2027 | Shape

SHAPE International Symposium 2027
Wednesday 16th June – Friday 18th June 2027

Hosted by the SHAPE Executive in Hybrid Mode at the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia) and via Zoom

The program will run over three days in hybrid mode and bring together health service management educators, researchers, students, practitioners and health sector leaders from across Australasia and the Asia-Pacific region. Keynote and panel speakers will include leading voices in health management education, workforce development and healthcare leadership. The program will include keynote presentations, panel discussions, interactive workshops, student sessions and concurrent oral presentations. The Symposium will focus on the opportunities and challenges for health service management education, research and workforce development, the challenges artificial intelligence presents and its practical applications, collaborative learning and real-world impact.

The Symposium also serves as a platform for SHAPE to act as a consortium advancing health service management (HSM) education, research and workforce development in the AI era. Through the sharing of evidence, innovations, case studies and collaborative initiatives, the Symposium aims to strengthen the collective capacity of SHAPE members to prepare the future health management workforce and advance scholarship in health management education.

Wednesday 16th June 2027 – This day will focus on health service management education and research, with particular emphasis on the practical use of artificial intelligence by educators, researchers and higher degree research students. Sessions will explore how AI is being used in teaching, assessment, supervision, research design and scholarly activities and being managed in health services. How well these align will be explored as well as opportunities for developing collaborative research programs across SHAPE member institutions.

Thursday 17th June and Friday 18th June 2027 – These days will focus on the Symposium themes detailed below, exploring how health service management educators, researchers, students and industry partners can work together to strengthen curriculum design, teaching and learning, workforce capability, industry engagement and research impact in an increasingly AI-enabled healthcare environment. A dedicated student session will provide higher degree research, postgraduate and undergraduate students with opportunities to present their work, receive academic feedback and engage with colleagues from across the SHAPE network.

Theme 01

Artificial Intelligence in Health Management Education and Research: Practical Applications, Challenges and Lessons Learned.

Theme 02a

Building Collaborative Research Programs for Health Management Education and Workforce Development

Theme 02b

Strengthening Industry Partnerships to Advance Education, Research and Workforce Capability

Theme 03

Transforming Curriculum, Teaching and Learning for the Future Health Management Workforce

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

We are now inviting abstracts for presentations at the SHAPE International Symposium 2027, either in person or online. Presentations are encouraged from a broad range of topics aligned with the three themes outlined above. Research presentations, case studies, viewpoints and examples of innovative practice are welcome. Abstracts should demonstrate clear relevance to health service management education, research, workforce development and industry engagement, and highlight implications for educators, researchers, students, practitioners and health services.

Three types of presentations are acceptable:

1) 15-minute presentations including Research Presentation, Case Studies, and Viewpoints to encourage debate and discussion or identify research agendas based on literature, research findings and practical experience, and

2) 5-minute student presentations on a specific aspect of the presenter’s research at the scheduled student session, 10mins feedback will be provided

All abstracts must be submitted using one of the provided templates and emailed to shape.symposium@gmail.com. Abstracts that do not follow the required template, exceed the specified word limit, or are incomplete will not be considered.

Information required by the Abstract Submission and three different abstract template can be downloaded by clicking on the links below.

Abstract review and acceptance

Abstracts will be assessed by the Symposium Review Committee consisting of SHAPE Executive Committee Members. The assessment focuses on relevance and clarity of abstract, novelty of the ideas/key messages to be included in the presentation, and how likely the presentation will encourage / facilitate meaningful debate on the proposed topic. Results will be notified by January 29th, 2027.

Deadline for abstract submission is 5pm (AEST), December 18th, 2026

Dr Mary Harris Student Bursary

SHAPE is offering a Student Bursary covering airfare, accommodation, and Symposium registration, up to a value of $1,500, for the best abstract received from an undergraduate, postgraduate or Higher Degree Research student who is currently completing their degree program with one of the SHAPE Program Members.

To be eligible,

You must be an undergraduate or postgraduate student studying in a health management research or coursework degree in the Asia Pacific, or a PhD student completing research in a health service management related field.
The program in which you are enrolled must be a financial member of SHAPE. Details of current financial members is available in the Membership section of this site.
You are not currently employed as a full-time researcher or academic in any of the research institutions or Universities.

The winner of the bursary will be notified by January 29th, 2027.

Enquiries:

Dr Mary Harris Student Bursary and Symposium sponsorship:

Professor Zhanming Liang, President of SHAPE

Email: Zhanming.Liang@jcu.edu.au