2012 Call for Scientific Poster Abstracts

The AAPM's 28th Annual Meeting will take place on February 23-26, 2012 in Palm Springs, CA at the Palm Springs Convention Center. The AAPM 2012 Scientific Poster Abstract Committee invites applicants to submit abstracts for posters to be presented at the meeting.

Please read the following information and instructions before proceeding.

Submission deadline: September 14, 2011

The American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) is a major force in advancing the practice of Pain Medicine. As a catalyst for initiating investigative research critical to the advancement of Pain Medicine as a specialty, AAPM offers unequaled opportunities for physicians to advance knowledge and improve skills in the management of pain. Founded in 1983 as the American Academy of Algology, AAPM is a professional community of physicians and their pain treatment teams with a sustained interest in pain disorders and their management. Members represent a variety of origins, including anesthesiology, internal medicine, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, physiatry, and psychiatry. The mission of the Academy is to advance the specialty of Pain Medicine and the comprehensive care of patients with pain through promotion of best clinical practices, research, advocacy, and continuing medical education.

Poster Awards

The 2012 Scientific Poster Abstract Committee will select up to 5 scientific poster abstract submitters to present their research during a "live" Plenary Research Highlights session held during the 2012 Annual Meeting. This honor includes the recognition of "Faculty" status at the meeting. As faculty of the annual meeting, the presenters' airfare, lodging and Annual Meeting registration are complementary (up to a dollar amount that will be specified at a later date.) If there are questions regarding this amount, please email mokeefe@connect2amc.com.

As an additional reward, each of these presenters will also receive complementary meeting registration for the 2013 AAPM Annual Meeting.

Important Dates and Meeting Information

• Submission deadline - September 14, 2011 11:59 PM CST
• Notification - Abstract notification will be made to the abstract submitter by October 5, 2011.
• Poster Sessions and Presentations - Accepted abstracts will be presented as posters. Posters will be mounted on 4 ft high x 8 ft long fabric covered boards provided by the association. Posters will be on display in the Exhibit Hall on Thursday, February 23, 2012 beginning at 5:00 PM, and will remain on display until Saturday, February 25, 2012, at 11:30 AM. In addition, posters will be displayed during four scheduled poster sessions:
• Thursday, February 23 at 5 - 6:30 PM
• Friday, February 24 at 10:15 - 11:15 PM
• Friday, February 24 at 5 - 6:30 PM
• Saturday, February 25 at 9:30-10:30 AM

--The submitter of the poster will be considered the first author. One author must be designated as the presenter of the poster. The presenter need not be the first author, but must have been involved in the research. All abstract correspondence will be sent to the submitting author (first author), who will be responsible for acting as abstract coordinator and will forward correspondence to the presenter and additional co-authors as necessary. Poster presenters are required to be present at their posters and available for questions during scheduled poster sessions, and are required to register for a minimum of two days of the Annual Meeting. All posters must be picked up by 12:30 pm on Saturday, February 25.

• Registration & Hotel - Poster presenters must register for a minimum of two days of the Annual Meeting and are responsible for related registration fees. Presenters are encouraged to reserve hotel accommodations as early as possible to ensure that space is available. Conference brochures will be mailed to all accepted poster presenters in December, 2011. Information and online registration will also be available on the AAPM website at www.painmed.org.
• Expenses- Accepted poster presenters are responsible for all expenses related to their presentations, including, but not limited to registration, air and ground travel, lodging, meals, and incidentals.
  

• Length and format - In 250 words or less, provide an accurate, succinct and informative representation of the content you plan to present. The recommended abstract format includes: Introduction/Statement of the Problem, Materials and Methods, Results, and Conclusions. A statement regarding the protocol used to recruit human subjects and obtain appropriate IRB approval should be included in the "Materials and Methods" section.
• References - All noted references will be included in the AAPM program book/flash drive. Only the first three references listed will be printed in Pain Medicine. These references are not included as part of the 250 word limit of the abstract text.
• Commercialism - Presentations must avoid any semblance of commercialism: those constituting promotion and advertising are prohibited. Abstracts that constitute promotion and advertising will not be accepted. If the project has been underwritten to any extent, a clear acknowledgement stating the nature of the support and identifying the source must be included.
• Commercial Support - Authors must disclose all financial relationships they may have with any commercial interests. Posters should conform to the ACCME standards on Commercial Support and FDA Guidelines regarding promotion of FDA regulated products. Commercial interest as defined by the ACCME is: any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients.
  

  --Statements made in abstract and poster presentations are the sole responsibility of the author or presenters. Statements should not be viewed as or considered representative of any formal stance or position taken on any subject, issue, or product of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.

• Publication- All previously unpublished abstracts that are accepted will be published in the Annual Meeting program book/flash drive, the AAPM Website, and Pain Medicine, the official journal of AAPM.
  
  • Abstracts that have been previously published, or have been accepted for publication, are eligible to be presented as posters at the meeting and will be included in the AAPM Program Book/flash drive and on the AAPM Website, however these abstracts will not be published in Pain Medicine.
  • Figures, tables, and photos will not be published in Pain Medicine but will be included in the AAPM program book/flash drive and on the AAPM Website.
  • All noted references will be included in the AAPM program book/flash drive and on the AAPM Website. Only the first three references listed will be printed in Pain Medicine.
  • In order to avoid copyright infringement, authors must warrant that the material being submitted is original and does not violate the copyright of any third party.

• Evaluation - Applications will be evaluated using a blind review process (i.e., the reviewers are unaware of the submitter's identity).
• Acceptance of Terms - Accepted poster authors must sign agreement to the terms and conditions of the AAPM Scientific Poster Session agreement upon acceptance and prior to publication in AAPM Annual Meeting publications and Pain Medicine Journal. If this signed agreement is not received by the specified date, the poster is subject to withdrawal by AAPM.
• Agreement - The submitting author must warrant that:
  
  • The abstract is being submitted with full knowledge and consent of all contributing authors;
  • All information provided regarding funding, conflict of interest, and publication status is complete and accurate:
  • The material being submitted does not violate the copyright of any third party
  • Any animal studies conform to the "Guiding Principles in the Care and Use of Animals" of the American Physiological Society. Human experimentation has been conducted according to a protocol approved by the Institutional Committee on Ethics of Human Investigation (IRB), or if no such committee exists, the study conforms to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association.
• Selection Criteria - Each submission will be reviewed for the following elements: (a) scientific quality, (b) broad appeal to the interests of the membership, and (c) timeliness of the topic. Abstracts will be reviewed in a blinded process by members of the AAPM Scientific Abstract Subcommittee.