About the Doctoral Student Forum
The U21 Health Sciences Doctoral Student Forum (DSF) is an annual event open to health sciences dcctoral students studying in U21 HSG member institutions to apply to, and present their research. Held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting, the DSF provides international networking opportunities and a chance for doctoral students to share their research across a network of research intensive universities.
We are delighted to announce that the 2026 Doctoral Student Forum will be hosted by the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine at The University of Hong Kong.
Dates of the 2026 Annual Meeting: 23 – 26 November 2026
Theme: Adaptive Intelligence: Reshaping Health Education and Practice in a Culturally Diverse World
Doctoral students from a range of disciplines across the U21 HSG member institutions are invited to present their work at The University of Hong Kong during the DSF. Successful applicants will be invited to make either a podium or a poster presentation. During the application process, applicants are not required to give an overview of their whole project but rather, a summary of their research. Applicants should apply using their email provided by the university.
The Doctoral Student Forum will take place on Monday 23 November. Presentations focused on the theme, “Adaptive Intelligence: Reshaping Health Education and Practice in a Culturally Diverse World” will be prioritised for selection.
Applications are due on Sunday 28 February 2026 at 11:59pm Hong Kong time. The Selection Committee expects to inform its decision one month after the application deadline -- by 31 March 2026.
Successful applicants will be invited to stay for the entirety of the 2026 Annual Meeting, including to join the plenaries, workshops, forums and relevant Discipline Group meetings. Students will have the opportunity to obtain feedback from an international review panel, attend a masterclass in this area, join a collaborative group activity and network with students and academics from 20 global leading universities.
Student Forum
Doctoral Students are invited and encouraged to also attend the Student Forum which will begin in the morning of 23 November led by faculty from The Hong Kong University. There will be a collaborative interprofessional group activity. Details will be announced in due course at https://u21health.org/2026-hong-kong.
Please note: there is no travel cost (transportation or hotel) covered by the U21 Health Sciences Group to attend the Doctoral Student Forum.
If you have questions, please contact the U21 HSG Secretariat Team at U21HSG@HKU.HK.
Key highlights from the 2018 U21 Health Sciences Group Doctoral Student Forum hosted at the University of Melbourne
Please find out about previous Doctoral Student Forums below, including past programmes.