Scholar-Con
SCHOLAR-CON 2026
Breaking Barriers to Empower Change
A collaborative celebration of research, scholarly activity, and innovation.
The Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine (MSOM), in collaboration with Meritus Health and Frederick Health, is proud to host Scholar-Con, an annual celebration of research, scholarly activity, and innovation across health-related and biomedical disciplines. Our shared goal is to foster a collaborative culture that reflects our region’s collective commitment to advancing science, improving health outcomes, and empowering future leaders in medicine. Scholar-Con showcases the work of medical students, faculty, physicians, nurses, staff, allied health professionals, and students from participating universities.
Participants will have the opportunity to share findings, exchange ideas, and connect across diverse disciplines - from biomedical and translational science to community health, quality improvement, medical education, data science, AI, and beyond.
WHEN: March 27, 2026 | 8:00 A.M. - 4:00 PM
WHERE: Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine, 11120 Health Drive, Hagerstown, MD 21742
REGISTER: Visit www.msom.org/scholarcon26 to register online
Conference sessions will explore the following areas:
- Biomedical and Translational Research
- Clinical Research, Quality Improvement, or Health Systems Science
- Clinical Case Study
- Health Equity, Social Determinants of Health, Community, and Population Health
- Evidence-Based Practice
- Medical and Interprofessional Health Sciences Education
- Technology, AI, and Digital Health
Keynote speaker: Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, President Emerita of The John A. Hartford Foundation
Scholar-Con 2026 Agenda |
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| 8:00-8:30 A.M. | Registration & Networking | Coffee, tea, and light breakfast |
| 8:30-8:45 A.M. | Welcome & Opening Remarks |
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| Plenary Session | ||
| 8:45-9:45 A.M. | “The Growing Body of Scholarship for Age-Friendly Health Systems” | Keynote Speaker: Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, President Emerita of The John A. Hartford Foundation |
| 9:45-10:00 A.M. | Break | |
| 10:00-11:30 A.M. | Concurrent Education Tracks and Workshops | |
| Track 1: Health Equity & Population Health Research – Health Systems Science | ||
| 10:00-10:45 A.M. | The State of Equitable Health Systems in the U.S. | Aerial Petty, DO, Health Policy Research Fellow at the American Board of Family Medicine and George Washington University |
| 10:45-11:30 A.M. | Analytics to reduce Sepsis at Stanford | Sanjit Misra, MBA |
| Track 2: Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) & Quality Improvement (QI) Expert Panel: publishing | ||
| 10:00-10:45 A.M. | Dissemination: Steps and Stumbling Blocks to Sharing your Work | Peggy McNeal and Lorraine Donovan |
| 10:45-11:30 A.M. | Advancing Integrity and Impact on Healthcare Publication (Ethics in publication) | Peggy McNeal and Lorraine Donovan |
| 11:30 A.M.-1:30 P.M. | Networking Lunch & Poster Session | Poster viewing and student/faculty presentations Judging for poster awards |
| 1:30-3:30 P.M. | Podium Presentations | Selected abstracts - 10-minute podium talks |
| 3:30-4:00 P.M. | Poster Awards & Closing Remarks | |