Rules and Regulations

2019 Rules and Regulations

Please note that the LHRD Rules and Regulations have been updated for the 2019 event. Ensure you read through the Rules and Regulations carefully before submitting your abstract.

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

General Information & Participant Requirements

London Health Research Day (LHRD) 2019 will be held on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

Abstract submissions for London Health Research Day are open to:

Lawson Health Research Institute trainees in the following capacities: graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, residents and clinical fellows.*
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry students and trainees in the following capacities: graduate students, residents, postdoctoral scholars and/or clinical fellows.
Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) trainees in the following capacities: MSc students, PhD students and post-doctoral scholars.
NOTE: Faculty of Health Sciences trainees should use the LHRD online submission form to submit their abstract. Faculty of Health Sciences trainees should indicate "Faculty of Health Sciences" in the Affiliation field of the online submission form. Faculty of Health Sciences trainees must submit their abstract by the extended LHRD Abstract submission deadline of February 15 at 11:59 p.m. EST.
Research assistants and associates at Lawson and Schulich Medicine & Dentistry**
NOTE: Research assistants/associates are eligible to display a research poster for presentation purposes only. Please indicate your role as research assistant or associate.

*Clinical fellows are eligible to submit research that is hypothesis-driven only. Chart reviews are not eligible for submission.
**Undergraduate students at Western are not considered research assistants or associates, and cannot display a poster.

Abstract Submission Details

The deadline for abstract submissions has been extended to Friday, February 15 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Only one abstract may be submitted per person. The submitted abstract must represent the trainee’s research.

Research must be conducted predominantly at Lawson, Schulich Medicine & Dentistry or Faculty of Health Sciences.
Trainees/scholars 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, which consists of members from Lawson, Schulich and Faculty of Health Sciences (students, post-doctoral fellows, and faculty members), will help facilitate adjudication for all abstracts submitted.

The top 40 abstracts will be selected for oral presentations (feature platform presentations).* Trainees must indicate a desire to participate in the oral presentations by selecting “both” or “oral” on the abstract submission form under the heading “Please select which type of presentation you’re interested in delivering.”

Those selected for an oral presentation will be contacted by email no less than four weeks before the LHRD event date on Tuesday, April 30, 2019.

Following selection of the oral presentations (40 abstracts), the next strongest abstracts (no more than 150) will be selected to give an evaluated poster presentation. The number of posters evaluated will be dependent on the number of judges who register from each academic program.

Remaining abstracts up to a total of 400 participants will be invited to present at LHRD, but will not have their posters evaluated.

Trainees/scholars who are being evaluated for their poster presentation will not be notified in advance. All posters presenters must come prepared with a two-minute pitch.

You must submit your abstract by Friday, February 15 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

*Please note: Faculty of Health Sciences learners are not eligible to present a feature platform presentation (oral talk).

Abstract Submission Format

All abstract 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, 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: trainees’/scholars’ full name; work email; organizational affiliations; academic program; area of research; abstract title; author names; and name(s) of supervisor(s).

All abstracts should be targeted to a general scientific audience comprised of basic and clinical researchers.

Trainees/scholars must clearly identify which parts of the research project are their own work, and which parts were previously completed by other individuals. For presentation purposes, trainees/scholars will be asked to present only work they completed themselves.

Abstract Scoring Criteria

The LHRD Academic Committee will facilitate adjudication of all abstracts. Abstracts will be scored based on the following criteria, for a total of 40 potential points:

Title (out of 2)
Introduction, clearly stating background for study (out of 5)
Clear rationale for studies (out of 4)
Clearly stated hypothesis and objectives (out of 4)
Clearly stated methods, study design and statistical analysis (out of 10)
Results presented in systematic, logical way (out of 5)
Overall impression (out of 5)
Clearly stated objectives to address research questions; methods appropriate to meet objectives; results aligned with objectives (out of 5)

Only original trainee work will be considered for judging.

Abstract Research Classifications and Research Categories

The below research classifications and categories will be used when assigning reviewers/judges for abstract evaluation and platform sessions. The LHRD organizers reserve the right to adjust classifications and categories if required, depending on the entries received.

As part of the submission process, there will be selection options for the following:

Primary research classification
Primary research category

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

Research Classifications (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

Research Categories (Group 2):

Mechanisms of disease - Research studying lab or clinical evidence of how a disease is caused or mitigated. For example: Clostridium difficile toxin production; Inflammatory processes; epigenetics.
Determinants of health – Research studying which 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 - Research studying what specific factors 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) - Research that includes evidence of advances that 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 - Research that 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 - Research that 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.). For example: animal studies showing generational effects; nutritional intervention; imaging tools; vascular studies showing organ development.
Advancing health services provision and health policy - Research data that has been provided and tested, or disseminated and incorporated into policy documents at local, national or international levels. For example: programs to manage mental health patients; antibiotic management of hospital patients; new strategies of triage in emergency departments.
Population and public health - Research with supporting evidence that has potential to affect specific populations and/or the wider health of the public. 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; cognitive development in children.

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 parts 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. A timer will be present in the room to ensure your presentation stays on time.

Presenters will be randomly divided into eight presentation areas and compete against the other presenters in their room. 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 trainee/scholar able to answer and interpret questions carefully, effectively and concisely?

First place prizes will be awarded to the top-scoring presentations in each seminar room for each session (eight awards in total). Winners will receive a cash award in the amount of $650.

View a sample evaluation form for Feature Platform Presentations.

Poster Presentation - Guidelines

Judging Guidelines

Two judges will evaluate each poster selected for evaluation (up to 150 posters will be evaluated). Each judge will have approximately ten minutes to review and evaluate the poster, and to coordinate any discussion. Students are expected to prepare a two-minute pitch to provide an overview of their research.

Posters will be evaluated on the following criteria, for a total of 100 potential points:

Appearance – appropriate font size; well-organized; good use of graphics; good use of colour
Content – Is the title clearly displayed? Does the poster include an introduction, hypothesis, purpose and a conclusion? Does the conclusion address the hypothesis? Is the conclusion clearly supported by results? Is the overall concept and importance of the research understandable by a general scientific audience? Was the work completed primarily by the trainee/scholar him/herself?
Presentation/Questions – Was the two-minute pitch well organized and concise? Did it indicate a clear understanding of the research? Was the trainee/scholar able to interpret and answer questions carefully and effectively? Did the trainee/scholar demonstrate enthusiasm?

Prizes will be awarded to the top-scoring posters in each research category. Winners will receive a cash award in the amount of $250.

View a sample evaluation form for Poster Presentations.

General Guidelines

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 (general non-scientific) 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 (general non-scientific) audiences.*
Posters should be appealing and interesting. Poster presenters are encouraged to plan well and practice your delivery.

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

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 London Health Research Day on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 at the 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 at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry working in labs across Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, including Robarts Research Institute, or in labs at Lawson Health Research Institute.*

*Please note that undergraduate students and Faculty of Health Sciences trainees 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, 2018 to December 31, 2018. All trainees and students as described above are eligible to apply. To do so:

The trainee must be participating at London Health Research Day 2019 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 a description of why the publication is worthy of consideration for one of these awards.
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 Wednesday, March 27, 2019.

Contact Information

For questions, please contact Janelle Pritchard at jpritch7@uwo.ca or 519.661.2111 ext. 80389 or Sheila Fleming at sheila.fleming@lawsonresearch.com or 519.646.6100 ext. 64672.

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