What to Expect at the 2026 Autoimmune Community Summit

If you are living with an autoimmune disease, searching for a diagnosis, caring for someone with an autoimmune condition, or interested in the latest autoimmune research, the 2026 Autoimmune Community Summit was created for you.

Hosted by the Autoimmune Association, the 2026 Autoimmune Community Summit will take place October 14–16, 2026. This free, three-day virtual event brings together leading researchers, physicians, patient advocates, policy leaders, and people with lived experience.

What causes autoimmune disease? How can environmental exposures affect the immune system? Why are autoimmune diseases so difficult to diagnose? What does science know about autoimmune fatigue, brain fog, and sleep? How might artificial intelligence change autoimmune medicine? What should patients know about pregnancy, menopause, metabolism, and GLP-1 medications?

The Summit will explore these questions through expert presentations, patient perspectives, moderated discussions, live Q&A sessions, practical resources, and an interactive virtual exhibit hall.

The Summit is free and fully virtual. Every educational session will also be recorded and available on demand to registered attendees after the event.

Register free for the 2026 Autoimmune Community Summit.

What is the Autoimmune Community Summit?

The Autoimmune Community Summit is an annual patient education event focused on the science, treatment, management, and lived experience of autoimmune disease.

Because autoimmune disease is complex, patients often spend countless hours searching across websites, medical journals, social media, forums, videos, and podcasts for reliable information. The Summit brings many of those conversations together in one accessible event.

Whether you are newly diagnosed, have lived with autoimmune disease for years, are still seeking answers, or support someone with an autoimmune condition, you will find information designed to help you better understand your health, navigate the healthcare system, and prepare for conversations with your medical team.

Seven important autoimmune disease topics you will explore

The 2026 Summit is organized around seven major themes spanning research, daily life, healthcare access, and the future of autoimmune medicine.

1. New autoimmune and autoinflammatory disease research

Scientists are identifying new antibodies, studying previously unknown immune diseases, and uncovering pathways that could lead to more precise diagnosis and treatment.

Raphaela Goldbach-Mansky, MD, MHS, Chief of the Translational Autoinflammatory Diseases Section at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will explain how inflammation and the discovery of new immune diseases are changing scientific understanding—and why that research matters to patients.

Amanda Piquet, MD, Director of the Autoimmune Neurology Program, Professor of Neurology, and Céline Dion Foundation Endowed Chair in Autoimmune Neurology at the University of Colorado Anschutz, will discuss what happens when the immune system affects the brain and nervous system.

Megan Smithmyer, PhD, a staff scientist at Benaroya Research Institute, will explore the exposome—the environmental exposures a person experiences throughout life—and what researchers are learning about its potential relationship to autoimmune disease.

Sessions include:

• Understanding New Immune Diseases: Inflammation, Discovery, and What Patients Should Know
• When the Immune System Affects the Brain
• The Exposome and Environmental Impacts on Autoimmune Disease

For additional background, explore the Autoimmune Association’s information about the environment and autoimmune disease and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences’ overview of autoimmune disease and environmental health research.

2. Environmental triggers, nutrition, and integrative autoimmune care

Many people with autoimmune disease have questions about nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress, environmental exposures, and other factors that may influence their health. This Summit theme will examine what research suggests, where evidence is still developing, and how lifestyle approaches can complement medical care.

Adam Schiffenbauer, MD, an associate research physician at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, will discuss environmental triggers and the immune system.

Neha Shah, MD, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Immunology and Rheumatology at Stanford Medicine, will address nutrition and lifestyle considerations for people with autoimmune disease.

Mickey Trescott, MSc, a functional nutritionist, chef, and autoimmune health educator, will then lead a cooking demonstration featuring nourishing, allergen-friendly recipes designed for real life.

Sessions include:

• Environmental Triggers and the Immune System
• Nutrition and Lifestyle Considerations
• Nourish to Flourish: Cooking for Autoimmune Wellness

You can also explore the Autoimmune Association’s nutrition resources.

3. Autoimmune fatigue, brain fog, sleep, and limited energy

Fatigue and brain fog are among the most common—and most misunderstood—symptoms reported by people with autoimmune disease.

In the Autoimmune Association’s ongoing chronic fatigue survey, 91% of participants said fatigue was a major issue, while 77% reported that it affected their ability to work.

Mark Zielinski, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Neuroimmunology and Sleep Laboratory at the VA Boston Healthcare System, will discuss research into the connections among immune activity, sleep, circadian rhythms, fatigue, and cognitive symptoms.

Julie Flygare, JD, President and CEO of Project Sleep, will bring this science into daily life through a conversation about energy economics: understanding the energy available to you and making thoughtful choices about how and where to spend it.

Sessions include:

• Fatigue, Brain Fog, and Sleep Science
• Energy Economics: Living with Limited Energy

4. Autoimmune diagnosis, artificial intelligence, and emerging treatments

Autoimmune symptoms can be vague, change over time, affect multiple body systems, or resemble other conditions. Patients may see several healthcare professionals before receiving an accurate diagnosis.

Julius Birnbaum, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, will examine why autoimmune diseases can be so difficult to recognize and diagnose.

Patients who are currently seeking answers can also review our autoimmune diagnosis tips and Question Prompt List before their next appointment.

Dajiang Liu, PhD, Distinguished Professor at Penn State College of Medicine, will discuss how artificial intelligence could help researchers and clinicians analyze large collections of medical and biological data.

AI is already being investigated for medical imaging, clinical decision support, health monitoring, and disease prediction. However, medical AI also raises questions about data quality, bias, privacy, transparency, and human oversight. The National Institutes of Health offers additional information about artificial intelligence in biomedical research and healthcare.

Marjolein A.Y. Klaassen, MD, PhD, a clinical scientist at the MIT Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics, will complete the theme with a look at encouraging treatment approaches and emerging immune-system research.

Sessions include:

• Why It Takes So Long to Get a Diagnosis
• AI and the Future of Autoimmune Medicine
• New and Encouraging Treatments and Immune System Research

5. Health insurance, prior authorization, appeals, and advocacy

Managing an autoimmune disease can also mean navigating health insurance requirements, medication coverage, prior authorization, treatment denials, and appeals.

Erin Bradshaw, Executive Vice President of Development and Strategy at the Patient Advocate Foundation, will provide practical guidance for understanding health insurance, responding to coverage barriers, and approaching an appeal.

Patients can prepare by reading our guides to prior authorization and health insurance. HealthCare.gov also explains patients’ rights when appealing a health plan decision.

Sessions include:

• Tips on How to Navigate Your Health Insurance, Prior Authorization, and Appeals
• Health Policy: Federal Advocacy at Home

Learn more with Advocacy 101 or take action to help change autoimmune disease policy.

6. Pregnancy, perimenopause, menopause, and autoimmune disease

Autoimmune disease frequently intersects with major reproductive and hormonal transitions, yet questions about pregnancy and menopause have not always received the attention they deserve.

Jill Buyon, MD, Director of the Division of Rheumatology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Colton Center for Autoimmunity, will discuss reproductive healthcare and pregnancy considerations, including disease management, risk factors, monitoring, and medications.

Nanette Santoro, MD, E. Stewart Taylor Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Colorado Anschutz, will examine perimenopause, menopause, and the immune system.

Symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disruption, brain fog, joint discomfort, temperature changes, and mood changes may overlap with autoimmune symptoms. Understanding that overlap can help patients have more informed conversations with their healthcare providers.

Sessions include:

• Reproductive Healthcare and Pregnancy Considerations
• Perimenopause, Menopause, and the Immune System

7. GLP-1 medications, metabolism, inflammation, and autoimmune disease

GLP-1 medications may be best known for diabetes treatment and weight loss, but the scientific conversation extends beyond the number on a scale.

GLP-1 receptor agonists can affect appetite, digestion, blood glucose, brain signaling, and metabolism. Researchers are also exploring possible connections to inflammation, although important questions remain about what these medications may mean for people with different autoimmune diseases.

Through expert presentations, moderated discussion, and a patient perspective, this session will examine:

• How GLP-1 medications work
• Metabolism, appetite, reward, and behavior
• What researchers are investigating about GLP-1s and inflammation
• What is known—and still unknown—about GLP-1 medications and autoimmune disease
• Questions patients may want to discuss with their healthcare providers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also published safety information about unapproved and compounded GLP-1 medications.

What else can attendees expect?

The 2026 Summit uses a new interactive virtual platform. Registered attendees can participate in educational sessions and Q&As, hear patient perspectives, explore virtual exhibits and resource rooms, and access select speaker materials when available.

Dedicated exhibit and activity periods are built into the schedule so attendees can explore without missing educational sessions.

The Summit is designed for people living with diagnosed autoimmune or autoinflammatory diseases, those still seeking a diagnosis, caregivers, family members, patient advocates, healthcare professionals, students, researchers, and anyone looking for credible autoimmune disease information.

Frequently asked questions

When is the 2026 Autoimmune Community Summit?

The Summit will take place October 14–16, 2026.

Is the Summit free and virtual?

Yes. The Autoimmune Community Summit is completely free and takes place entirely online. Attendees can join from a computer, tablet, or smartphone using a modern browser. No special software is required.

Do I need to register?

Yes. Registration is required to attend the live event and access session recordings afterward.

Will sessions be available on demand?

Yes. Every educational session will be recorded and available on demand to registered attendees after the Summit. Register even if you cannot participate live.

Can attendees ask questions?

Many sessions will include opportunities to submit questions. Speakers will answer as many as time allows.

Does the Summit provide medical advice?

No. The Summit provides general education and information. Speakers cannot diagnose attendees or recommend individualized treatment plans.

Where can I watch previous Summit sessions?

Explore recordings from previous years on the Autoimmune Community Summit page.

Join the autoimmune community October 14–16

At the 2026 Autoimmune Community Summit, you will hear what experts are learning about immune-system research, the brain, environmental exposures, fatigue, sleep, diagnosis, AI, emerging treatments, women’s health, GLP-1 medications, health insurance, and patient advocacy—and what those developments may mean for people living with autoimmune disease.

It is free. It is virtual. Every educational session will be available on demand to registered attendees.

Register now for the 2026 Autoimmune Community Summit.