News & Events

2026 Misophonia Collaboration Forum: Building Strategies for Action

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Event Details

The Whitley Hotel, Atlanta, GA + Virtual

Saturday, October 3, 2026

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Register Now!

Register at https://miso.fund/CollabForum

Please note that tickets for the in-person event are limited. See Ticket Options & Pricing below for more details.

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This Year’s Focus: Building Strategies for Action

This year’s gathering will place particular emphasis on distilling practical strategies that can be implemented now to enhance quality of life for those with misophonia, improve clinical care, guide research practices, and strengthen the misophonia field as a whole.

For individuals and families, this means clarifying evidence-informed pathways toward diagnosis, treatment, support, and meaningful engagement in the field.

For clinicians, it means understanding what current research supports in practice and how to strengthen, standardize, and responsibly scale care.

For researchers, it means advancing studies that are informed by lived experience priorities and responsive to the most pressing gaps in understanding and clinical need.

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This Year’s Agenda

The agenda will include the following sessions:

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Speakers & Panelists Taking the Stage:

Beyond our featured speakers, attendees will hear from additional presenters sharing research, clinical, and lived experience expertise during an interactive poster session. The informal format provides an opportunity to explore their work and perspectives through one-on-one and small-group conversations.

These presenters include:

• Allie Freshley, MA, University of Mississippi
• Candace Pixley
• Emily Bowers, MS, PhD Candidate, Utah State University
• Ghazaleh Mahzouni, PhD, UC Santa Cruz
• Grace Heppes, BS, Duke Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation
• Jeremy Huang, PhD Student, University of Michigan
• Jessica Y. Choi, MS, Duke University
• Kailee Peterson, PhD, LPC
• Mandana Jafarian, MASc, EdD
• Rebecca Schneider, PhD, Assistant Professor, Emory University School of Medicine
• Samuel Smith, PhD, Massachusetts Eye and Ear
• Starla Meighan, PhD
• Vivien Black, MSW/MPH, University of Georgia

Across these sessions, attendees can expect...

• a mix of expert presentations featuring clinical, research, and lived experience perspectives,
• opportunities for audience Q&A,
• small-group discussions,
• facilitated sharing with the broader audience, and
• opportunities for virtual attendees to engage throughout the event, including participation in presentations and Q&A sessions.

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What Makes This Event Different?

• Designed for true dialogue: Researchers, clinicians, and the lived experience community engage as equal contributors, creating space for meaningful exchange across scientific, clinical, and personal expertise.
• Built for impact beyond the meeting: Key insights and strategies are distilled into practical next steps that can inform research, clinical care, and community resources long after the Forum ends.
• Structured for inclusive participation: Thoughtful program design, moderated discussions, and clear community guidelines support respectful, psychologically safe engagement across all stakeholder groups. 

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Who Should Attend?

Misophonia is an emerging and rapidly developing field with significant opportunity for cross-disciplinary contribution.

This Forum welcomes individuals at all levels who are interested in exploring how their expertise, whether established within misophonia or newly applied, can help advance understanding, care, and real-world solutions.

• Researchers and Innovators: From any discipline, including but not limited to neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, audiology, engineering, computer science, data science, and beyond.
• Clinicians and Health Professionals: Providers seeking research-informed approaches, improved standards of care, and collaboration across disciplines.
• Individuals with Lived Experience and Advocates: People living with misophonia, caregivers, and community leaders interested in shaping the field’s next phase.

If you are interested in helping refine how misophonia is understood, studied, or supported — this conversation is for you.

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Hear from Last Year’s Attendees

‍The most meaningful perspective on the Forum comes from those who experienced it firsthand. Here are a few reflections from participants on what made the conversations, connections, and takeaways so impactful.

• "I am very thankful and happy to have been able to attend this Forum and I related so much to many of the lived experience speakers. I took a lot away from this event and look forward to attending many more with an expanded insight on Misophonia."
• "The event was well organized and presented. I learned a great deal as well as understanding there is much more to learn regarding misophonia."
• "Thank you for helping me understand part of what my daughter is going through."

Want a closer look at the Forum experience? Explore last year’s agenda and session recordings to see how the meeting is structured and the kinds of conversations and outcomes it is designed to support.

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Ticket Options & Pricing

In-Person (Atlanta)

We aim to keep this event accessible across all groups.

• Professional Attendee (Clinician, Researcher, Scientist) - $125
• Junior Professional Attendee (Students, Postdoctoral Fellows, etc.) - $75
• Misophonia Advocate - $50
• Lived Experience Community Member / Someone Impacted - $35

In-person capacity is limited. Ticket prices are intentionally kept low to support broad participation.

Virtual Attendance

• All Virtual Tickets – Free

Available for professionals, advocates, and lived experience community members.

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Developed in Partnership

The Misophonia Research Fund is proud to host the Misophonia Collaboration Forum in partnership with leading organizations across the field.

This year’s event is being developed in collaboration with:

• The Duke Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation
• soQuiet Misophonia Advocacy, a patient advocacy organization
• The Misophonia Research Network

Together, these partners help shape the Forum’s structure, priorities, and cross-stakeholder dialogue to ensure the meeting reflects the needs of researchers, clinicians, and the lived experience community alike.

Steering Committee Members:

• ‍Cris Edwards, MFA CPS, soQuiet Misophonia Advocacy
• Ellie Rapp
• Grace Heppes, BS, Duke Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation
• ‍Heather Hansen, PhD, William & Mary‍
• Jamie Ward, PhD, University of Sussex
• Jennifer J. Brout, PhD
• ‍Zach Rosenthal, PhD, Duke Center for Misophonia and Emotion Regulation

Misophonia Research Fund Team:

• Lauren Harte-Hargrove, PhD, Executive Director
• Kylie McPherson, PhD, Associate Director of Research
• Solena Mednicoff, PhD, Research & Communications Manager

If you have any questions about the event, please contact info@MisophoniaFund.org.