Clinicians and leaders throughout the Military Health System (MHS) play a vital role in advancing mental health care, building readiness, and ensuring exceptional outcomes for Service members and their families. The 2026 DHA Mental Health Summit, hosted by the DHA Mental Health Service Line, embraces the theme "From Clinic to Command – Advancing Mental Health Care and Readiness through Innovation, Collaboration, and Practical Solutions." The Summit is designed to equip military and civilian mental health clinicians and leaders with the knowledge, skills, tools, and strategies needed to deliver high-quality, integrated care and lead effectively across the full continuum—from the clinic to command-level decision-making—thereby strengthening the continuum of care and enhancing the readiness and resilience of Service members and their families. This educational activity will feature subject matter experts from across the MHS and DoW, who will present evidence-based practices and practical strategies aligned with the Summit's clinic-to-command focus.

Clinically focused sessions will strengthen direct patient care by addressing provider well-being and coping with the loss of patients to suicide, building and sustaining group therapy programs, delivering the full spectrum of substance use disorder care, leveraging digital tools and technologies, examining the ethics of military healthcare in the digital age, fostering collaboration across systems, and applying operational stress control strategies to Service members in garrison. These sessions will also raise awareness of emerging clinical issues and hot topics shaping day-to-day practice. Leadership-focused sessions will equip leaders with practical, skills-based strategies to recruit and hire mental health providers, optimize the use of mental health technicians as provider extenders, and apply data-driven leadership using MH dashboards and analytics to inform decisions that sustain readiness and performance. Multiple interactive panels will facilitate discussions among MH leaders at all levels, complemented by office hours with MHSL program managers, breakout sessions, and Q&A opportunities to foster collaboration and the sharing of lessons learned.

This live, virtual event is intended for military and civilian mental health clinicians and leaders across the enterprise. Hosted on Microsoft Teams from September 14–18, 2026, the Summit will offer dedicated sessions for both clinicians and leaders throughout the week, and attendees may join some or all sessions.

Registration details and a barcode will be provided soon.