2022 Annual Meeting - Call for Joint International Symposia

The ACNS International Relations and Program Committees are pleased to consider proposals for Joint International Symposia for the 2022 Annual Meeting which will be held from January 26-30, 2022 in Orlando, Florida, USA.

The Joint International Symposia program was developed in 2015 to create a formal collaboration between ACNS and its international counterparts on jointly-planned symposia and educational content, in an effort to provide a forum for discussion and interaction at the ACNS Annual Meeting focused on the best clinical neurophysiology research in the world.

Joint International Symposia should be developed by a clinical neurophysiology-related national society, federation or chapter and be submitted directly to the ACNS International Relations Committee for review and feedback.

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SESSION CONTENT & FORMAT

To submit a proposal, please complete the Joint International Symposia Proposal Form, including the following session information:

• Session title
• ABPN core competencies
• Overall session description
• Learning objectives
• Target audience
• An overview of the knowledge gap and educational need the session seeks to address (see “CME Information” section below)
• Identified Educational Need
• Draft agenda, including:
  • Names of proposed moderator(s)
  • Names of proposed speakers
  • Speakers’ presentation titles
  • Time allotted to each presentation

Proposals may be submitted for one of the following session formats:

• Symposium (Scientific)
  • Based on a scientific theme expanding cutting-edge knowledge for a topic culminating in a conclusion or summary;
  • Utilize a lecture style learning format;
  • 90 minutes in length;
  • Should include no more than three (3) speakers;

• Symposium (Clinical)
  • Based on a clinical theme expanding current or new clinical knowledge of a topic relevant to current clinical practice;
  • Utilize a lecture style learning format but may also encourage active audience participation and be directed toward difficult or controversial issues in clinical neurophysiology;
  • 90 minutes in length;
  • Should include no more than three (3) speakers.

• Clinical Workshops
  • Forums for clinical demonstrations that provide a hands-on or slide-based demonstration and review difficult clinical or practical neurophysiologic issues. These sessions are most applicable to clinical practice issues in clinical neurophysiology.
  • May utilize case discussions/vignettes with video and neurophysiologic data and discussion or demonstration of relevant findings or techniques. Audience interaction/participation is encouraged. If case review is incorporated, the session chair is expected to ensure the cases are of high quality and appropriate data for discussion is available.
  • 90 minutes in length;
  • Should include no more than three (3) speakers.

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION (CME) INFORMATION

The ACNS Annual Meeting will be planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Polices of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the sponsorship of ACNS. ACNS is accredited by ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Sessions selected for the Annual Meeting scientific program must address one of the “professional practice gaps” (the differences between what a health professional is doing or accomplishing compared to what is achievable on the basis of current professional knowledge) identified by a combined effort of the ACNS Program, Course and CME Committees.

Several specific topics with significant gaps between current practice and ideal practice have been identified via review of the literature, review of clinical neurophysiology fellowship curricula, and surveys of ACNS members and Annual Meeting attendees. For more information, please see the complete 2021-22 Gap Analysis and Needs Assessment.

Further, the ACNS Content Validity policy requires that recommendations involving clinical medicine in an ACNS CME activity must be based on the highest level of evidence that is accepted within the profession of medicine as adequate justification for their indications and contraindications in the care of patients. All scientific research referred to, reported or used in CME in support or justification of a patient care recommendation must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection and analysis.

Session directors, moderators and speakers will be required to comply with ACNS CME policies related to identification and resolution of potential conflicts of interest, possibly including submission of the following documentation:

• Conflict of Interest Disclosure statements – outlining all financial relationships with ACCME-defined commercial interests
  • Speakers in all Annual Meeting sessions, including Joint International Symposia, may NOT be owners or employees of ACCME-defined commercial interests. Should such a speaker be proposed, the ACNS International Relations, Program or CME Committee will require an alternate speaker be selected and/or make suggestions of alternate speakers.
• Presentation abstracts – defining the scope of the speaker’s presentation; and
• Presentation slides – allowing the CME Committee to review in advance the material the speaker will present during the activity.

Failure to provide disclosure information in a timely manner, refusal to disclose a conflict, or the inability to resolve an identified conflict will result in an individuals’ disqualification from the activity, at the discretion of the ACNS CME Committee.

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SPEAKERS & SPEAKER COMPENSATION

Joint International Symposia should include two (2) speakers from the supporting international society and one (1) ACNS-member speaker.

• Registration - Meeting speakers will receive complimentary Annual Meeting registration, which includes the option to claim CME credit for the duration of the meeting. Speakers must register for the Annual Courses and pay associated registration fees if they wish to attend courses.
• Travel and Housing Expenses - Travel funding in the amount of $2,000 USD total is available to be divided equally among the two international speakers. Funding will be provided in the form of reimbursement of expenses following the meeting. Speakers will be asked to submit an expense voucher and a receipt for each eligible expense.
  • Joint International Symposia Speakers should plan to attend and present their session in-person.

Please submit all Joint International Symposia Proposal Forms
to mbaierl@acns.org no later than Friday, May 7, 2021.