Call for Member-Initiated Symposia
Application Deadline: 17 October 2018 at 23:59 EDT
Members Only
In order to provide more opportunity for the ISMRM membership to help shape the Annual Meeting, the Annual Meeting Program Committee (AMPC) invites proposals for up to 24 Member-Initiated Symposia (MIS) for presentation at the ISMRM Annual Meeting 11-16 May 2019 in Montreal, Canada. Submissions must contain new, previously unpublished material. All proposals must be submitted electronically via the ISMRM Website.
All proposals will be thoroughly reviewed by the AMPC. Selection will be competitive, based on the criteria listed below. In general, MIS will address focused research topics, but the AMPC will also consider non-research topics of particular interest to the ISMRM membership. ISMRM Study Groups are strongly encouraged to submit a Symposium proposal, which are the primary mechanism by which Study Groups can contribute scientific content at the Annual Meeting. Selected MIS will be scheduled into a two-hour meeting slot during parallel weekday sessions.
Selection Criteria
The AMPC will score and rank submitted proposals based on the following criteria:
- Scientific quality, timeliness and level of interest from the ISMRM membership.
- “Goodness of Fit” within the overall annual meeting program. The most competitive proposals will complement the plenary, scientific and educational content, as well as the final portfolio of Symposia. You can view 2019 plenaries, named lectures, and educational sessions in the preliminary Program-at-a-Glance.
- Engagement of under-represented groups. This criterion is defined broadly: gender, ethnicity and region, as well as other dimensions (career stage, M.D. vs Ph.D., alternate career pathways, etc). Diversity encompasses both speakers and target audience, and is considered from the perspective of the broader annual meeting program.
Final selection of Symposia will be made when the AMPC convenes in January.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a particular format for Member-Initiated Symposia?
Symposia will be held in a standard lecture hall. Most Symposia will consist of 3-5 invited talks, followed by questions/discussion. Organizers can propose alternate formats but should bear in mind that some alternate formats (e.g. debates, panels, contests) can pose unusual challenges for participants. There will be no support in these meeting rooms for additional requests (i.e. microphones, special AV setups, etc.). We strongly recommend including sufficient time for discussion in the program.
Can Symposia have an educational component?
The focus of Symposia should be on cutting edge research rather than having a strong educational aim. However, didactic or review talks can help to set the stage for subsequent presentations. Note that Symposia will not provide CME credit.
My Symposium idea isn’t strictly scientific. Is that allowed?
While we are mostly envisioning Symposia focusing on novel research, our primary aim is to better serve the membership. Provided your session contributes content that will be useful to ISMRM members and otherwise fits with our Selection Criteria, we would be delighted to consider it.
Can I speak in a session that I organize?
Organizers/moderators MAY NOT present in a Symposium that they organize/moderate, although other individuals from an organizer/moderator’s institution may present. In general, there should not be multiple speakers from the same institution. Typically organizers will moderate their own sessions.
Should I ask speakers if they are willing to participate before my Symposium is submitted?
Yes, all speakers and moderators are required to confirm participation before submission of the proposed Symposium.
Are speakers required to submit a syllabus or disclosure?
A syllabus and disclosure are not required for these sessions. We do ask that the presenters include a disclosure slide at the beginning of their presentation, only to inform the attendees of any potential conflicts.
When during the meeting will the Symposia occur?
Symposia will occur during weekday parallel sessions at the annual meeting. Specific session dates/times cannot be guaranteed, meaning that organizers/moderators and presenters must commit to availability for this entire period.
Is there any reimbursement for speakers and organizers for programs?
Symposia program organizers, moderators and speakers will not receive any reimbursement. When inviting speakers and moderators, organizers should clarify that they must pay for their own meeting registration, travel and lodging.
Can I submit or participate in more than one proposal for a Symposium?
Any individual can only be involved in organizing one symposium. If speakers are giving other invited presentations (named lectures, plenary talks, educational courses), they should be presenting on unique topics for their Symposium presentation, and should not overlap with their other content. In general, including the same speaker on multiple proposals will reduce the likelihood of both being selected.
Can a Study Group submit more than one Symposium proposal?
A Study Group can only submit one proposal. If members of a Study Group are interested in submitting a Symposium proposal on a different topic from that chosen by the Study Group leadership, they are encourage to submit their proposals as separate Symposia (which will not be associated with their Study Group).
Who will review proposals, and when will this take place?
Members of the AMPC will review proposals, and final selection will occur during the program construction in January 2019. Decisions on acceptance will be sent at approximately the same time as acceptances for proffered abstracts at the annual meeting.
Can student members be involved in Symposia?
We strongly encourage students and early-career researchers to participate as organizers or speakers. In the interest of helping junior members to submit competitive proposals, we recommend that less experienced organizers either include a more experienced co-organizer, or seek mentorship (for example, from members of the AMPC).
Can AMPC members participate?
The goal of Member-Initiated Symposia is to provide a mechanism for the broader membership to contribute content at the annual meeting. AMPC members are not disallowed from Symposia, but their participation would make the proposal less competitive, and they would not then be allowed to contribute to the selection process. Due to their experience, we do encourage organizers to consult informally with AMPC members for feedback on their proposals.
Further questions?
Please contact John Port, Program Chair for the 2019 ISMRM Annual Meeting, at program_chair@ismrm.org.
Member-Initiated Symposia Submission Form