2026 Symposium | Long COVID Web

Long COVID Web is pleased to announce the 4th Canadian Symposium on Long COVID.

The Symposium will bring together people with lived experience of Long COVID, clinicians, trainees, allied health, researchers and others to discuss the latest innovations and scientific developments in Long COVID.

The 4th Canadian Symposium on Long COVID will be held on October 15–16, 2026, at The Nest, University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, BC.

The overall learning objectives of the 4th Canadian Symposium on Long COVID are:

Engage in sharing research, discussing challenges, and exploring solutions with clinicians, researchers, and persons with lived experience regarding Long COVID conditions.
Evaluate recent advancements in basic science and clinical studies related to Long COVID, including epidemiology, pathophysiology, and potential therapeutic targets.
Examine emerging research in health services and population health, including population and economic modeling, to better understand care delivery, access, and system-level impacts of Long COVID.

Registration is now open. We look forward to welcoming you in Vancouver: https://whova.com/portal/registration/YqU6VktXOzig6CgCx3qy/

Sales end on October 1, 2026, at 2:59 a.m. PST.

Symposium Local Organizing Committee

Symposium Co-Chairs: Drs. Naveed Janjua, Viet Vu, Hiten Naik

Scientific Committee: Drs. Hind Sbihi, Scott Tebbutt, Theone Paterson, Prince Adu

Family Physicians: Drs. Lucia Ma, Lana Dyment

Patient/Community Partners: Michelle Roy, Candace Latham

Trainees: Estefania Espin, Himani Boury, Marie-Therese Ma

Post-COVID-19 Interdisciplinary Clinical Care Network Collaborators (PC-ICCN): Claire Wilson, Asuka Sugiyama

LCW Operations Team: Dr. Caren Cao, Yalda Mehran, Vishaka Kumar, Nicholas Cagna, Farwa Naqvi

*Note on Community Materials
We welcome Long COVID advocacy and support group resources at the Symposium. Since the event is accredited, all brochures, pamphlets, and other printed materials must be submitted in advance for review. Approved items will be placed on a designated table for attendees to browse.

The deadline to submit material(s) is September 30, 2026.

Submit your materials here: Submission Form

Ventilation and Air Quality:

*The Great Hall at The Nest is served by an air handling unit (AHU-10) with a CO2 sensor. This sensor monitors CO2 levels, and when levels rise, the system brings in more outdoor (fresh) air by opening the damper to improve air quality.

Masking for Attendees
In line with our commitment to the health and safety of all participants, we highly recommend that all attendees wear masks during the Symposium. Masks will be provided at registration for those who need them. While masking is not currently mandated by provincial law for public events in Newfoundland & Labrador, this policy is part of our event safety measures. We also ask that anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 or other respiratory illness consider staying home if unwell. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe environment for all.

To access the official Symposium event page, download the Whova app or follow this link.

Jae Ryu, Keynote Speaker

3rd Canadian Symposium on Long COVID

Drs. Iram Anees and Mike Hall, Co-Chairs

3rd Canadian Symposium on Long COVID

Trainee Session

3rd Canadian Symposium on Long COVID

Jae Ryu, Keynote Speaker

3rd Canadian Symposium on Long COVID

1/20

The Long COVID Art Gallery submission period has now closed. Thank you to everyone who shared creative works reflecting their lived experiences of Long COVID. Selected artwork will be featured as part of the 4th Canadian Symposium on Long COVID.

Dr. Michelle Lavoie (she/her) is a professional artist and curator, researcher, educator, and program developer. Her artmaking, curatorial practice, and arts-based, narrative, and community-based research is driven by her commitment to engage communities in creative, compelling and accessible ways to create dialogue and foster public understanding of complex issues. Her award-winning community art programs aim to support emerging artists and build resources and community resilience. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Queen’s) and Master of Fine Arts (Alberta), and Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies (Alberta). Michelle is a professional artist with 35+ years of international, national and regional exhibitions. Between 2015 and 2024, Michelle has curated several important public arts exhibitions to hold open safe, accessible, and engaging public spaces for previously silent stories to be seen and heard. A few significant exhibitions include: the Edmonton Queer History Project , Art Gallery of Alberta 2015: TREX Re-Imaging Normal for Alberta Foundation for the Arts that travelled to 22 venues (2018-20), viewership recorded at 51K; The 2SLGBTQ+ Intergenerational Art Project (2023-24), viewership estimated at 90K; Seeking Care: Imagining Alongside Youth Mental Health Stories (2024) viewership estimated at 60K. Michelle’s innovative work as a curator ties visual and narrative ways of thinking and knowing to mobilize community and research knowledge to support communities and educate publics.

Michelle Lavoie

Currator

3rd Canadian Symposium on Long COVID Art Gallery

James Sessford

This is my representation of how I see that the media, medical profession, and politicians/government have actively chosen to ignore COVID.

Living with LC- Episode 2: Coping with Anxiety, Fear, Loss, and Isolation

The experience of living with LC (and other chronic illnesses and disabilities) puts strains on one’s mental and emotional health as people navigate coping with anxiety (around health status, fear (of the unknown), loss (of self, occupation, identity, meaningful activity, purpose), and isolation (from previous relationships and community connections).

Brought to you by St. John's Rehab at Sunnybrook.

Living with LC- Episode 3: Navigating the (In)visibility of long COVID

LC has been conceptualized as an invisible disability due to its invisible symptoms and impairments (commonly, severe fatigue and brain fog) not visible to the eye. Like other invisible disabilities (e.g., anxiety, depression, chronic pain or fatigue, learning disabilities, etc.), people living with an invisible disability commonly experience perceived stigma that leads to discriminatory attitudes and practices across health and social care systems.

Brought to you by St. John's Rehab at Sunnybrook.

Living with LC- Episode 4: The Caregiving Experience

It is not just the person living with LC that experiences disruptions to their activities of daily living, occupational roles, leisure activities, social relationships, mental and emotional health, but also informal family caregivers who are often put into positions to support and care for their loved ones.

Brought to you by St. John's Rehab at Sunnybrook.

Living with LC- Episode 5: Finding Hope for the Future

People with LC and caregivers are in need of nurturing supportive healing spaces and practices as they navigate the unknowns and complexities of their LC care provisions. We hope this docuseries can inspire hope for a future that better acknowledges, supports, and cares for the LC community broadly.

Brought to you by St. John's Rehab at Sunnybrook.

2024 Art Gallery

The 4th Canadian Symposium on Long COVID will be held on October 15–16, 2026, at The Nest, 6133 University Blvd, University of British Columbia, in Vancouver, BC.

Available Travel Discounts

Air Canada

Promotion Code: CNJK8T71
The travel period begins Thursday, October 08, 2026 and ends Friday, October 23, 2026.

WestJet

5N8H5CH
Valid for travel between October 8-23, 2026

Porter

CSLC26

Via Rail

Valid for travel between October 7-25, 2026
In the 'Add a discount code' field, select Conference Fares and enter the code 16015.

Hotel Accommodation

We are pleased to offer a discounted group rate for symposium participants at West Coast Suites at UBC. West Coast Suites are located at 5959 Student Union Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1.

Booking Link

Reserve your stay online using our dedicated group booking link.

By Phone or Email

Call the Reservations Office at (604)-822-1000, Ext. 3 or toll-free at 1-888-822-1030
Email: reservations@housing.ubc.ca
Reference the 4th Canadian Symposium on Long COVID or provide the Group Code: G261014A to access the discounted rate.

Extended Stay Options

The group rate is available from October 11–20, 2026 (three days before and after the official dates: October 14–17, 2026). Please note that these additional nights are subject to availability and must be selected manually when booking.

Parking

Parking is available at the University Blvd Lot (6131 University Boulevard) at a rate of $4.50/hour with no maximum, as well as the North Parade Lot (6155 Student Union Boulevard), which offers a daily rate. Attendees are responsible for paying for parking. For current rates, maps and additional information, please visit UBC Parking.

We are also pleased to partner with the UBC Centre for Disease Control and thank them for their support of the 4th Canadian Symposium on Long COVID.

This collaboration plays a vital role in both the organizational and scientific success of the program.

To show your commitment to this important initiative, please get in touch with us to discuss a tailored support package:

Long COVID Web
Email: info@longcovidweb.ca

In-Kind Support:

Orca – $1000 to $4,999

Support Our Initiative

Financial backing for the 4th Canadian Symposium on Long COVID helps us deliver an impactful meeting experience for healthcare professionals, researchers, and community representatives.

We also gratefully welcome donations to help offset the costs of hosting the symposium, including venue, technology, and program expenses, while supporting an accessible and inclusive event for all participants.

As part of our sponsorship opportunities, partners and community members may also choose to support equitable access by sponsoring or gifting registration to persons with lived experience who may otherwise be unable to attend. Please check the 'Registration' page to purchase a gift ticket.

Please note: Gift sponsors must register under their own name. Access will be assigned separately to an individual in need through the sponsorship request form.

250 CSA CertifiedQ100 Respirators

Please note: Gift tickets are available for $10. Gift sponsors must register using their own name. Sponsored access will be assigned separately to an individual in need through the sponsorship request form.

Register Now

Attendee	Researchers/ Clinicians/ Policymakers	Trainees	People with Lived Experience
In-Person	$300	$250	$100
Virtual	$100	$50	$10

Explore the ticket options available to help you participate in the 4th Canadian Symposium on Long COVID. Sales end on October 1, 2026 at 02:59 AM PST.

Please note that the symposium will be hosted through Whova. You will receive a notification as soon as the event website is officially published.

To get the most out of your experience, we encourage all attendees to download the Whova app on your mobile device. The app provides convenient mobile access to symposium schedules, session details, and live announcements.

For In-Person Attendees: We highly recommend downloading the app prior to arriving. It will serve as your primary hub for real-time updates, schedule shifts, and important announcements throughout the event.
On desktop or laptop? Click here to join your event in a browser.