2021 Call for Session Proposals

The 2021 National Conference & Exhibition Planning Group has opened a revised proposal process for the 2021 National Conference taking place October 8-12, 2021.  The 2021 National Conference & Exhibition will be planned as a robust virtual experience with a live component in Philadelphia, as appropriate. As the meeting approaches, the AAP will evaluate the feasibility of convening in-person, with an eye toward the health and safety of our members, staff, and communities.  The below submission information represents a hybrid planning model, with a strong focus on activities that can either be held in-person within social distancing guidelines or virtual. 

New or revised general session proposals and section/council program requests will be accepted through Wednesday, February 17 at 11:59 PM CST.  

General Session Proposals

Proposing a General Session & Session Selection

General sessions are targeted for general pediatricians or pediatric providers and cover any clinical or non-clinical pediatric content areas. The National Conference Planning Group is responsible for reviewing sessions and selecting, inviting, and confirming faculty.  More information on the planning group can be found here.

Please note, invitations to faculty members should not be extended during the proposal process as it is likely that proposed faculty will not be the final selection. 

Session proposals must include the following:

• Title
• Proposal Type
• Author Name and Contact Information
• Session Proposal Primary Topic
• Session Description
• Learning Objectives
• Professional Practice Gap and Data Describing Need
• Physician Competencies
• Teaching Methods
• AAP Sponsorship (Committee, Council, Section or Other)
• Suggested Faculty (Optional)

Revised General Session Types

Session types have been updated to represent planning for a hybrid program that includes a robust virtual component.  Session types that are either not compatible with virtual education or difficult to offer within social distancing guidelines have been removed for 2021 only. In addition, one new session type has been added for on-demand sessions. General sessions that were previously submitted will be considered as long as they are in an active session type. 

If you have previously submitted a proposal under a session type that is no longer being offered, the submission will need to be withdrawn or revised to align with an active session type by February 17, 2021.

General Session Types
	Audience Response Question-Based Didactic Session	Focused Topic Short Format Didactic Session	Seminar Long Format Didactic Session	On-Demand	Interactive Group Forum	Workshop
Duration	60-90 min	30-45 min	60-90 min	Up to 45 min	Not offered in 2021	Not offered in 2021
CME Credit	1-1.5 hours	0.5-0.75 hour	1-1.5 hours	Up to 0.75 hour
Faculty	2	1	2	1

 

Suggesting General Session Faculty

Faculty suggestions are not required for a session proposal.  However, should you consider including faculty in your proposals, they should embody:

• Knowledge: discuss the most recent advances in pediatrics; content that is accurate and substantiated by research; addresses questions effectively during question-and-answer sessions
• Clinical Relevance: provide information that attendees can apply in their practice settings
• Dynamics: provide enthusiastic, engaging presentation; has clear and effective delivery skills
• Leadership: facilitate discussion and interaction as appropriate;
• Organization: produce and effectively utilize handouts and audio-visual materials that are of high quality (orderly, legible, easy to follow); and
• Cooperation: adhere to deadlines and submit handouts and other requested material in a timely manner.

The following should not be considered as faculty: AAP officer/board member; national committee member; section/council program chair; section/council executive committee member*

*Pending approval by the relevant NCEPG member given on a case-by-case basis, section/council executive committee members may be permitted to serve as faculty provided they are proposed as faculty by someone other than themselves and are the expert on the topic. This is part of an effort to ensure the most qualified faculty member is selected and that new faculty are also being considered. Approval from the Committee on CME (COCME) may also be required.

Section/Council Programs & Courses

Section/council programs are highly focused topics of interest to section or council members and/or general pediatric health care providers, which require and assume that the attendee has knowledge and interest in the content area. These programs are planned and implemented by section or council program chairs, in conjunction with the National Conference Planning Group and staff to meet the varied needs of section/council members.  

Given the current uncertainty in logistical planning of the 2021 National Conference, the planning group will be collecting basic information from each section/council wishing to participate this year. In order to understand your program needs in a variety of scenarios, section/council staff must complete a request form by February 17, 2021.  

Please note:

• This form will be in lieu of previously submitted proposals. 
• Program chairs will NOT need to update or submit program requests through the submission site.
• Section or councils that choose to reduce/decline participation in the 2021 National Conference will not be precluded in the future.   
• Section/council staff will be provided a list of previous entries into the proposal system to use as a reference. 
• The request form must be submitted by section/council staff via ncesubmissions@aap.org by February 17, 2021. 
• This form will help the planning group and National Conference staff in determining options for section/council programming for 2021.

Following the National Conference Planning Group meeting in March, further details will be provided on guidelines and next steps.  Until more details are distributed, please hold on inviting faculty, updating agendas, or making specific plans for the 2021 National Conference. 

2021 Proposal Process Timeline

Date	General Session Proposal	Section/Council Programming
Wednesday, February 17, 2021	Session Proposal Deadline	Request form due date
Early March 2021	National Conference Planning Group session selection and review
Monday, March 15, 2021	Plenary Proposal & Keynote Idea site opens
Late March	General Session Proposal Acceptance/Rejection	Section/council request approval, date/time and further instructions  and guidelines distributed; Collect section/council abstract program needs for submission site launch
April-May	Planning group faculty invitations	Section/council agenda development and faculty invitations*
Monday, May 3, 2021	Plenary Proposal & Keynote Idea submission deadline	Abstract submission opens for 2021 National Conference
Monday, May 24, 2021		Section/council Program and Course Final Faculty Confirmations, Descriptions, Agendas and Need Assessments due
Sunday, June 13, 2021	Deadline for abstract submission to 2021 National Conference

 

*Please note, further details will be distributed on developing agendas and inviting faculty for section/council programming at the 2021 National Conference in late March.  Sections and councils should not invite faculty or finalize agendas until this time.

Further details on faculty dates, additional section/council deadlines and more will be available upon approval.