Purpose — The Symposium provides a forum for discussion of new directions in state-of-the-art technology and research opportunities in ultrasonic and photoacoustic imaging and characterization of tissues. The meeting affords physicians, engineers, and physical scientists a unique venue for sharing their contributions to this important area of technology development related to disease detection, diagnosis, staging, therapy planning, and treatment monitoring.

Topics — Presentations are solicited on 1) techniques for measuring ultrasonic properties of tissue, e.g., velocity, attenuation, scattering, elasticity, and nonlinear effects; 2) ultrasonic imaging, photoacoustic imaging and Doppler techniques, including transducer and array technology; 3) signal processing and pattern recognition; 4) ultrasound-guided intervention and robotic ultrasound imaging; and 5) ultrasonic and photoacoustic characterization of tissue and underlying physical and biological variables. Presentations describing high-quality research involving clinical trials of new techniques and instrumentation or new clinical applications of existing technology are particularly welcome.

Meeting venue — The Courtyard Silver Spring Downtown is the headquarters for all meeting activities. The hotel is located two blocks from the Washington Metro Silver Spring station, with connections to both Reagan and Dulles airports. Within a two-block radius, there is a large number of restaurants, including a 13-eatery food court, shopping, a library, IMAX and art movie theaters and a live-music venue. Free shuttle service for hotel guests is available within a seven-mile radius.

The Symposium has guaranteed a limited number of rooms at a special Symposium rate of $169 for a single or $179 for a double room from April 18 to April 23. The cut-off date for reserving a room at this rate is Wednesday, April 1, 2026. However, if you are planning to attend the meeting, we urge you to make your room reservation as soon as possible. You can make a reservation via  2026 Symposium Room Reservations. Alternatively, you can call 301-589-4899 and request the rate for the Tissue Characterization Symposium conference.

Meeting dates and times — Technical sessions will be held on April 20 to April 22, beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00 p.m. on April 20 and 21 and at 12:00 noon on April 22.

Program information — Detailed information on the program, as well as registration and logistical arrangements, will be emailed during the week of February 21.

Interest in attending or presenting a talk — As soon as possible, please complete the interest form on the Symposium website: UITC Symposium.

Abstracts — Abstracts must be received by February 14 for technical review by the Program Committee. Prospective speakers will be informed during the week of February 21 regarding acceptance of their abstracts for presentation. Accepted abstracts will be available on our web site by March 1 and will be published in Ultrasonic Imaging.  Abstracts must be submitted online at https://uitc-symposium.org/submitabstracts.  Only text can be submitted; figures cannot be accepted.  The abstract body cannot exceed 300 words; references and equations should be used sparingly. For questions regarding abstract submission, contact Marie Muller, mmuller2@ncsu.edu, or Jonathan Mamou, jom4032@med.cornell.edu.

One talk/speaker limit — A limit of one talk per speaker applies to all speakers. No exceptions will be made.

Casual dress code — We encourage all participants to bring only casual clothes. Casual dress will make all of us more comfortable and simplify our packing. So please help us make the Symposium an informal, relaxed, productive, and interactive experience in the Symposium venue, the Courtyard Silver Spring Downtown.

Exhibits and corporate sponsorship — A limited amount of exhibit space for commercial scientific equipment is available just outside the meeting ballroom. Corporate sponsorship, which includes exhibit space, is also available. For additional information, contact Mel Linzer, mlinzer@verizon.net.