2025 Poster Symposium Guidelines

HOUSE OF DELEGATES

2025 Poster Symposium Guidelines

MSSNY Medical Student and Resident/Fellow members are invited to submit abstracts that will be considered for poster presentation.  You MUST BE a MSSNY MEMBER to participate.

Please note that medical student membership requires enrollment in a LCME or COCA accredited school. However, non-LCME/COCA students doing rotations in New York hospitals may participate without membership.

Date: Friday, April 4, 2025
Time: 12:00 Noon – 3:00 pm
Location: Westchester Marriott, 670 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, New York

The Poster Symposium takes place during the MSSNY House of Delegates Meeting[1]

1. SUBMISSION RULES
   1. You must be a MSSNY member in good standing to participate (see non-LCME/COCA student exception above). Co-authors are not required to be MSSNY members.
   2. Non-member first authors must apply for MSSNY membership. Medical student membership is free. First time resident/fellow membership is free. If you are a former MSSNY resident member, you will have to rejoin and pay your current dues. Residents and students may join online at http://mymssny.mssny.org. PLEASE NOTE YOU MUST JOIN MSSNY AND CREATE AN ACCOUNT BEFORE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO PAY YOUR ENTRY FEE. Thanks to a grant we received from the MEDICAL, EDUCATIONAL and SCIENTIFIC FOUNDATION OF NEW YORK we are able to reduce our entry fee to $25.  Please note this fee is non-refundable and must be paid prior to SUBMISSION OF YOUR ABSTRACT.  This fee supports the symposium. Please click this link to submit payment:  https://mymssny.mssny.org/Event.aspx?EventKey=PS2025
   3. Check with your Program Director to determine if they will reimburse this fee.
   4. The DEADLNE for abstract submission is 4 pm on Monday, January 6, 2025.
   5. Abstracts must be scored to be considered for poster presentation. The top 50 resident/fellow and top 20 medical student scores will be invited to present posters in April.
   6. Each applicant may submit only one abstract. You can only be the lead author on one abstract.
   7. Those submitting abstracts for consideration must be the first author of the research.
   8. All submissions must be original works of individuals actively engaged in residency or fellowship training or enrolled in medical school.
   9. Posters previously entered in a MSSNY symposium cannot be resubmitted.
   10. Entries may have been published in abstract form elsewhere but may not be taken from previously published papers. (Authors should also be aware that acceptance at this meeting may preclude an abstract’s candidacy for submission elsewhere. It is the author’s responsibility to check on this.)
   11. Authors of entries accepted for the symposium must be able to attend the meeting and be present to discuss their submissions.
   12. All entrants will be notified via e-mail regarding acceptance or rejection of their abstracts as soon as all abstracts have been scored. MAKE SURE TO PROVIDE A PREFERRED EMAIL ADDRESS THAT YOU LOOK AT!  We will use only one email address per participant.  Also, please provide the best mailing address to use for you.  This should be your home address.
   13. Questions? Email Kathy Rohrer at [email protected] or call 516-488-6100 x 396.
2. ABSTRACT CATEGORIES
   1. Resident/Fellows may submit entries in one of two categories:
      1. Clinical Medicine includes basic science, quality improvement, health policy, clinical research, and medical education. Entries in this category are highly encouraged.
      2. Clinical Vignettes involve the presentation of one or more patient encounters that illuminate unique observations of a known disease or describe a novel disease process; use of a new procedure, treatment, or medication; medical mysteries; patient, family, and physician relationships; ethical issues. These are expected to include clinical patient information such as history, physical exam, and clinical data, as well as an analysis of how such observations might contribute to existing medical or scientific knowledge.
   2. Medical Students may submit abstracts of their scientific research (biochemistry/cell biology, cancer biology, clinical outcomes and healthcare improvement, immunology/infectious disease/inflammation, neurobiology/neuroscience, public health and epidemiology, radiology/imaging, surgery/biomedical engineering); clinical vignettes; or projects based in social sciences and humanities, including alternative methodologies.
3. ABSTRACT CRITERIA – PLEASE FOLLOW THESE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY
   1. Submit abstracts as email attachments in MS WORD, 10-point Arial font, to [email protected]. The DEADLINE is Monday, January 6, 2025, at 4 pm.
   2. The following information must appear at the top of the abstract:
      1. Category (Clinical Medicine or Vignette)
      2. The specialty under which it falls (e.g., Cardiology, Nephrology, Hematology, etc.)
      3. Title
      4. Authors’ names
      5. Institution affiliations
      6. As appropriate:
         1. Medical students: entrant’s medical school and graduation year
         2. Residents/Fellows: PG year, expected date of completion of training, and specialty
         3. For everyone: address and email. MAKE SURE TO PROVIDE A PREFERRED EMAIL ADDRESS THAT YOU LOOK AT! We will use only one email address per participant.
   3. Once an abstract is submitted, it cannot be modified (i.e., an updated version will not be accepted later, even before the submission deadline). Please thoroughly proofread your abstract before submitting it.
   4. Maximum length for research abstract is 250 words. The maximum length for a vignette abstract is 400 words. Title, authors, and institution affiliations are not included in word count. Do not include captions from photos or graphs in abstract text.
   5. The body of the abstract should include, if applicable, background, methods, results and conclusions. Clinical medicine submissions should include clinical relevance.
   6. Define all abbreviations in the abstract that are exclusive to your institution and not commonly used (to the best of your judgment)
   7. Graphs, figures, and photos should not be included in the submitted abstract, but should be incorporated into the poster for presentation at the meeting.
   8. Authors may submit only one entry to the 2025 symposium.
   9. Abstracts are scored on five criteria, each worth 0 to 5 points, for a maximum score of 25 points. The five criteria are:
      1. Importance: innovation, relevance, creativity, new or cutting-edge information, originality of approach/intervention, significance, or interest to the audience.
      2. A) Methodology: appropriateness of conceptual basis and design for the identified purpose of the study, appropriateness of data collection techniques, development stage (level of data collection completeness);
         OR B) Lessons Learned: appropriateness of conceptual basis and design for the activity, extent to which the lessons learned merit the conclusions.
      3. Clarity: development and communication of ideas and findings.
      4. Conclusion consistent with data and/or observations. Potential pitfalls of methodology or interpretation addressed. Potential significance of experiments placed in proper perspective.
      5. Abstract is in required form and organized, well written, concise, and readable.
   10. MSSNY RFS members may review abstracts submitted by medical students. Reviewing students’ abstracts do not disqualify residents/fellows from submitting their own abstracts.
   11. Authors will be contacted via e-mail regarding acceptance or denial as soon as the abstract committee has made its selections.
4. POSTER PRESENTATION
   1. Poster display boards will be provided.
   2. Posters must fit within a board area that is approximately 6 feet wide by 5 feet high. (Posters can be smaller, but not larger.) A poster size that works well is 4 feet (48 inches) wide by 3 feet (36 inches) high.
   3. Push pins will be provided.
   4. Posters should include title, authors, institution affiliations, and a detailed description of methods and results. Graphs, tables, and photos are welcome on posters.
   5. Poster text should be in 16-point font or larger.
   6. No word count is assigned to poster text, but please limit narrative.
   7. Posters will be displayed on boards in a gallery area, where entrants must be present to discuss their submissions.
   8. Judges will visit and examine each presentation between 12:00 noon and approximately 3:00 pm. Authors must be available for questions during this time.
   9. Between approximately 3:00 and 3:30 pm, participants are invited to circulate and visit each other’s posters. You may also do so if you arrive early.
   10. All participation costs are the responsibility of the entrants. If you leave your poster behind, MSSNY cannot guarantee its return.
5. JUDGING AND AWARDS
   1. Bring an 8 ½” x 11” copy of your poster and hand it in at the registration table – this will be a great aid to the judges as they conduct their final deliberations. PLEASE WRITE YOUR LAST NAME IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THIS COPY.
   2. A panel of poster competition judges will be selected by MSSNY prior to the meeting.
      1. Each judge will assess approximately eight to ten posters.
      2. Each contestant will be visited by at least one, but probably two or more judges.
      3. Judges will be wearing a ribbon on their nametag marked “JUDGE.”
      4. Judges will be assigned posters as they arrive at the symposium. They do not all come at once, so the actual start time for each individual’s judging will vary. We respectfully request your patience.
      5. Final judging will be done after the symposium. We regret that due to the exigencies of the meeting of which the symposium is a part, we cannot guarantee final results until later in the day or evening. Final results will be emailed to all participants as soon as possible.
   3. Authors must be available for questions during the judging and are encouraged to prepare a 5–10-minute oral overview of their posters for the judges as they walk around.
   4. Posters will be judged within their category and will be given a final grade, as follows:CRITERIA:  5 criteria, each worth up to 5 points. Highest score = 25
      1. ORIGINALITY: How original is the concept presented in the poster? OR, how original is the new approach to an old problem?2. SIGNIFICANCE: How significant are the poster’s conclusions in increasing understanding of a disease process, or in improving the diagnosis or treatment of a disease state, or in disease prevention or health promotion?3. PRESENTATION: How logical are the ideas presented in the poster? How interesting is the manner of presentation? Was there appropriate use of visual aids and graphics?4. METHODS: How suitable is the research design for the stated objectives, and how appropriate are any statistical techniques applied? For case vignettes, are sound scientific principles used in analysis/interpretation/discussion?5. INTERVIEW: How knowledgeable and conversant is the presenting author with the research presented in the poster?
6. Residents/Fellows: There will be up to three awards for each category: First Place, Second Place and Honorable Mention. Vignettes may have, in addition, a Third-Place category.
7. Students: There will be up to three awards in the student category: First Place, Second Place and Honorable Mention. The judges reserve the right, depending on submissions, to divide student posters into vignettes and clinical research, and award prizes accordingly.
8. Winners will receive an award certificate. We hope to be able to give First and Second Place winners a monetary award. All poster contestants will receive a certificate of participation.

Good Luck and we look forward to receiving your submission!

[1] The House of Delegates is an annual meeting during which MSSNY officers, councilors, trustees and designated delegates from county medical societies and recognized specialty societies formulate MSSNY policy and elect officers. Accepted symposium participants who wish to are invited to attend all meeting activities. A Daily Guide will be posted on the MSSNY website www.mssny.org as the meeting approaches.