Submissions must be received by 5:00 PM Washington DC time on September 23, 2009.

• Neurological Disease
• Healthcare Economics
• Stem Cell Medicine
• Translational Medicine
• Personalized Medicine

Please note that in 2010 there will be many types of educational sessions. Please review the session description carefully before submitting your proposal. The AMOC will consider all proposals and make suggestions and modifications as appropriate to balance the full educational program at the Annual Meeting.

The AMOC is soliciting proposals for session in the following areas:

All proposals must be submitted electronically. Please read the Session Types below and after you have finished, click on the proposal submission link to begin. Please double check your submission to ensure all necessary information is provided. Proposals missing required information will certainly result in delay and may lead to rejection. Our electronic submission system will not allow storage of partial submissions. Incomplete electronic submissions will be lost and the applicant will have to start the submission process from the beginning.

When you submit your proposal, pay careful attention to NEEDS ASSESSMENT and LEARNING OBJECTIVES.  These characteristics define the session and are used by the AMOC to evaluate proposals.  A poorly written submission, either not relative to Needs Assessment or improperly written Learning Objectives, will either be returned for revision or may be rejected.  Please consult the FAQ section of this Call for Proposals for more information on how to write a proper Learning Objective.

If your session proposal includes additional speakers, it is required that you have contacted these individuals prior to the submission of your proposal and that they have agreed to participate as proposed if the session is accepted by AMOC. Failure to meet this requirement will result in rejection of your submission.

If you indicate that your session proposal has been developed in cooperation with an AACC division or other organization, the following information is mandatory. The session proposal must include the division/organization name, name and contact information of the division or organization officer(s) who were involved and a brief description of how the division or organization assisted in the development of the session proposal. 

Session Types

• SYMPOSIA
• SHORT COURSES
• INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS (IW)
• BROWN BAG SESSIONS
• AACC UNIVERSITY
  Short courses or IW proposals selected by the AMOC for Sunday-only presentation. The AMOC will decide which courses should be presented for AACC University; it not a time slot for which you can apply. 

Session Descriptions and Requirements

The AMOC will balance the Annual Meeting program with respect to topics and speakers. The AMOC reserves the right to suggest proposals, that speakers be modified or that proposed sessions be delivered in a format other than the one submitted.

SYMPOSIA (Monday-Thursday)

• Full Day (4 hours total time - 1.5 hours in AM; 2.5 hours in PM)
  • Faculty:Typically 5 per full day session, 2 in AM session, 3 in PM session but other formats will be considered.
• Thurs.: AM session only (2.5 hours), Faculty - Typically 3
  • Faculty: There is no honoraria associated with these sessions. Faculty will receive travel, up to 2 days per diem ( rate yet to be determined) and a complimentary basic conference registration.

SYMPOSIA are educational sessions grouped by topic and presented by experts actively involved in the field. There can be variety of formats including traditional didactic lecture. However discussion and debate between presenters is encouraged. The educational mode is traditional didactic lecture. SYMPOSIA are therefore the best choice for proposals with broad appeal designed to give an overview of a subject, for example, state of the art of cardiac marker testing, pharmacogenomics practice guidelines, or molecular oncology testing. SYMPOSIA may be considered for basic, intermediate and advance audiences but these levels should not be mixed within the session. In other words, if the intent is to provide an introduction along with practical examples for a given subject, then that theme should be consistently maintained by all speakers. More intensive, expert-level material may be more appropriate for a SHORT COURSE or INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP.

SYMPOSIA are presented in rooms that can accommodate many hundreds of attendees. Rooms will be arranged theater style. Question and answer sessions are generally short and saved for the end of the lecture. Speakers are therefore encouraged to provide their contact information to the audience as not all audience members may have an opportunity to ask a question.

Speakers must provide their presentations electronically (CD; website; FTP) at least six days before the AACC Annual Meeting begins. This allows AACC to organize all presentations in advance. Additional information will be provided in acceptance letters.

Handouts are highly discouraged. AACC will not duplicate or distribute handouts for SYMPOSIA. (Speakers have the option of posting their presentations on their own websites after the Annual Meeting.)

Full day symposia will be presented in morning and afternoon sessions, with up to 5 speakers for the entire symposium. Morning symposia have two speakers; afternoon symposia have three speakers.

SHORT COURSES

• Sun. (AACC University); Mon. - Wed.
• Full Day (4 hours total time - 1.5 hours in AM; 2.5hours in PM), AM only (1.5 hours), PM only (2.5 hours)
  • Faculty: Maximum of 5 per full day session, 2 in AM session, 3 in PM session 
    No more than three will receive travel reimbursement and per diem. Basic conference registration is not waived.

SHORT COURSES are similar to SYMPOSIA in that the teaching mode is didactic lecture. SHORT COURSES differ from SYMPOSIA, however, in several important ways:

1. SHORT COURSES are more intensive treatments of a particular subject. For example, while a SYMPOSIUM might cover the topic of new cardiac markers a SHORT COURSE could be limited to a comparison of BNP vs. N-terminal pro-BNP.
2. SHORT COURSES are presented to a smaller, more targeted audience (50-100).
3. Handouts are expected and essential. AACC will duplicate and distribute handouts at the course. Details will be provided in acceptance letters. (Speakers also have the option of posting their presentations on their own websites after the Annual Meeting.)

Speakers must provide their presentations electronically (CD; website; FTP) at least six days before the AACC Annual Meeting begins. This allows AACC to organize all presentations in advance. Additional information will be provided in acceptance letters.

INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS (IW)

• Sun. ( AACC University); Mon. - Wed.
• Full Day (4 hours total time - 1.5 hours in AM; 2.5 hours in PM), AM only (1.5 hours), PM only (2.5 hours)
• (4 hours total time - 1.5 hours in AM; 2.5 hours in PM)
  • Faculty: Maxiumum of 5 per full day session, 2 in AM session, 3 in PM session 
    No more than two will receive travel reimbursement and per diem. Basic conference registration is waived. 

Frequent exchange of information between speakers and audience is the teaching mode. Intensive treatment of a subject is presented in a context of dialog and discussion. Think "talk show" not lecture. Material covered or introduced for the IW may be basic, intermediate or advanced.

Speakers should incorporate strategies in their IW to promote participants' active involvement for their learning: problems (problem-based learning), case studies, examples, group discussion, debate, learning exercises, and Q & A. The speakers are expected to be not only teachers but also facilitators of active discussion.  

Handouts are expected and essential. AACC will duplicate and distribute handouts at the IW. Details will be provided in acceptance letters. (Speakers also have the option of posting their presentations on their own websites after the Annual Meeting.)

Speakers must provide their presentations electronically (CD; website; FTP) at least six days before the AACC Annual Meeting begins. This allows AACC to organize all presentations in advance. Additional information will be provided in acceptance letters.

BROWN BAG SESSIONS

• Monday-Wednesday; scheduled each morning prior to PLENARY session and each afternoon around Noon
  • Faculty: Only one speaker per session. There is no travel reimbursement, per diem or honoraria associated with this session type. A meal voucher will be given for each member of the faculty.

BROWN BAG SESSIONS are small discussion groups meant to provide an opportunity for intimate and active exchange between a noted expert in the field and up to ten registrants. Speakers are encouraged to draw participants into the discussion and stop often for Q&A, dialog, learning exercises and debate. AACC does not provide for copying services for BROWN BAG SESSION handouts, which are optional but encouraged.

Note that most of these sessions are presented twice on the same day.

AACC UNIVERSITY

(Proposals for SHORT COURSES or INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS selected by the AMOC for Sunday-Only)

AACC UNIVERSITY is an opportunity to attend pre-meeting INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS or SHORT COURSES without paying the general registration fee. There will be a registration fee, however, for each session. See INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP and SHORT COURSE descriptions for more information regarding proposals. The AMOC reserves to right to choose which courses will be placed within AACC University. 

AACC UNIVERSITY Reimbursement/Honoraria Schedule
Please see the appropriate reimbursement/honoraria schedule for either SHORT COURSES or INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS.

GENERAL:

• Basic: Content should be appropriate for participants whose previous training or experience in the subject is minimal.
• Intermediate: Content should be appropriate for participants with general knowledge and training in theory and application of the subject.
• Advanced: Content should be appropriate for participants with extensive knowledge of current theory and practice who wish to refine and enhance their skills or to learn the newest principles and techniques.

Submissions must be received by 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on September 23, 2009.