Workshop

HARMONY 2026 (Human-centered AI Research for Mental health, an Open Networking Symposium)

In conjuction with IEEE/ACM CHASE 2026, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Overview:

HARMONY (Human-centered AI Research for Mental health, an Open Networking sYmposium) is a pioneering interdisciplinary event dedicated to advancing Human-centered AI Research for Mental Health, co-located with IEEE/ACM Conference on Connected Health: Applications, Systems, and Engineering Technologies (CHASE 2026) held in Pittsburgh, August 6, 2026. Addressing this complex and urgent topic demands expertise across a wide range of domains. As mental health challenges continue to escalate globally, we must break down disciplinary silos to enable groundbreaking discoveries and innovative, impactful solutions for the future of humanity.

HARMONY brings together researchers and practitioners from fields including—but not limited to— Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Psychology, Psychiatry, Behavioral Science, Anthropology, Philosophy, Social Science, and Neuroscience. If you are passionate about improving human wellbeing, have bold ideas, or seek collaborators beyond your field, HARMONY offers a unique opportunity to build interdisciplinary partnerships that can drive real-world change.

Who Should Attend?

HARMONY is designed for researchers and practitioners who wish to:

  • Connect across disciplines and meet collaborators outside their usual circles.
  • Exchange visionary ideas beyond the mainstream.
  • Tackle real-world challenges through research, practice, and open discussion.

HARMONY’s format blends academic presentations with interactive sessions, small-group networking, and cross-sector panels. Together, we will explore HARD problems, generate fresh insights, and co-create a roadmap for future work.

At the close of the symposium, participants may be invited to collaborate on a Shared Report — distilling lessons learned, emerging opportunities, and a collective vision — so the conversation continues well beyond Pittsburgh in 2026.

Topics of Interest

We invite contributions on a broad range of topics at the intersection of AI and mental health, including (but not limited to) the following. Please refer to each track for its specific focus.

  • Preventive self-care (e.g., meditation training or other educational tools before symptoms emerge)
  • Sustaining long-term positive engagement with digital interventions (e.g., incentives for behavior change)
  • Public perceptions of the future of AI (e.g., fear, anxiety, attachment to AI personalities or relational AI tools)
  • Neuroplasticity and neuroscience-inspired mental health solutions
  • Contemplative AI and Wise AI
  • AI education and digital literacy for diverse populations
  • Methods to evaluate or test AI’s own mental health
  • Digital addiction and overuse (e.g., social media, news consumption, AI assistants)
  • Evidence-based interventions with AI-aided capabilities (e.g., technology-enabled Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction programs)
  • Truly personalized, context-aware digital interventions on mental health (e.g., adaptive to life stages or transitions)
  • Legal, ethical, and policy considerations (e.g., AI technology and policy change)
  • Equity and access in AI-driven healthcare (e.g., addressing disparities and avoiding “rich-get-richer” dynamics)
  • Community building with deep, meaningful connections in the age of AI
  • Translating research to practice (e.g., case studies)

Submission Guidelines:

HARMONY 2026 has two tracks: (1) Prctice Track and (2) Research Track. Please refer to the HARMONY 2026 website for submission details of each track: https://conf.researchr.org/home/harmony-2026

Important Dates:

  • Workshop Paper Submission Deadline: March 16, 2026
  • Workshop Notification of Acceptance: April 10, 2026
  • Workshop Camera-Ready Submission: April 20, 2026
  • Workshop Date: August 6, 2026 (tentative)

Workshop Organizers

The HARMONY organizing team consisted entirely of the amazing Computing Innovation Fellows (CIFellows).
The CIFellows 2020 program was launched by the Computing Research Association (CRA) and the Computing Community Consortium (CCC), funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

  • Dr. Yi Ding, Computing Innovation Fellow
    Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
    Purdue University, USA
  • Dr. Yixue Zhao, Computing Innovation Fellow
    Yixue Research Institute
    Washington, D.C., USA
  • Dr. Rafal Kocielnik, Computing Innovation Fellow
    Department of Computational Biomedicine
    Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, USA
  • Dr. Amir Ghasemian, Computing Innovation Fellow
    Department of Communication
    University of California, Los Angeles, USA