Now Closed: Call for Session Proposals

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) invites you to submit your session proposal for our 2024 Annual Assembly, November 6-10, 2024 in San Diego, CA, and online.

All listed faculty members are required to complete their own financial disclosure before a proposal can be submitted. Financial disclosures cannot be completed after the deadline, so make sure to plan accordingly. The review committee(s) view all disclosures in a blinded fashion in order to ensure we have a fair and balanced program.

Deadline for Proposal Submissions: January 31, 2024 (Closed)

Guidelines for Submitting Proposals

The Program Planning Committee (PPC) seeks proposals that will incorporate a blend of adult learning styles and cross-cutting themes.

Submission Categories

Education is offered in different formats throughout the live in-person and virtual Annual Assembly. We are seeking submissions in the following categories:

• Clinical and Practice Symposia Sessions—these 75-minute symposia should focus on clinical or practice topics. A 75-minute presentation should include a brief question and answer segment. All sessions will be offered live, in-person in San Diego.
• Learning Center Sessions—these demonstration-only sessions provide interactive learning experiences focused on fundamental and emerging skills. These demonstrations should be planned for a free-flowing audience in the PM&R Pavilion. The Program Planning Committee outlines the time allotment based on the overall session plan and the overall educational program.
• Skills Labs—these three-hour hands-on sessions are designed to provide in-depth training on a specific skill or set of skills, including small-group hands-on or immersive training. Each Skills Lab must incorporate at least four hands-on stations with a maximum of eight stations. These sessions will have an additional fee for participants and will occur in-person only.

Submission Criteria

Each complete and submitted submission received by the published due date will be peer-reviewed. In an effort to help guide submitters, the following criteria is provided to indicate the areas that will be seriously considered during the review process:

• A detailed proposal with all required information outlining the topics, speakers and objectives
• Topics that are relevant and/or innovative
• Formats that will stimulate discussion and/or engage the audience both virtually and in-person
• Multidisciplinary or team approaches with a mix of genders, experience level, provider types e.g., Advanced Practice Providers and institutions
• Topics and faculty that are new and not repetitive from previous years or other sessions
• Presentations must have at least three speakers

Each proposal will be peer-reviewed for the following essential components: clinical, practice, scientific or didactic quality; broad appeal to the AAPM&R membership; and timeliness of the topic(s). The Program Planning Committee reserves the right to offer suggested changes and alternative formats for presentations based on the submissions received.

Who Can Submit?

Any member of AAPM&R can submit a session proposal.Session directors must be members.

Who Can Be Faculty?

When submitting a proposal for the 2024 program, it is required that all proposed faculty be AAPM&R members of good standing, with the exception of non-physiatrist content experts who are not eligible to be members. The Program Planning Committee (PPC) will consider whether faculty are members when evaluating sessions and may suggest alternate faculty if a session is approved and has non-member faculty. 

Medical students are not acceptable presenters unless there is a unique circumstance, such as they are reporting on specific research.

Faculty Participation

All faculty are expected to be in-person for the 2024 Annual Assembly in San Diego. Specific sessions will be held virtually and faculty for those sessions will present live in San Diego and be streamed to virtual participants. Sessions that are not streamed to virtual participants will be recorded live in San Diego, and then late made available on the conference website and mobile app.

Reimbursement/Travel Expenses Information

AAPM&R does not waive meeting registration fees, nor reimburse travel and/or housing expenses for AAPM&R members and non-member physiatrists attending or speaking during the Annual Assembly. 

Submission Guidance

To facilitate your submission, you can view the 2019 Program Planning Committee session entitled "Submitting a Strong Proposal for the AAPM&R Annual Assembly."

• This guidance, along with the proposal worksheet will help guide your submission.
• If you are planning a Skills Lab, please use this worksheet. Proposal submission must be completed online.

Themes and Topics for Tagging

The Program Planning Committee developed a system for tagging content that has the flexibility to embrace more cross-cutting sessions and diverse topics that may not fit in the track system. As proposals are submitted for consideration, each session may be tagged with multiple themes and topics. The specific themes and topics are listed below:

Themes

• Advancing PM&R Bold
  • These sessions align with the vision for the specialty and help attendees understand the changing healthcare environment. They spotlight opportunities for PM&R to be positioned early and throughout the care continuum. They discuss new innovative practice and payment models and address how members are overcoming barriers the specialty is facing to achieve the vision and work in innovative new models. Learn more about the vision and the envisioned future across PM&R practice areas.
• Cancer Rehabilitation Medicine
• Central Nervous System
• Clinical Techniques
• EMG/Neuromuscular
• General Medicine
• In-Training/Early-Career
• Leadership and Career Development
• Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine
• New Technologies
• Pain and Spine Medicine
• Pediatrics Rehabilitation
• Population Health
• Practice Management and Evolution
• Spasticity

Secondary Themes

While topics will continue to grow, the Program Planning Committee prepared a list of potential topics that will assist physiatrists in navigating and succeeding in the changing healthcare environment. This list is not exhaustive and potential submitters can submit topics not included.

Proposal Worksheet

To facilitate your submission, you can download this 2024 Clinical AA Session Builder Form to help you compose your answers for clinical and practice symposia submission questions. To assist in devising labs or hands on demonstrations, download the 2024 Hands On Demonstration AA Session Builder Form. The worksheets are to provide submitter(s) with a copy of the Annual Assembly Call for Proposal questions to assist you in preparing prior to entering your data online. All proposals must be submitted online. Hard copy/email proposals are not accepted.

Call for AA Faculty - Interested in Participating as Faculty?

Have you ever wanted to present at the Annual Assembly but haven’t had the opportunity? Do you have expertise on a topic? Are there other presenters that you would recommend? We know that our members have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share with each other – and we’re hoping you’ll help us tap into that expertise. It is our intent to build sessions for in-person, virtual and pre-recorded presentation if we have enough interest in the topic/themes noted in the survey. If you are interested in being considered for a faculty role, please complete this survey.