Rules and Regulations

Please ensure you read through the rules and regulations completely before submitting your abstract.

General Information & Participation Requirements
Abstract Submission Details - revised terms
Abstract Submission Format
Abstract Scoring Criteria
Abstract Research Categories - revised terms
Feature Platform Presentation - Guidelines
Poster Presentation - Guidelines - revised terms
The Lucille & Norton Wolf LHRD Trainee Publication Awards – revised terms
Contact Information
Submit Your Abstract

General Information & Participant Requirements

London Health Research Day 2017 will be held on Tuesday, March 28, 2017.

Abstract submissions for London Health Research Day are open to:

Lawson trainees in the following capacities: graduate, postdoctoral scholars, residents and clinical fellows.*
Schulich Medicine & Dentistry students and/or trainees in the following capacities: graduate, residents, postdoctoral scholars, clinical fellows.*
Faculty of Health Sciences students: 20 students selected by the Dean’s Office (poster selection only). These students should not use the LHRD online submission form to enter their abstract. Please follow the directions as given by the Faculty of Health Sciences.

*Clinical fellows are eligible to submit research that is hypothesis-driven only. Chart reviews are not eligible for submission.

NOTE: Research Assistants/Associates are eligible to display a research poster for presentation purposes only. Please indicate your role as Research Assistant or Associate.

Abstract Submission Details

The deadline for abstract submissions is Monday, January 30, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The submitted abstract must represent the student/trainee’s research.

Research must be conducted predominantly at Lawson or Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
Students who represent the Faculty of Health Sciences will be pre-selected by the Dean’s Office by January 30, 2017.
Students/trainees may be the first author on only one abstract.
Presentations must reflect the submitted abstract.
Please follow the requested abstract format outlined below.

The event site can accommodate up to 400 poster presentations for the day. If more than 400 poster abstracts are submitted, the abstracts will be subject to a post-submission review by the program committee to reduce the total number of poster presentations to the maximum of 400. The program committee therefore reserves the right to approach individuals regarding the inclusion of their abstract in the overall program for the day.

The LHRD Academic Committee will adjudicate the abstracts submitted, and will select the top 40 abstracts for oral presentation (feature platform presentations). Trainees must indicate a desire to participate in the oral presentations by selecting “both” or “oral” with their abstract submission.

The LHRD Academic Committee consists of members from Lawson and Schulich (students, postdocs and faculty members). The LHRD Academic Committee will conduct a full and robust review of the abstracts.

Those selected for an oral presentation will be contacted by email no less than four weeks before the LHRD event date on March 28, 2017. All remaining abstracts up to a total of 400 presentations will be invited to present at LHRD.

You must submit your abstract by the Monday, January 30, 2017 at 11:59 p.m. EST. The online system will not accept new submissions beyond this date and time, and no late submissions will be accepted.

Abstract Submission Format

All abstracts submissions must not exceed 3500 characters, including spaces and headings (Introduction, Hypothesis, Materials and methods, Results, and Discussion and Conclusions). Your name, title, supervisor, role and authors will not be included in the total abstract count. Submissions must be text based only. Images will not be accepted.
All abstracts are to be submitted online using a standardized format including five main headings. You MUST include the following sections in order to qualify for submission:

Introduction
Hypothesis
Materials and Methods
Results
Discussion and Summary

In addition to the abstract the submission must also include a clear statement of the role that the submitting author had in the generation of the data that will be presented.
The online system contains mandatory fields such as: student/trainee full name; work email; organizational affiliations; area of research; abstract title; author names; name(s) of supervisor(s); and, Advisory Committee (if applicable).
All abstracts should be targeted to a general scientific audience comprised of basic and clinical researchers.
Students/trainees must clearly identify which part(s) of the research project is their own work, and which part(s) were previously completed by other individuals. For presentation purposes, trainees/students will be asked to present only work they completed themselves.

Abstract Scoring Criteria

The pre-judging committee will review and score submitted abstracts based on the following criteria, for a total of 40 potential points:

Clear abstract title (out of 2)
Introduction clearly gives background for study (out of 5)
Well-articulated rationale and overall impact of research (out of 4)
Clearly stated hypothesis and objectives addressing research questions (out of 4)
Appropriate methods; clearly stated study design and statistical analysis (out of 10)
Results presented in a systematic and logical way, and aligned with objectives (out of 5)
Conclusions supported by results (out of 5)
Overall impression, including originality, clarity and organization of abstract (out of 5)

Abstract Research Categories – Pilot Project

In 2017, a pilot project is being undertaken to develop new and broader-based research categories that better fit the submitted abstracts and judge expertise. This is in response to feedback from both participants and judges regarding the LHRD academic program in previous years.

Two different methods will be used simultaneously to determine research categories, for comparison purposes to determine the best practice for future years. The goal is to provide an opportunity for students/trainees to more accurately identify their research category, and for the planning committee to group abstracts into categories in a more holistic manner and better assign judges when scoring abstracts and oral presentations.

As part of the submission process, there will be selection options for two different groupings of research categories:

primary and secondary category from the same headings as previous years
primary and secondary category from the newly defined themes

*Please note that you will be asked to identify both a primary and secondary research category for each grouping where possible/appropriate.

By using the two different groupings, the LHRD Academic Committee can identify the best breakdown of categories for judging and student participation, based on the abstracts submitted each year.

Research Categories

Group 1:

Cancer Biology
Circulatory
Endocrinology and Metabolism
Fetal, Family Development
Infection and Immunity
Medical Physics, Engineering and Imaging
Molecular Cellular
Musculoskeletal Health and Rehabilitation
Neuroscience
Mental Health and Wellness
Population Health and Education
Transplantation, Biomedical Devices and Surgery
Translational Research
Other

Group 2:

Mechanisms of disease - E.g. lab or clinical evidence of how a disease is caused or mitigated. For example, Clostridium difficile toxin productino. Inflammatory processes, epigenetics.
Determinants of health - E.g. what key factors have influenced the health status of the person. For example, poverty and malnutrition of mother during pregnancy and effect on the infant. Genetic risk.
Prevention of diseases and health conditions and promotion of well-being - E.g. what specific factors were studied that prevent a disease or promote well-being of a person, or which show promise in vitro or in vivo. For example, exercise and dietary controls to prevent gestational diabetes. Prevention of cognitive loss.
Advances in structural and physiological treatment of disease and therapeutic intervention (includes surgery, drugs and other advances) - E.g.
this should include evidence that the advances occur in humans. For example, novel personalized joint replacement; drugs tested against patient samples prior to administration to optimize effect. Personalized medicine.
Detection, screening and diagnosis of health and disease - E.g. describes a novel methodology or evidence of functionality of an existing system. For example, new imaging methods, genetic tests, metabolomics.
Early life programming and development - includes physiology and assessment of the fetus and newborn as it develops (could be imaging, microbiome, immune etc), and factors affecting the mother (drugs, nutrition, microbes etc). E.g. animal studies showing generational effects, nutritional interventions, imaging tools and vascular studies showing organ development.
Advancing health services provision and health policy - E.g. what research data has been provided and tested, or disseminated and incorporated into policy documents at local, national or international level. For example, programs to manage mental health patients; antibiotic management of hospital patients; new strategies of triage in Emergency departments.
Population and public health - E.g. how has (or might) your research affected specific populations and/or the wider health of the public, and what evidence supports this? For example, impact of flu vaccine or probiotic use on respiratory infection outcomes; support for caregivers of patients with debilitating conditions; the effect of environmental chemicals on pregnancy or cognitive development in children.
Other

NOTE: Following final decisions on abstract scoring by judges, those selected for oral presentations will be notified by March 1, 2017.

Feature Platform Presentation - Guidelines

For those selected to give an oral presentation, guidelines are as follows:

The presentation must be on your own research and must be conducted predominantly at Lawson Health Research Institute or the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
Please ensure you give credit where credit is due by identifying which part(s) of the project were previously completed by other individuals.
The presentation must reflect the submitted abstract.
The Background, Purpose, Hypothesis/Problem Identification, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion should be emphasized.
We strongly recommend you tailor your presentation so that it is delivered in language that is easily understood by an audience composed of basic and clinical researchers, not just for those within your area of expertise.
Presentations are allotted 10 minutes for delivery and 3-5 minutes for a question and answer period.

Presenters will be randomly divided into four presentation areas and compete against the other presenters in their room during either the morning or afternoon session.

View a sample evaluation form for Feature Platform Presentations.

Presentations will be judged by a panel of three judges based on the following criteria, for a total of 100 potential points:

Mechanics (out of 25) – volume, pace, articulation, slide quality, appropriateness, ability to use audiovisual equipment, effectively organized slides?
Content (out of 50)
- Did the presentation include an introduction, hypothesis, purpose and a conclusion?
- Did the conclusion address the hypothesis?
- Was the overall concept and importance of the research understandable by a general scientific audience?
- Was the work presented completed primarily by the trainee him/herself? Did he/she specify which part(s) of the project were completed prior to his/her contribution?
- Was the presentation clear?
- What was the overall impression given by the presentation?
- Was there a clear direction towards future research?
- Was all content explained?
Questions (out of 25) – Was the student/trainee able to interpret, answer and interpret questions carefully, effectively and concisely?

Frist place prizes will be awarded to the top-scoring presentations in each feature platform room, for each session (8 awards in total). Winners will receive a cash award in the amount of $650.

Poster Presentation - Guidelines

LHRD Poster Passports – NEW

A new “passport” system is being introduced for the 2017 poster presentation sessions at LHRD. While submitted written abstracts will be evaluated in advance of the event, there will be no on-site scoring of the poster presentations by judges. Instead, this new system will encourage all guests and participants to visit different posters, engage with the presenters, and provide valuable feedback on the posters and presentations. Students/trainees should now be visited by at least ten different guests.

The goal is for students/trainees to have several opportunities to practice and refine your presentation skills, and interact with colleagues from different research areas.

Each person in attendance at LHRD can visit different posters in an attempt to fill up their passport. Completed Poster Passports for the morning and afternoon sessions will be entered into a draw for great prizes. Winners will be announced at the Networking and Awards Reception by random draw.

*Trainees must have two different types of presentations ready: general scientific and layperson.

Guidelines for Poster Passports

Each poster presenter will be given 10 stickers at registration.
When a visitor goes to a poster, the presenter will give a 2-3 minute overview (elevator pitch) of their research. If a presenter is unsure which presentation to give (general scientific or layperson), please ask the visitor about their work and background in the area.
The visitor must ask at least one relevant question. They are also encouraged to provide feedback on the poster and presentation.
In return, the poster presenter gives the visitor a sticker for the Poster Passport.
When the Poster Passport is filled with 5 stickers, it can be entered into the prize draws.
All guests and participants can complete a Poster Passport. Poster presenters can fill up their own passport after they have handed out all 10 of their stickers.

Guidelines for Poster Presentations

Posters (with the title banner included) must not exceed 4 feet wide by 4 feet high. The poster display board will be 4’ high by 8’ wide, with two posters on each side of each display board.
Posters should be targeted to a general scientific audience, including both basic and clinical researchers, as well as a layperson audience.
Invited poster presenters are expected to prepare a 2-3 minute elevator pitch to provide an overview of their research. You must be able to tailor your presentation for both scientific/academic and layperson audiences.
Posters should be appealing and interesting. Poster presenters are encouraged to plan well and practice your delivery.
Each poster presenter will receive 10 stickers to give out to LHRD guests and participants as they visit your poster.
In order to give out a sticker, you must do the following:
- Give the 2-3 minute overview of your research (general scientific or layperson)
- Answer at least one relevant question posed to you by the person requesting a passport sticker.

Once you have handed out 10 stickers for your poster presentation, you are free to visit other posters in your session and complete a Poster Passport yourself. You’re also encouraged to visit the other poster session (morning or afternoon) to fill out a second passport, increasing your chances of winning a prize.

*Please note that guests and other participants will be encouraged to provide you with feedback on your poster and presentation.

*Completed Poster Passports must have 5 stickers.

*There will be no formal evaluation (scoring) of poster presentations.

The Lucille & Norton Wolf London Health Research Day Trainee Publication Awards

Thanks to the personal generosity of Lucille and Norton Wolf, we are pleased to issue a call for The Lucille & Norton Wolf London Health Research Day Trainee Publication Awards. These awards will be announced at the 2017 London Health Research Day on March 28, 2017, during the Networking and Awards Reception at London Convention Centre. Up to four awards will be given to recognize the top-scoring publication submissions. Cash awards will be given in the amount of $1,000 for each of the prizes awarded (up to four).

These awards have been created to recognize the outstanding research discoveries of trainees, postdoctoral scholars, medical residents and clinical fellows of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry working in labs across Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, including Robarts Research Institute, or in labs at Lawson Health Research Institute.

Professional students who are working in labs at Lawson Health Research Institute but who are not specifically trainees with Schulich Medicine & Dentistry are also eligible to receive the awards.

*Please note that undergraduate students are not eligible to participate.

The awards will be provided to the top-scoring (up to four) trainee peer-reviewed publications that have appeared in press from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016. All trainees and students as described above are eligible to apply. To do so:

The trainee must be participating in the 2017 London Health Research Day through a poster or feature platform presentation.
The trainee must be first author on the publication and have contributed significantly to both the research and the writing of the manuscript.
To apply: a full copy of the published manuscript must be submitted along with a maximum 300 word description prepared by the first author trainee describing why the publication is of significant merit; their contributions to the study and the publication and generally why the publication is worthy of consideration for one of these awards.
Publications submitted last year during for the period January 1, 2016 to March 31, 2016 are not eligible for resubmission.
Submitted publications and the descriptions of their impact will be adjudicated by the London Health Research Day Academic Committee.
All submissions must be sent to sheila.fleming@lawsonresearch.com and received no later than 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 10, 2017.

Contact Information

Questions?
Contact Janelle Cobban via email at janelle.cobban@schulich.uwo.ca or 519.661.2111 ext. 80389 or Sheila Fleming via email at sheila.fleming@lawsonresearch.com or 519.646.6100 ext. 64672.

Submit your abstract

Abstract submissions are now closed for 2017. Thank you to those who submitted and you will be notified of the results in early March.

Please Note: Only one abstract may be submitted per person. In order to complete your abstract submission, you must accept or decline attendance at the events listed in the Lunch and Reception section.

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