Health and Healthcare Variations across the Population Conference
The United States exhibits significant differences in health status and life expectancy across population groups and in comparison to other developed countries. Understanding these patterns is important since health is a key input to both economic productivity and wellbeing more generally.
With the support of the NIH, the NBER Center for Aging and Health Research will convene a research conference in Cambridge, MA, on Friday, May 15, 2026. The program will be organized by Jevay Grooms (Howard University and NBER) and Hannes Schwandt (Northwestern University and NBER).
The conference will highlight research on a range of issues related to disparities in health care and health, both within the United States and between the United States and peer countries. Importantly, while disparities are widening across many dimensions there is also evidence of narrowing mortality gaps across racial groups or at younger ages. This conference aims at studying these complex and sometimes divergent developments to better understand how to improve health and wellbeing in the United States. Janet Currie (Yale University and NBER) will deliver a keynote address.
The organizers will consider submissions of long abstracts as well as complete papers, with a preference for papers. They welcome submissions from scholars who are early in their careers and who are not NBER affiliates. The NBER will cover economy class travel and hotel expenses for up to two authors per paper and for discussants, subject to NBER travel regulations and federal grant requirements.
Travel and accommodation funding is further available for a limited number of graduate students who are interested in attending the workshop. Those who are already carrying out research related to the conference topic are welcome to submit work (at any stage) for consideration. There will be an opportunity for presentations of research ideas and work in progress in a discussion and feedback session.
To be considered for inclusion on the program, papers / abstracts should be uploaded via the following link:
https://conference.nber.org/confsubmit/backend/cfp?id=HDCs26.
Applications from graduate students should be submitted via the following Google Forms link and accompanied by a letter of recommendation from a faculty member:
Recommenders should submit letters directly to Sarah Holmes Berk (sholmes@nber.org) with the subject line “Letter of Recommendation – [Applicant Full Name].” The deadline for all submissions is 11:59pm ET on Thursday, February 13, 2026.
Please do not submit papers that have already been accepted for publication. Authors chosen to present papers will be notified by early March.
Please share this call with others who may be interested in submitting a paper. Logistical questions about this meeting should be directed to confer@nber.org; other questions, to Sarah Holmes Berk at sholmes@nber.org.