SESSION INFORMATION
Important Dates and Deadlines for SLEEP 2009 Session Proposal Submission:
| October 31, 2008 |
Online site is available for postgraduate course and scientific session submissions |
| December 1, 2008 |
Deadline for postgraduate course and scientific session submissions |
| Late December 2008 |
Acceptance notifications for postgraduate courses are sent via e-mail |
| February 2009 |
Acceptance notifications for scientific sessions are sent via e-mail |
| February 27, 2009 |
Deadline to edit session proposal information |
The Program Committee is soliciting proposals for the following sessions at SLEEP 2009: postgraduate courses, symposia, discussion groups and clinical workshops. Sessions should focus on a wide variety of topics including clinical practice, basic research and other aspects of sleep research and sleep medicine. When possible, sessions should attempt to integrate basic science and clinical issues.
By submitting a session proposal, the Program Committee assumes that each faculty member has been contacted and has agreed to present should the session be accepted, regardless of the date/time scheduled. The information provided within the proposal will be used to highlight accepted sessions in the Preliminary and Final Programs. With this in mind, changes and/or additions (i.e. faculty names, title changes) must be submitted prior to February 27, 2009.
The APSS may request permission to audio or video record presentations taking place at SLEEP 2009. Speakers in an accepted session, therefore, may be asked to sign a waiver granting permission to the APSS to record their presentation.
Audio Visual Information
The standard audiovisual equipment that is provided for each session, excluding discussion groups, is as follows: LCD projector, laser pointer and microphones. Requests for additional audiovisual equipment must be included in the original proposal. Internet connection is not provided in session rooms; requests for internet in session rooms will not be approved. All speakers are required to upload their presentations to the networked server in the Speaker Ready Room. Further information and instructions will be provided in advance of the meeting.
Continuing Education Information
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to sponsor continuing medical education (CME) for physicians. This activity has been planned and implemented through the joint sponsorship of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC. As a CME provider, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine must ensure balance, independence, objectivity and scientific rigor in all of the educational activities it sponsors. Therefore, all individual speakers are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest and provide citations referencing the best available evidence related to his/her presentation to their audience prior to the activity. “Relevant” financial relationships are defined as relationships in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that create a conflict of interest. For more information, please see the Conflict of Interest Policy below.
Sessions and oral presentations presented at SLEEP 2009 will also be eligible for continuing education credits for psychologists. In order to comply with American Psychological Association guidelines, speakers must submit an electronic CV at the time the session proposal is submitted.
Prior to the presentation, each speaker/author must disclose to his/her audience that the individual either has no relevant financial relationship(s) with a commercial interest OR has any relevant financial relations with a commercial interest. During the online submission process, the following information must be submitted for each author in order for a proposal to be considered complete:
- Name of the individual
- Name of the commercial interest with which the individual has a relevant financial relationship and the nature of the relationship
- A maximum of three (3) citations that reference the best available evidence in support of the topic
A relevant financial relationship(s) is defined as relationships in any amount occurring within the past 12 months that create a conflict of interest.
A commercial interest is defined as any proprietary entity that produces healthcare goods, services or support, with the exemption of non-profit, government organizations, and non-healthcare related companies.
The nature of a relationship is defined as financial relationships in which the individual benefits by receiving income, salary, royalty, intellectual property rights, consulting fees, honoraria, intellectual property rights, or other financial benefits. Financial benefits are typically associated with roles such as employment, consulting, investigational or contract research, speaking/teaching, membership or advisory committees or review panels, board membership, and other activities from which compensation is received or expected.
If a speaker/author does not comply with the APSS Conflict of Interest Policy, the speaker will not be permitted to participate in the program. The APSS Program Committee will review the disclosures of financial relationships and citations to ensure compliance with the requirements stated above.
NEW THIS YEAR
Speakers will be required to disclose any conflicts of interest verbally during their sessions. Further information and instructions will be provided in advance of the meeting.
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Postgraduate Courses
Postgraduate courses provide intensive information and review on a single topic through a half-day or full-day session held prior to the scientific program. Postgraduate courses will be held on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7, 2009.
A half-day postgraduate course is allowed a maximum of 4 speakers, including the chair(s); a full-day postgraduate course is allowed a maximum of 8 speakers, including the chair(s). One additional participant may be added if the chair intends only to give a brief introduction. Once accepted the postgraduate course chair is responsible for providing a detailed outline and ensuring that faculty submits all required course materials by the deadline. The deadline for the receipt of materials will be in mid-spring and will be provided in the acceptance letter. There are no exceptions to this deadline. Please plan accordingly as the APSS does not allow or reimburse for the duplication of handouts after the syllabus has been printed; The information submitted in the proposal (title, speaker names, objectives, and target audience) will be used to highlight accepted sessions in the Preliminary and Final Programs.
Breakout sessions or small workshops within a postgraduate course should not be proposed (due to time and room constraints, etc.).
All proposals must adhere to the following scheduled breaks for postgraduate courses:
Half-day postgraduate courses:
BREAK - 10:15am – 10:30am or
BREAK - 3:15pm – 3:30pm
Full-day postgraduate courses:
BREAK - 10:15am – 10:30am
LUNCH - 12:00pm – 1:00pm
BREAK - 3:15pm – 3:30pm
The APSS offers an honorarium for all postgraduate course speakers. Please review the guidelines below regarding the APSS honorarium policy:
- Speakers may receive a $500 honorarium for up to two postgraduate course or invited lecturer presentations that are at least 45 minutes in length for a maximum of $1,000.
- In order to qualify, the speaker must submit course book material consisting of PowerPoint slides by the stated deadline.
- A maximum of four (4) speakers will be awarded an honorarium for half-day postgraduate courses.
- A maximum of eight (8) speakers will be awarded an honorarium for full-day postgraduate courses.
- Course chairs are eligible only if they provide a 45 minute presentation and meet the requirements listed above.
- Both members and non-members are eligible for the honoraria.
Symposia
Symposia sessions are allotted a two-hour time slot to present the latest data and ideas on topics in sleep medicine and sleep research. Symposia will be offered June 8-11, 2009.
The number of speakers in a symposium must be limited to 4, including the chair(s), allowing 30 minutes for each presentation, including questions. A fifth participant may be added if the chair intends only to give a brief introduction. Individual presentations should be integrated on the same topic and followed by a question and answer session. Presentation handouts for all symposia are prohibited.
Symposia session chairs should be aware that individuals are limited to two invited presentations (symposia and one-hour invited lecturers) per meeting in order to encourage a wide variety of speakers and promote diversity within the field. The Program Committee therefore reserves the right to request symposia chairs of accepted sessions to select a different speaker in the event of this conflict. Furthermore, those speakers that have been confirmed for an accepted session must be the individuals who actually deliver the presentations; changes in symposia session speakers must be reviewed by the APSS Program Committee.
Discussion Groups
Discussion groups are forums for a less formal presentation of a topic within a two-hour time slot. The APSS encourages conversations on controversial subjects and pro/con discussions or presentations. These sessions should stimulate interest and discussion with the audience without extensive data presentation or use of audiovisual equipment and without necessarily reaching a conclusion. A question or series of questions should be introduced by the panel to start the session. Discussion groups will be offered June 8-11, 2009.
A discussion group proposal must be presented within the guidelines stated. Proposals that are structured similar to a symposium will be considered as such and evaluated with the symposium proposals. A maximum of 8 participants, including the chair(s), is allowed. Presentation handouts for all discussion groups are prohibited.
Clinical Workshops
Clinical workshops are forums for clinicians to review and discuss clinical challenges in sleep medicine within a two-hour time slot. These sessions are also appropriate to present and discuss controversial clinical topics or difficult clinical situations that demonstrate the critical thinking process in clinical sleep medicine. The topics covered in clinical workshops should have a substantial scientific and clinical basis, although the extent of knowledge in the area may not be as extensive as that presented in standard symposia. Clinical workshops may utilize a variety of formats, such as case discussions, review of polysomnograms with a panel of "master" clinicians or lectures reviewing a clinical topic followed by group discussion. If case discussions are used, the chair is responsible for ensuring that the cases are of high quality, and that appropriate data are available for discussion. Clinical workshops will be offered June 8-11, 2009.
A maximum of 6 participants, including the chair(s), is allowed. Presentation handouts for all clinical workshops are prohibited.
Reimbursement Guidelines for Sessions
(These guidelines do not apply to abstract presenters.)
The APSS Education and Meetings Department coordinates and manages all issues related to speaker reimbursements. The APSS welcomes speakers outside the field of sleep and instituted these guidelines to help offset the expenses associated with presenting at SLEEP 2009. No more than $2,500 will be available to cover a session’s reimbursement expenses, regardless of the number of eligible speakers; no exceptions will be made. The following guidelines for speaker reimbursements should be adhered to when proposing a session.
Note: Non-member speakers that have participated in a session at the SLEEP meeting within the previous 2 years are not eligible for reimbursement of expenses.
Postgraduate Courses
Honoraria for postgraduate courses is not included in the $2,500 that is available to cover a postgraduate course’s reimbursement expenses.
SRS and/or AASM member speakers in a postgraduate course are eligible for one to two nights’ accommodations (depending on the schedule of the course) for a standard room at a hotel, at the contracted rate, that is part of the SLEEP 2009 hotel block and a $40 meal per diem on the day of the presentation. This reimbursement guideline is intended to alleviate the cost of arriving prior to the scientific portion of the SLEEP meeting.
Non-members are eligible to receive reimbursement for registration, lodging, travel and meals. A complimentary registration for SLEEP 2009 will be offered to each non-member speaker. Lodging is reimbursed for one to two nights’ accommodations (depending on the schedule of the course) for a standard room, at the contracted rate, at a hotel that is part of the SLEEP 2009 hotel block. Personal expenses such as phone calls, internet, in-room movies, etc. are the responsibility of the speaker.
Travel to the meeting includes ground transportation to and from the speaker’s home, the airport and the hotel and airline reservations. For ground transportation, the APSS will reimburse taxi and shuttle fares; the use of limousines and sedans is not reimbursable unless price is comparable or less than taxi fare. Airfare is reimbursed provided reservations are purchased 21 days in advance for economy seating on common carriers. If an individual elects to drive to the meeting in a private automobile, rather than fly, he/she will be reimbursed at the current IRS mileage rate within a 300-mile radius. Non-members are eligible for a $40 meal per diem for the day of the presentation.
Symposia, Discussion Groups, and Clinical Workshops
The APSS does not reimburse expenses of AASM and/or SRS member speakers in symposia, discussion groups, or clinical workshops.
Non-members are eligible to receive reimbursement for registration, lodging, travel and meals. A complimentary registration for SLEEP 2009 will be offered to each non-member speaker. Lodging is reimbursed a maximum of two nights’ accommodations for a standard room, at the contracted rate, at a hotel that is part of the SLEEP 2009 hotel block. Personal expenses such as phone calls, internet, in-room movies, laundry, etc. are the responsibility of the speaker. Travel to the meeting includes ground transportation to and from the speaker’s home, the airport and the hotel and airline reservations. For ground transportation, the APSS will reimburse taxi and shuttle fares; the use of limousines and sedans is not reimbursable unless price is comparable or less than taxi fare. Airfare is reimbursed provided reservations are purchased 21 days in advance for economy seating on common carriers. If an individual elects to drive to the meeting in a private automobile, rather than fly, he/she will be reimbursed at the current IRS mileage rate within a 300-mile radius. Non-members are eligible for a $40 meal per diem for the day of the presentation.