Call for Late Breaker Abstracts Now Closed

The Scientific Program Committee is accepting late breaker abstracts for the 2018 STD Prevention Conference in the areas of STD prevention research, program, policy, diagnosis and treatment. Abstract submissions will be peer-reviewed for scientific content, logical presentation, timeliness, and current interest of the topic to the scientific community.

DEADLINE FOR ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

Late breaker abstracts must reflect work completed after February 16, 2018 to be considered for presentation.  Work that the Scientific Committee decides could have been completed prior to this date will not be considered. All abstracts must be submitted electronically no later than Friday, June 1, 2018, 11:59 pm, PST. Abstracts sent by mail, fax or email will NOT be accepted.

On this page, you will find further requirements and guidance to help you prepare for, write, and submit an abstract.

REQUIRED ABSTRACT FORMAT

Submitted abstracts must report new information not previously published or presented at a national or international scientific meeting prior to February 16, 2018.  Please note that abstracts previously presented at meetings will not be accepted unless there is a substantial update of data.

Abstracts (300 words in length) should contain the following four components (please bold the four section headings noted below within the text of your abstract submission).

• Background:  a concise statement of the issue under investigation or a hypothesis
• Methods:  the methods used (including the statistical analyses employed)
• Results:  specific findings (promises such as “to be completed” or “to be presented” are not acceptable; no figures or tables)
• Conclusions:  a summary of findings that are supported by your results (statistical analyses used to support the conclusions, where appropriate, should be included; concluding statements such as “the results will be discussed” are not acceptable)

Please do not include grant acknowledgements, literature references, or copyright or trademark symbols.  For your reference, we have provided guidance on “How to Write an Abstract” for tips, advice, and how to avoid common mistakes and errors.

Multiple abstracts reporting results from the same study and overlapping abstracts from the same group of investigators are strongly discouraged.

Abstracts are considered official communications to the conference.  Individuals submitting abstracts that are accepted agree to attend the meeting and present their abstract as scheduled (as an oral abstract, poster, and/or poster discussion presentations, as determined by the Scientific Program Committee).  Once an abstract has been accepted and scheduled, it cannot be withdrawn.

CLINICAL CASE SERIES

Investigators are invited to submit abstracts which describe clinical cases of STDs or STD-associated syndromes. These cases should comprise interesting, unusual, or complex presentations of STD, or should represent key teaching points that highlight emerging aspects of STD-related care.  The cases will be presented to, and discussed by, an expert panel of clinicians who will review salient issues of epidemiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and management options.  Cases should reflect recent patient encounters which highlight the complexities of STD clinical decision-making in current practice.  Abstracts should be submitted according to the abstract guidelines described below.

Information required for submission:

Abstracts (300 words in length) should contain the following three components:  (please bold the three section headings noted below within the text of your abstract submission).

1. Introduction:briefly introduce the case and its clinical relevance
2. Case Description:describe in sequence the history, physical examination, clinical and laboratory investigation, diagnosis and patient course
3. Discussion: review decisions and lessons from the case, and implications for clinical care or public health relevance

GENERAL GUIDELINES

Tracks and Domains:  The Scientific Program for the 2018 STD Prevention Conference is structured so as to reflect a program science approach.  The scientific program is organized into three Tracks and three Domains, which together represent the overarching framework of the conference. More information on the definitions and coverage of Tracks and Domains can be found below.

TRACKS

1. Assessment: This track will include material on assessment of trends in STD-related morbidity and behaviors, and assessment of health services utilization and identification of gaps in services. This track will also include studies of methodology to improve valid assessment strategies for programs and research.  The track committee includes experts on biomedical, behavioral, and structural assessment, surveillance strategies, including population-level surveillance, and health information technology.
2. Assurance:This track will include material that describe efforts to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, quality, or impact of STD prevention and control interventions, with a focus on health care settings. This track will also include studies that describe economic aspects of such interventions. Interventions described may be delivered at the program, health center, or policy level. The track committee includes experts in health economics, impact evaluation, intervention implementation and quality improvement.
3. Program Definition / Prevention Services:This track will include material on: 1) how STD programs define their core components and interact with the larger public health, health care, and community contexts, as well as 2) prevention services that focus on social, behavioral, and network-based interventions. The track committee includes expertise in biomedical, behavioral and structural interventions; disease investigation strategies, health service delivery and program implementation.

DOMAINS

1. Clinical & Laboratory:This domain will cover all STD relevant laboratory and clinical issues including classical diagnosis and screening tests, as well as novel molecular detection assays, and clinical management of STD cases.
2. Evaluation: This domain will cover issues around process, outcome and impact evaluation of STD surveillance, STD prevention interventions, and STD treatment and prevention services.
3. Policy: This domain will cover issues around laws, regulations, and other administrative actions or practices of governments and other institutions, including health clinics, which can impact STD prevention.  Areas of focus can include policy development; assessment or evaluation of policy; and the integration of science, policy and program.