Poster Guidelines
Important Deadlines
Upon Acceptance
- Opt-in to the poster competitions when you receive your acceptance notification.
March 1, 2025
- Presenters must be registered for the conference. Visit the registration page for more information. (Early bird rates end 1/16/25)
March 28, 2025
- All poster materials must be uploaded.
- One PDF of your poster
- One MP3 audio file (maximum 5 minutes of audio)
- Optional one-page handout
Poster Session
In the afternoon on Thursday, April 10, there will be a 60-minute poster session, also known as the Sip-n-Stroll, where attendees can view posters and engage with presenters while enjoying light refreshments.
Poster presenters must be registered for the conference to have their posters displayed at the conference. While it is not mandatory if you attend, we encourage you to bring your printed poster.
The total size of your poster may not exceed 48" by
36". It can be either horizontal or vertical.
Virtual Poster Hall
One poster, one presenter. All posters must be uploaded to the virtual platform, allowing attendees to view them at their convenience. Those wishing to present onsite must be
registered for the conference.
Design Tips & Competition Information
Design Guidelines
A poster is intended to provide a visually compelling and understandable presentation of your results.
- Your poster should be self-explanatory, and the viewer should be able to follow the progression easily.
- Try to keep it as simple as possible.
- Captions and labels should be brief and easily understood.
- The simple use of color can add emphasis effectively.
- Use a type for the body copy that is at least 1/4″ high.
- Use Bold Type for heads and subheads that is at least 3/4″ high.
- Include text and figure legends but keep them short.
- Charts, drawings and illustrations should be similar to those you would use in making slides (large enough to read).
- Include a QR code.
- The presentation title, the author(s) and institution affiliation(s) should be placed at the top of the poster.
Try a new design format by first reviewing this video.
Poster Awards
Categories
- Faculty Poster (expected to present)
- Student/Resident/Fellow Poster (expected to present)
- President’s Poster Award open to all
Eligibility
- To be considered for any of the research poster awards, presenters must have opted in when they signed the presenter agreement.
- Three-four posters will be chosen as finalists and presenters will be notified.
- Final judging will occur when a panel of judges listen to the finalist’s presentation. Only one person should present.
- Ranking of the winners and their presentations will be highlighted throughout the conference.
Best Research Poster Awards
Accepted poster abstracts are eligible to compete against peers for top placement and recognition in the osteopathic medical education community. Three to five top research posters will be selected by the committee based on the content of the poster and audio recording. View Award Recipients from previous years.
Categories
- Faculty Poster (expected to present)
- Student/Resident/Fellow Poster (expected to present)
Prizes
- 1st Place – $1,000
- 2nd Place – $500
- 3rd Place – $250
AACOM President's Award
The AACOM President’s Osteopathic Tenets Research Poster Award recognizes the efforts made by members of the osteopathic medical education community to undertake osteopathic research and is awarded annually, at the Educating Leaders conference.
AACOM president and CEO, Dr. Robert A. Cain, will select the awardee and present the award during Educating Leaders.
Benefits
- Recognition by colleagues
- Prestige within the osteopathic medical education community
- The selected poster will receive a cash award. The award to the winning poster is:
- $1,000 if the winning poster is selected from categories 1-3
- $2,000 if the winning poster is selected from category 4
- Shared along with other research awards across AACOM social media channels
Eligibility
- Content must clearly promote one or more of the four tenets of osteopathic medicine. This may be accomplished through a model curriculum intended to promote the tenets:
- in the classroom
- at the bedside
- integrated into patient care.
- Recorded presentations should state the tenet category connection in the introduction.
The posters will be judged based upon the following criteria:
Category 1
Based upon Tenet 1, content promotes a whole person approach to patient care, recognizing the contributing roles of the mind, body and spirit
to overall health and wellness. Posters addressing the role of spirituality in medicine will receive added consideration.
Examples
- The impact of social determinants of health upon the management of a chronic disease
- The impact of spirituality upon recovery from a serious illness
- The impact of a whole person approach to patient care upon outcomes
Category 2
Based upon Tenet 2, content recognizes the important contribution of musculoskeletal health to overall health. Posters promoting the use of osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) as an important part of overall
patient care will receive added consideration.
Examples
- The contribution of OMM to management of a chronic disease (such as COPD)
- The effect of exercise upon prevention or treatment of malignancy
- The impact of OMM upon patient care outcomes
Category 3
Based upon Tenet 3, content focuses on the body’s innate abilities to heal, regulate and maintain when provided with the right conditions. Posters investigating our ability to affect the function of our immune
system will receive added consideration
Examples
- The identification of mechanisms to enhance our natural responses to infection
- The identification of mechanisms to promote intrinsic anti-tumor activity
- The identification of mechanisms to promote wound healing
- The impact of promoting self-healing, self-regulation, self-maintenance upon patient care outcomes
Category 4
Based upon Tenet 4, content integrates all three tenets as described above. Posters in this category, reflecting the complexity of health and wellness, will be given highest consideration.