DEIHC is a BIBM 2026 Workshop

2026 IEEE International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedicine (IEEE BIBM 2026)

https://www3.cs.stonybrook.edu/~bibm2026/

December 1-4, 2026 - Dallas, USA

Organizers:           Ester Zumpano -  DIMES University of Calabria,
                          Genoveva Vargas Solar, CNRS, France,  Tommaso Ruga, DIMES University of Calabria

Workshop style: full online

Context  

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are essential in healthcare as they strive to ensure that all individuals receive fair treatment and equal access to healthcare services, particularly those historically marginalized or discriminated against. Healthcare organizations increasingly recognise the importance of DEI and are implementing various initiatives to promote diversity in their workforce. This is crucial because healthcare institutions face unique challenges related to disparities in access to care and health outcomes.

For instance, Black and Hispanic patients often report negative experiences within the healthcare system and encounter difficulties in finding physicians who share the same background. Similarly, LGBTQ+ individuals face obstacles in accessing healthcare services, leading to exacerbated health issues. These disparities in healthcare access and outcomes are influenced by various barriers to inclusion, including language and cultural differences.

These disparities can be addressed by prioritizing DEI and diversifying the healthcare workforce to better reflect the patient population. Research has shown that diverse teams in healthcare settings lead to improved patient outcomes, enhanced communication, better risk evaluation, and increased innovation. Moreover, boosting diversity within the healthcare research community is crucial for addressing disparities in clinical trials, where marginalized groups are often underrepresented. Increasing the diversity of medical researchers can help improve clinical trial enrollment in underrepresented communities and address imbalances in research outcomes.

In addition to promoting equity and improving patient care, incorporating technologies and AI solutions can further support DEI in healthcare. These technologies can help healthcare organizations identify and address disparities, personalize patient care based on individual backgrounds and preferences, and empower patients from diverse backgrounds to advocate for their healthcare needs.

Overall, DEI initiatives are essential for promoting equitable access to healthcare services, improving health outcomes for all patients, and fulfilling the ethical duty of healthcare professionals to provide high-quality care to every individual, regardless of their background or identity.

Research topics

The workshop on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Healthcare aims to bring together researchers from academia, industry, government, and medical centres to present and improve the international state of the art and the latest advances in this relevant domain.  DEIHC is expected to cover theoretical and practical aspects,  and artificial intelligence technologies and tools support DEI in biomedicine, healthcare and well-being. The workshop will cover a broad spectrum of issues, from those aimed at easing and supporting healthcare professionals' work to those devoted to improving patients’ lives. The workshop also aims to discuss computational models, social computing, and agent-based solutions applied to practical solutions that address topics related to DEI in Healthcare. 

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: 

• Bias in Healthcare AI Algorithms

• Decision Making and Implicit bias

• DEI and  Personalized Healthcare 

• Diversity in Healthcare

• Inclusion in Healthcare

• Bias Detection in AI-driven Diagnostic Tools

• Inclusive AI-driven Healthcare Resource Allocation

•  Equity in AI-powered Telemedicine Services        

• Ethical Implications of AI in Healthcare Equity

• Legal Implications of AI in Healthcare Equity

•  Inclusive and equitable healthcare solution

• DEI in Health Care Information Systems; 

• LLM for supporting DEI

• Responsible healthcare data analysis

• Healthcare Data responsible practices

• Diversity and Inclusion in AI-driven Healthcare Solutions

• AI Safety,  Fairness and Accountability in Healthcare

• Neuroscience and Cognitive Science for DEI

• Bias Detection in AI-driven Diagnostic Tools

Important Dates

•       Sep 27, 2026: Due date for full workshop papers submission

•      Oct 18, 2026: Notification of paper acceptance to authors

•       Nov  8, 2026: Camera-ready of accepted papers

•       Dec 1- 4 2026: Workshop

Paper Submission

Length of papers

Full paper: 8 pages

Short paper: 4 pages

Please submit a paper (up to 8 page IEEE 2-column format) through the online submission system (you can download the format instructions here (http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/publishing/templates.html).

All accepted papers will be included in the main conference proceedings, which are also included in the IEEE digital library, which is indexed by Google Scholar and Scopus.

Special Issues on important Journals are also planned.

Online Submission Web Site:

https://wi-lab.com/cyberchair/2026/bibm26/scripts/submit.php?subarea=S31

Program Chairs

• Ester Zumpano - DIMES University of Calabria, e.zumpano@dimes.unical.it

• Genoveva Vargas Solar, CNRS, France, genoveva.vargas-solar@cnrs.fr

• Tommaso Ruga, DIMES University of Calabria, tommaso.ruga@dimes.unical.it
  
  

Program Committee Members (tentative)

• Sergio Flesca (University of Calabria, Italy)

• Andrea Calì, University of London, UK

• Eugenio Cesario, ICAR-CNR, Italy

• Patrizia Vizza, DMSC University Magna Graecia of Catanzaro

• Domenico Ursino, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy

• Luca Virgili, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy

• Luigi Pontieri, ICAR-CNR, Italy

• Shahaboddin Shamshirband, Ton DucThang University, Viet Nam

• Carmela Comito, ICAR-CNR, Italy

• Agostino Forestiero, ICAR-CNR, Italy

• Eugenio Vocaturo, University of Calabria, Italy

• Elio Masciari, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy

• Fabiola De Marco,  University of Salerno, Italy 

Steering Committee Members

• Ester Zumpano - DIMES University of Calabria, e.zumpano@dimes.unical.it

• Genoveva Vargas Solar, CNRS, France, genoveva.vargas-solar@cnrs.fr

• Tommaso Ruga, DIMES University of Calabria, tommaso.ruga@dimes.unical.it