (SAW) |
Mudd Atrium |
3:00-4:30 p.m. – Session III
| 4:30-4:45 p.m. | Coffee Break | Mudd Atrium |
4:45-6:00 p.m. – Session IV
| 7 p.m. | Aliceheimer’s: A Chamber Opera (RSVP for free here) | Hurd Hall |
Day 3 – Saturday, July 25, 2026
| 9:00-9:30 a.m. | Light Breakfast | Mudd Atrium |
| 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Keynote Speaker: Meredith Li-Vollmer | Mudd 26 (and streaming on Zoom) |
| 10:30-10:45 a.m. | Coffee Break | Mudd Atrium |
10:45 a.m.-12:15 p.m. – Session V
| 12:15-1:15 p.m. | Lunch |
1:15-2:45 p.m. – Session VI
| 2:45-3:00 p.m. | Coffee Break | Mudd Atrium |
3:00-4:30 p.m. – Session VII
| 4:30-4:45 p.m. | Coffee Break | Mudd Atrium |
| 4:45-6:00 p.m. | Closing Session: GMIC Awards, Announcements, Concluding Remarks | Mudd 26 (and streaming on Zoom) |
| 7 p.m. | Book Event | Red Emma’s |
Presentation Formats
- Lightning talks: These 5-minute presentations should provide an engaging and concentrated synopsis of new, ongoing, or completed scholarly, creative, or professional work in Graphic Medicine.
- Oral presentations: These 15-minute presentations are largely for collaborative, interdisciplinary, or other work that requires and engages a longer presentation format.
- Panel discussions: These 90-minute dialogues or presentations involving a panel of speakers are meant to address a single topic from a variety of perspectives.
- Workshops: These 90-minute, hands-on, activity-driven sessions are designed for participants to gain skills with regard to comics. Suggested skills and topics for workshop submissions include, but are not limited to, visual storytelling tools, different art mediums and their techniques, illness narrative development, graphic health science, and graphic storytelling for specific purposes or audiences.
Hybridity plan
We recognize that not everyone may be able to join us in person, whether for health, accessibility, environmental, or political reasons. Your presence matters to us, and we are committed to creating space for you. The keynote address will be livestreamed to conference registrants. However, due to technological and logistical issues, we will not be able to organize a fully hybrid conference. Please keep an eye on the Graphic Medicine website and newsletter for future online and in-person gatherings and opportunities to connect with our community.
Submission and Selection Process
Abstracts have been peer-reviewed by an interdisciplinary selection committee.
Please note: Presenters are responsible for costs associated with their session (e.g., handouts and supplies) and personal expenses (travel, hotel, and registration fees). All presenters must register for the conference. Registration fee levels (to be determined) will be posted on the conference registration page in early 2026. Our intention is to make this conference logistically and financially accessible. Discounted rates and some limited scholarships will be available for students, artists, and others in need. Disability accommodations will be made available by request, and all venues will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Contact
Please direct all questions about the conference to GMConference2026@gmail.com.
A special thank you to our sponsors for their generous support!
