News releases and scientific abstracts being presented Oct. 2-6, 2026, during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 National Conference & Exhibition are now available.
AAP Public Affairs Contacts:
Media: Journalists covering the conference must be registered as members of the press. Re porters must apply for press credentials in advance of the conference and meet criteria of Media Guidelines . Attendees can pick up their badge at the San Diego Convention Center registration desk with photo ID. All conference attendees must wear a badge at all times. . For more information about covering the conference, contact AAP Public Affairs. Information will also be available in the AAP News Room . All attendees must adhere to AAP’s Health & Safety and Code of Conduct policies.
News Releases: Journalists may obtain embargoed news releases on these presentations and selected abstracts by contacting AAP Public Affairs. Embargoed news releases are also posted on www.EurekAlert.org and linked below in this press kit (media log-in required).
Embargos: Research abstracts are embargoed until 6:00 a.m. PDT Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. Other news releases are embargoed to the times and dates marked.
Abstracts
AAP News: The Academy’s member news magazine has developed a collection of articles describing themes and sessions from the AAP National Conference & Exhibition. See below for articles exploring sessions on immigrant care, mental health and adolescence.
Follow AAP at @AmerAcadPeds on social platforms. #AAP2026
Helpful meeting links:
Press office: San Diego Convention Center (SDCC) 14A. Phone number: 619-525-5701
Hours:
Breakfast and lunch will be provided in the press office Saturday to Monday.
MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
AAP INFLUENCER PANEL DISCUSSION
12:45 p.m. -1:30 p.m. PDT Saturday, Oct. 3, Connections Corner
What happens when some of pediatric medicine's most influential communicators gather for an unscripted conversation? Join Mikhail “Doctor Mike” Varshavski, Dr. Ari Brown, Dr. Leah Rappaport, and Dr. Tommy Martin as they explore the questions, misconceptions and conversations shaping child health today, both online and off. Equal parts thoughtful, candid and entertaining, this audience-driven discussion offers a rare opportunity to hear from physicians who have become trusted voices for millions of families in their public role as influencers.
AAP PRESS CONFERENCE: Soundbite Session
Noon- 1 p.m. PDT, Sunday, Oct. 4, San Diego Convention Center, Press Office 14A
Authors of select abstracts being presented at the conference will offer brief remarks and be available for individual interviews. Attend this session to learn more about new research, which is described in news releases below. The embargo on abstracts lifts at 6:00 a.m. PDT Friday, Oct. 2. Lunch is provided.
ADDITIONAL DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
FRIDAY Oct. 2 Highlights
Session: Dermatologic Emergencies
1 p.m.-2 p.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center, Room 29
This session reviews a variety of rashes that are considered to be dermatologic emergencies. This will include various drug eruptions, worrisome skin infections, and atypical skin lesions that may be life threatening.
Session: What’s New in Type 1 Diabetes Care
1 p.m.-2 p.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center, Room 32
Faculty will discuss advancements in diabetes technologies and treatment to improve safety of children with type 1 diabetes, especially populations at risk for health care disparities. The session also will cover when to team with a pediatric endocrinologist to provide comprehensive care.
Session: Beyond Asthma: Long COVID and Respiratory Dysfunction in Youth Athletes
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center, Room 23
Long COVID often presents with chest and throat tightness unresponsive to asthma therapy. This session reviews how to differentiate long COVID-related respiratory symptoms from asthma and other organic cardiopulmonary diseases.
Session: Trends and Truths: Responding to Environmental Health Claims that Parents Find Online
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center, Room 30 ABC
Pediatricians encounter families who find environmental health information online and bring concerns about environmental exposures like mycotoxins, fluoride and endocrine disruptors to the clinic. This session helps pediatricians examine the scientific evidence behind some of the claims made online and apply a clinical approach for addressing these situations in practice.
Session: Skin Care 101 for Children and Teens: Navigating the Skin Care Aisle and Online Information
4 p.m.- 5 p.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center, Room 6B
A vast amount of information, advertisements and claims regarding skin care products and regimens has created a market targeting children and teens fueled by peer pressure, social media and body image distortion. This session addresses evidence-based practices, identifying low value practices and discusses strategies to educate, support and advocate for patients and parents.
SATURDAY, Oct. 3 Highlights
Opening Session LIVESTREAM
10:30 a.m. to noon MDT- San Diego Convention Center Ballroom 20
AAP President Andy Racine, MD, PhD, FAAP, kicks off the conference and discusses the challenges facing our nation’s children and pediatricians. Mike “Dr. Mike” Varshavski, DO, will issue the keynote address. Dr. Mike is a board-certified family medicine physician and the most followed doctor in the world, creating viral health content for an audience of over 30 million people. He specializes in debunking medical misinformation, which he's done on his YouTube channel amassing over 5 billion views.
Session: 5 Things Every Pediatrician Should Know about Generative AI
7:30-8:30 a.m. PDT at the San Diego Convention Center, Room 24. The session is repeated from 3:30-4:30 p.m. PDT in the convention center, Room 6B.
R. Brandon Hunter, MD, FAAP, co-author of a new policy statement, “Recommendations for the Development and Implementation of Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools in Pediatric Clinical Care,” will lead the discussion. The policy will be published online Oct. 3 and in the November 2026 Pediatrics .
Session: Exposures and Ingestions: Addressing Parental Tobacco, Nicotine, and Cannabis Use
9 a.m.-10 a.m. PDT- San Diego Convention Center Room 29
Adult tobacco, nicotine, and cannabis use pose significant health risks for young children via exposure and ingestions. This session reviews various emerging nicotine and cannabis products, their potential harms to children, and how to promote parental cessation and mitigate exposure risks to children.
Session: Vaccine Update: What’s New?
9 a.m.-10 a.m. PDT- San Diego Convention Center Room 6B
This session will discuss the current vaccine schedule, including updates that may be subtle.
Faculty will describe the process by which the AAP develops its annual vaccine schedule.
Session: So You Think You Can Scroll? The Essential Guide for Navigating Health Misinformation
2 p.m.-3 p.m. PDT- San Diego Convention Center Room 28CDE
This session equips pediatricians with practical tools to identify, counter, and respond to health misinformation on social media platforms, while maintaining professionalism and protecting credibility. Attendees will learn evidence-based strategies for online engagement, effective message framing and using digital platforms to promote accurate public health education.
SUNDAY, Oct. 4 Highlights
Noon- 1 -p.m. PDT, San Diego Convention Center Room 14A
Authors of select abstracts being presented at the conference will offer brief remarks and be available for individual interviews. Attend this session to learn more about new research, which is described in news releases below. The embargo on abstracts lifts at 6 a.m. PDT Friday, Oct. 2. Lunch is provided.
Plenary Session: LIVESTREAM
10:30 a.m. to noon PDT- San Diego Convention Center Ballroom 20
Speakers present on these topics:
Session: Bridging the Gap: The Role of the Pediatrician in the Prevention and Recognition of Eating Disorders in Youth with Overweight and Obesity
9 a.m.-10 a.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center, Room 25
Eating disorders and obesity are heritable, brain-based disorders with severe morbidity and mortality in youth of all sizes. Pediatricians play a crucial role in promoting healthy behaviors, body respect and balanced nutrition. This session highlights practical strategies to prevent and recognize eating disorders in youth with overweight and obesity.
Session: Tiny Bugs, Big Impact: Prebiotics and Probiotics in Pediatric Care
2 p.m. - 3 p.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center Room 24
Prebiotics and probiotics are increasingly used in pediatric care, yet clinical guidance remains inconsistent. This session reviews current evidence, clarifies indications across common conditions (colic, antibiotic associated diarrhea, IBD, allergies), and provides practical recommendations for counseling families on safe evidence-based use of microbiome modulating therapies.
Session: When Science Meets Social Media: Debunking Breastfeeding Myths
3:30 p.m. -4:30 p.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center Room 30DE
This interactive seminar will describe the most common myths and misinformation currently circulating about breastfeeding, including those related to “toxins,” tongue-tie, low milk supply, and radiation. It will equip clinicians with evidence-based communication tools to counter myths compassionately, reinforce parental confidence, and promote consistent, accurate messaging across healthcare and public health systems.
MONDAY, Oct. 5 Highlights [MS1]
Plenary: LIVESTREAM
10:30 a.m. – noon PDT San Diego Convention Center, Ballroom 20
Topics covered are:
Session: Meet the Red Book Committee
8-10 a.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center, Room 6A
This session will update participants on immunization recommendations, and include discussion on an updated policy statement, “Consumption of Unpasteurized (Raw) Milk and Milk Products by Pregnant People and Children,” published Oct. 5 online and in the November 2026 Pediatrics.
Session: Preschool Petulance: When is it a Problem?
2 p.m. – 3 p.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center Room 30DE
Early identification and treatment of children with clinically significant irritability can prevent later, more severe mental, emotional, and behavioral concerns. This session reviews evidence-based screening tools and interventions.
Session: Implementing the New AAP UTI Guideline: Evidence to Everyday Practice
5 p.m.-6 p.m. PDT San Diego Convention Center Room 6A
This session reviews the newly released AAP Clinical Practice Guideline for pediatric urinary tract infections, highlighting key diagnostic, treatment, and imaging recommendations. Participants will gain practical strategies to implement evidence-based care that improves patient outcomes while avoiding unnecessary testing and treatment.
TUESDAY, Oct. 6 Highlights
Session: Primer on Practical Pediatric Care of Children and Adolescents With ARFID
9 a.m. - 10 a.m. PDT- San Diego Convention Center Room 31
Avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder first that can impact health and quality of life in multiple domains. This session equips pediatricians with practical strategies to recognize, intervene, and manage ARFID in their practice.
HIGHLIGHTED RESEARCH ABSTRACTS
The news releases below are published in EurekAlert! To request supplemental tables, graphs or charts, contact AAP Public Affairs.
ABSTRACTS AND NEWS RELEASES ARE EMBARGOED TO 6 a.m. PDT FRIDAY, Oct. 2, 2026
Colorectal Cancer on the Rise in Adolescent Patients
Rates of advanced stage colorectal cancer are climbing in young patients, marking a need for increased vigilance. The research, “Clinical Presentation and Epidemiology of Pediatric and Adolescent Colorectal Carcinoma: A Pediatric Surgical Oncology Research Collaborative Study,” retrospectively examined the medical files of 84 patients 21 years or younger who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer between 2012 and 2023.
Firearm-Owning Parents of Young Children Often Store at Least One Firearm Without Secure Storage
About 44% of parents of young children who own firearms reported that they own both a handgun and a long gun, at least one of which is not stored securely. The study, “Handgun and Long Gun Ownership and Storage in Families With Young Children,” found that more than three-fourths (77%) of them reported that they stored at least one firearm unlocked and loaded or both unlocked and loaded.
Thousands of pediatric patients canceled or missed doctor appointments at a large pediatric referral center in the Midwest during a recent surge in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity, according to, “Immigrant Family Access to Pediatric Health Care after Executive Order 14161 and Operation Midway Blitz.” Authors identified more than 1,258 missed appointments among the Latine group alone following the immigration enforcement crackdown.
Teddy Bears with Medical Devices help Normalize them for Children
Teddy bears fitted with medical devices such as gastronomy (feeding) tubes may help normalize and lessen medical anxiety in children who need the same devices, according to the abstract, “The Teddy Bear Clinic: A Therapeutic Play Intervention to Normalize Pediatric Medical Devices. Pediatric residents at the Mayo Clinic used the teddy bears as a way to make their patients a bit more comfortable.
E-Cigarettes, Tobacco In-Home Exposure Linked to Children’s Asthma Flare-Ups
Household exposure to e-cigarettes increases the risk of asthma flare-ups in children, challenging the assumption that e-cigarettes are a “safer” source of secondhand smoke, according to the abstract, “Parent-Reported Household Tobacco and E-cigarette Exposure and Asthma Control in Children: A Cross-Sectional Study.” Household use of tobacco and e-cigarettes was reported in 5% of clinic visits, tobacco-only in 9%; and e-cigarette-only in 3% of the encounters.
Hands-On Treatment Studied as Option in Treating Baby Flat Head Syndrome
Physicians used osteopathic manipulative treatment to effectively improve the head shape of babies who developed a flattened spot on the back or side of their head, a condition called positional plagiocephaly (PP). Authors of the abstract, “Safety and Feasibility of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) in Addressing Plagiocephaly,” studied 67 families whose infants underwent the treatment over ten visits.
Monitoring Online Health Misinformation Can Help Create Useful Patient Education Content
Pediatric clinicians can learn useful information by tracking the health misinformation that their patients encounter, according to research. The authors of the abstract, “Tracking Pediatric Health Misinformation Clinicians Hear to Build an Institutional Response," found that more than 50% of the misinformation recorded at a Philadelphia children’s hospital involved vaccines, as well as topics including aluminum, acetaminophen, ADHD, and supplements.
TikTok Misinformation Content on Tylenol and Autism surged after Presidential Announcement
Misinformation linking acetaminophen use during pregnancy to autism in children rose on TikTok after an announcement from the Food and Drug Administration. The abstract, titled, “Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Autism on TikTok: Disproportionate Exposure to Misinformation in a Content Analysis,” analyzed 53 TikTok videos posted immediately after the announcement between September 2025 and November 2025.
Adolescents’ Uptick in Suicidal Thoughts Increased After 2009, 2010
Researchers believe broader societal changes beginning around 2009 to 2010 severely impacted the mental health of an entire generation of young people, according to a 30-year analysis of data. Researchers found a significant increase in suicidal thoughts and attempts in teens after nearly two decades of previous downturns, according to the abstract, “A Turning Point in Adolescent Mental Health in the United States: A 30-Year Analysis of U.S. High School Students Using YRBSS Data.”
Most public health institutions failed to respond in a timely way to misinformation on social media that falsely claimed that acetaminophen during pregnancy is linked to autism, according to “Administrative Gaps in Digital Patient Engagement: An Audit of Institutional Responsiveness to the 2025 Acetaminophen-Autism Controversy.” Researchers reviewed public social media (Instagram) posts from 65 accounts including top children’s hospitals, medical societies, and state health departments, auditing accounts to assess their response to popular misinformation on this topic from September through November, 2025. They identified the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as the fastest and most active account to respond during this time.
Children, Teens Experience More Injuries on Electronic or Gas-Powered Bikes than Pedal-Assist
Children and teens who ride electric- or gas-powered bikes are at higher risk of trauma or death when involved in collisions as compared to those riding pedal-assisted bicycles, according to the abstract, “Comparison of Bikes, E-Bikes, and Gas-Powered Cycle Injuries in the United States: A National Review from 2005–2024.” The authors analyzed incidents involving patients age 17 and younger, following a total 134,426 cases involving pedal-assist bicycles, 305 e-bikes, and 1,721 gas-powered cycle-related injuries over the 20-year span.
Electronic bikes and electronic scooter injuries among children and teens increased nearly four-fold at one California hospital between 2019 and 2025, according to the abstract, “Patterns and Severity of Injuries Following E-Bike and E-scooter Use,” Although e-scooters accounted for most injuries, e-bike injuries represented a growing share of cases and were considerably more severe.
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AAP NEWS : The Academy’s member news magazine has developed a collection of articles describing themes and sessions at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition. They include:
Pediatrician influencers help AAP spread trustworthy information about child health, vaccine
Physician influencers will answer questions during a forum, “The New Waiting Room: A Live Conversation That Takes Questions out of the Comment Section and Straight to the Pediatrician,” moderated by Paul Tran, M.D., FAAP. The event from 12:45-1:30 p.m. PDT Saturday, Oct. 3 at San Diego Convention Center will include keynote speaker Mikhail “Doctor Mike” Varshavski, D.O., a family physician with 30 million followers, as well as panelists Ari Brown, M.D., FAAP, Leah Rappaport, M.D., FAAP, and Tommy Martin, M.D., FAAP. The group will explore the questions, misconceptions and conversations shaping child health today, both online and off.
Influencer ‘Doctor Mike’ to be keynote speaker at National Conference & Exhibition
Mikhail Varshavski, D.O., who has amassed more than 5 billion views as “Doctor Mike” on YouTube with videos that aim to “make the field of medicine relatable, understandable and fun,” will be the keynote speaker at this year’s conference. A New York-based family medicine physician, Dr. Varshavski hosts videos that address public policy, explain medical concepts and debunk misinformation. His videos have also featured chats with stars of “The Pitt” and 2025 keynote speaker Will “Dr. Glaucomflecken” Flanary, M.D.
Learn how AI is changing pediatrics at the National Conference & Exhibition
AAP News lists a round-up of conference sessions devoted to a fraction of the ways AI is transforming pediatrics, including topics such as clinical decision support to liability, cybersecurity, promoting health equity and more.
Plenary sessions at National Conference & Exhibition tackle hot-button issues
Medicaid, childhood vaccinations and immigration enforcement actions are among the hot-button issues to be featured at the plenary sessions during the National Conference & Exhibition.
Alok Patel, M.D., FAAP, a contributor to ABC News and a highly visible presence on the Academy’s social media channels, will join National Conference Planning Group Chair Elizabeth Murray, D.O., FAAP, in welcoming attendees to plenary sessions.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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