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Pharmacy Education 2020 Call for Special Sessions

AACP Article

The next Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) will be held in July, 2020, in Long Beach, California. The Annual Meeting provides opportunities for Academy members to present and network during plenary sessions, special, mini, and micro-sessions, topical roundtables, poster presentations and in the exhibit hall. AACP Members are invited to submit proposals for Special Sessions (60-minutes, maximum 5 speakers) on topics broadly applicable to contemporary pharmacy education. Proposals including perspectives from more than one institution are encouraged for 60-minute special session submissions. Innovations developed at one school are appropriate for a 30-minute mini-session, micro-session, or roundtable discussion.

Only AACP members are eligible to submit a Special Session proposal for the 2020 AACP Annual Meeting. Please submit a proposal through the programming online submission portal by 11:59 p.m. (PST) on Thursday, October 31, 2019. All special session submissions must include a set maximum of three learning objectives; programs seeking continuing education credit must also include an active learning component to be considered.

Reminders:

  • All program submitters must be AACP members. Information on joining or renewing your membership can be found on the AACP website. 
  • AACP does not assume responsibility for costs associated with bringing speakers to the meeting and all speakers must be registered attendees at the 2020 Annual Meeting. No financial compensation is provided to mini, special and micro-session speakers for their participation in the annual meeting.
  • Standard audiovisual equipment (LCD projector, screen, podium with microphone and one wireless handheld) will be provided at no charge; laptops are not included in presentations – please bring your laptop.
  • Special requests for other audiovisual equipment will be reviewed for feasibility and cost.
  • Sessions must avoid highlighting commercial products. Programming that includes reference to commercially available products or services must include fair balance for other resources in the same category.
  • Proposals should be complete and as descriptive as possible in order to be fairly reviewed. Please review the criteria for your program submission type. 

Instructions:

  • An Annual Meeting Program Submission guidance document has been developed by the AACP Programming Task Force to assist submitters with creating successful AACP meeting proposal submissions. Please refer to the guidance document as you begin to prepare your proposal.
  • Programming criteria and submission information are available on the Pharmacy Education 2020 submission information page.
  • In an effort to make the submission process more user friendly, the username and password for the programming submission site is the same as your AACP username and password. 
  • If you have forgotten your password, please contact LaToya Casteel, Member Services Coordinator at lcasteel@aacp.org or 703.739.2330 ext. 1004.
  • If your speaker is not a member of AACP, a profile must be created for them on the programming submission site. You will receive notification from the site if your speaker is not a member and given the opportunity to create a profile for them.
  • It is essential for you to complete all fields on the submission application. All session speakers (and moderators, if applicable) must be identified in your proposal.
  • You will be able to make changes to your proposal online, via the programming submission system until the site closes at 11:59 p.m. (PST) on Thursday, October 31, 2019.
  • Finally, to ensure your submission has been received, please remember to select the Accept and Continue button on each Web page or your submission will not go through. An email to confirm your submission will be sent to you immediately. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please check your spam folder.
  • Please scroll down for complete instructions on how to create a Special Session proposal.

The deadline for all programming submissions is Thursday, October 31, 2019, 11:59 p.m. (PST).

Special Session Selection Process:

AACP strives to include as many members’ special session proposals as possible. Unfortunately, as a result of limited programming times, not everyone’s proposals can be accepted. Members interested in submitting special session proposals are encouraged to select no more than 3 (total) Section(s) or SIG(s) on the submission site to indicate which group(s) may be particularly interested in “adopting” the session as their own.    

Proposals will be reviewed by a selection panel against criteria that include the relevance of the topic to attendees, unique nature of the content and other factors. Not all proposals will be accepted. Acceptance notifications will be sent in late January.

Proposals that are not accepted but are of merit will be sent to the Sections and SIG leaders for review. If your special session proposal fits their programming plan, the Section or SIG program chair will work with you to integrate it as their Section or SIG program. This will assure your program a time slot at the Annual Meeting. If a Section or SIG selects your special session, you will receive acceptance notification by mid-February.

For questions or further information, please contact Dorothy Novilus at dnovilus@aacp.org.

How to Create a Special Session

Please go to the program submission site to enter a special session (a 60-minute presentation). The username and password for the programming submission site is the same as your AACP username and password. You will have access to the “Submitter Menu” page to input sessions. The deadline for submitting your programs is Thursday, October 31 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

Instructions:

To add or edit a special session program for the AACP Annual Meeting, click submission site to get started.

Adding a program

  • Select Submit or Edit a Proposal under the Submitter Menu
  • Click on Submit a Special Session to add a program
  • Complete the following fields on the first screen:
  1. Session Title (Word limit: 15. Do not type in all capital letters. Use initial caps only)
  2. Program Description (Word limit: 75. Proof-read your entry, this is how it will display in the program)  
  3. Program Design: Describe the basic outline of your proposed session (Ex: 45-minute presentation, 10-minute active learning exercise, 5-minute Q&A)
  4. Number of people anticipated: (Please enter an estimate of the number of people anticipated. Note that your estimate will be used as a starting point. Adjustments may be made to the estimated number of attendees based on the topic and membership interest.)
  5. Program Purpose: Session presents an innovative topic or fulfills an unmet need? (CPD activities must be applicable, evidence-based, enhance participants competence and skills which reflect the 2013 CAPE Educational Outcomes and be the result of a needs analysis)
  6. Speaker Experience and Discipline: (word limit: 250) Describe your speakers' experience & knowledge in the topic area and indicate the discipline(s) for all speakers
  7. Learning Objectives: The objectives are used in the evaluation process by the Program Committee and you must have a maximum of 3. 
  8. Active Learning Exercise (required if requesting CPD; examples are case studies and discussions)
  9. Program Session category: Select the category which most closely reflects your submission
  10. CE Credit Request
  11. Room set-up (List your preferred room layout. You may choose from one of the following layouts: Crescent Rounds, Theater Style, Rounds, Hollow Square, or Classroom. AACP will attempt, but does not guarantee, to fill all requests.)
  12. Comments/Special Requests
  13. Preferred Programming Day (Cannot be guaranteed. Please rank your date preferences. Programming Dates are: Sunday, July 19, Monday, July 20, Tuesday, July 21, and Wednesday, July 22.)
  14. Assessment: Describe the assessment tools that will be utilized for this session (CPD activities must include assessments which indicate clear achievement of the learning objectives)
  15. Session Level: AACP encourages a mix of introductory and advanced sessions
    1. Advanced: content appropriate beyond basic concept appropriate for an experienced faculty member
    2. Introductory: content appropriate for new faculty/staff or a faculty member with new responsibilities
  16. Session Type: required for those seeking CE credits
    1. Knowledge-based: Knowledge-based CPD programs focus upon the transfer of evidence-based information to attendees
    2. Application-based: Application-based CPD programs involve activities involving attendee participation in discussion groups in which evidence-based information is presented and applied to real situations, such as case studies
  17. Intended Audience: If possible, select up to 3 Sections and/or SIGs whose members would benefit from attending your session
  18. Has this program content been presented at a previous AACP annual meeting?
  19. (If answer to the previous question is YES, what Annual Meeting Year was it presented?)
  20. If your programming is leadership related, and it is not selected to be presented at the Annual Meeting, would you be willing to be considered for the 2021 INterim Meeting
  • To advance to the next screen you must select the Accept and Continue button on each Web page
  • The second screen will ask for participant speakers
  1. Type in the last name of the session speakers and click on Search by Last Name
    • If they are AACP members, their name and contact information will appear under the "Current Session Participants"
    • If they are not a member of AACP, complete step 1 and then click on Add Unlisted Participant (on the bottom left on the screen in green) to enter their name and contact information
    • If you are a speaker or moderator, in addition to the session organizer, you must add yourself 
  2. Select the speaker from the “Current Session Participants” by clicking on their role in the program. Most will serve as a speaker or moderator
  • To advance to the next screen you must select Accept and Continue
  • The third screen is a summary of your session
  • Finally, to ensure your program has been submitted, please remember to select the Accept and Continue button on each Web page, including the summary page or your submission will not go through. An email to confirm your submission will be sent to you immediately.