Invited Sessions

JSM is developed by a program committee comprised of members from participating JSM societies. Each group is responsible for a specific number of invited sessions picked and/or developed specifically by these groups. Anyone can propose a session, but someone from the committee must accept the proposal for it to be part of the invited program. Of particular interest are sessions that appeal to diverse audiences and are closely related to the JSM theme.

Invited sessions include invited papers, panels, and posters:

• Invited paper sessions consist of 2–6 presenters and/or discussants.
• Invited panels have 3–6 panelists providing commentary about a topic. Note: There are no individual abstracts/presentations in a panel session.
• The invited poster session has 30–40 participants with e-posters (offered on a 42” LCD display in the landscape position) addressing a common theme. If interested in proposing an invited poster session topic, please contact the JSM 2026 poster chair, Amy Wagaman.

An invited session proposal includes a session title, general description of the session, list of participants, and tentative talk titles.

There are a limited number of invited session slots. Those proposals not accepted as invited sessions can be resubmitted as topic-contributed session proposals.

JSM 2026 Theme

The theme for JSM 2026 is “Communities in Action: Advancing Society.” To have the best chance of receiving an invited session slot, you should do the following:

• Have solid new work in an important field
• Know some of your competitors working in the same field
• Be willing to reach out to your competitors and forge a session with energy in it

Propose an Invited Session

If you are interested in organizing an invited session, select a session topic and solicit potential speakers. Once you have your committed speakers, you can submit your proposal online from July 16 to September 3, 2025.

• Decide on a theme.
• Shop your theme around the people you know are active in that area.
• Write a proposal briefly saying why the theme is interesting and important, listing the proposed participants, and, if necessary, supporting the participants’ qualifications to speak about the topic.
• Submit your proposal via the online system to an ASA section for sponsorship

In addition to ASA sections, you may submit your ideas to members of the program committee from the following:

• Casualty Actuarial Society
• International Biometric Society, ENAR
• International Biometric Society, WNAR
• Institute of Mathematical Statistics
• Statistical Society of Canada
• International Chinese Statistical Association
• International Indian Statistical Association
• Korean International Statistical Society
• International Society for Bayesian Analysis
• Royal Statistical Society
• International Statistical Institute
• Caucus for Women in Statistics and Data Science
• Statistical Society of Australia
• ASA committees

If you have ideas that don’t fit any of the sections or partner societies, you may send them to 2026 JSM Program Chair Daniell Toth, though he has little latitude and will need to turn down most, if not all, such submissions. Also, ideas for invited poster presentations should go directly to the 2026 JSM poster chair, Amy Wagaman.

Propose a Memorial Session

If you would like to organize a memorial session for a particular deceased person, please follow the submission instructions and select “Memorial” as the sponsor. If you wish to submit a proposal for a memorial session after the September 3, 2025, deadline, please contact 2026 JSM Program Chair Daniell Toth. Memorial submissions will be accepted on a space-available basis.