2025 Annual Meeting

• Format of Presentations: Accepted scientific abstracts to the SAHM Annual Meeting are presenting in one of the following three formats:
  • • • Oral Presentation: Presenters are featured to formally present their findings in front of a larger audience followed by questions and answers.
      • Poster Symposia: Presenters print their posters and display them with a small number of other posters for an interactive session in which they formally describe their findings to the session’s participants and then participate in small group
        discussions.
      • Poster Session: Presenters print their posters and display them in a large room alongside other poster presenters. Participants read and recieve information from presenter
• Requesting a Poster Only Presentation: Scientific Abstracts can be submitted for consideration as a poster presentation only (traditional poster session or poster symposia), and not for oral presentation. If you wish to only present the abstract as a poster, please select “poster only” in the submission system. 
• Presenter Requirements: Presenters must be available to present at the time and date assigned by the Program Committee between March 4-7, 2025. If your submission is accepted for presentation, accepted presenting authors are required to register to attend the in-person meeting at the standard rates.  
• IRB Approval: To be accepted for presentation at the SAHM Annual Meeting, the project presented in the submitted abstract must be approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) OR be designated by an IRB as exempt from review.  
• Overlapping Abstracts: The submission of overlapping abstracts from the same group of investigators is strongly discouraged. Multiple abstracts considered to be the result of excessive splitting of data will be evaluated accordingly and will not be given priority. To accommodate as many submitters as possible, the Abstract Review Committee Chair may request that submissions such as these be combined and that a revised abstract be provided.  
• Research in Progress: Research abstracts without data (i.e., research in progress without results at the time of submission) will not be accepted for presentation at the SAHM Annual Meeting.  
• Edits and Revisions: Submissions can be edited through the submission site until the submission deadline. No changes can be made to the abstract, including, but not limited to, adding authors, after the submission deadline. All authors must be included at the time of submission. 
• Abstract Fee: $40 (US) for all submitted scientific abstracts to be paid through the submission site by authorize.net.  
• Submission Deadline: To be considered for presentation at the SAHM 2025 Annual Meeting, abstracts will only be accepted through the online submission site before September 4, 2024 at 11:59 PM CT (Chicago). Your abstract will not be considered for presentation unless all required fields are completed and your submission has been finalized by this deadline.  

Scientific Research abstracts submitted to the SAHM 2025 Annual Meeting may be eligible for consideration for the following awards. To be considered for ANY of the below-mentioned awards, you must upload a supplemental Word document that provides expanded methods and results. You may include tables and figures in this document. There are no guarantees of acceptance.

• Charles E. Irwin Jr., New Investigator Award: (Abstracts submitted for oral presentation are considered for this award. If you choose poster presentation only your abstract will not be considered for this award) – First authors who are ELIGIBLE for the Charles E. Irwin Jr., New Investigator Award should talk with a senior member of SAHM about their research efforts and indicate in the submission that they wish to be considered for this award. Eligibility criteria include the following: (1) Candidates must be either in training or have completed their fellowship (or graduate training) within the past five calendar years since submission; (2) Research must be in an area of knowledge unique to the development and health care needs of adolescents; (3) The award will be given for a specific piece of research and is not dependent upon the awardee’s total research; (4) Candidates need not be a member of SAHM, but if chosen as a finalist, must be nominated by a member of SAHM. Authors of the top 5 abstracts ELIGIBLE for the Charles E. Irwin Jr., New Investigator Award will be notified at the same time abstract acceptances are sent. These authors will be asked to send a complete packet of materials to the Awards Committee at the SAHM National Office due approximately late December. The completed packet will include a curriculum vitae, letter of nomination by a SAHM member that designates the significance of the research to adolescent health care, a letter of support by a senior investigator, and a complete manuscript (background, methods, results, and conclusion). Previous winners are not eligible to be considered in future years, however previous finalists are eligible to be considered in future years.

• Robert H. DuRant Award for Statistical Rigor and Innovation in Adolescent Health Research: The Robert H. DuRant Award recognizes the top-rated abstract submission featuring sophisticated methodology and/or analytic approaches. Abstract review committee members will designate submissions eligible for the DuRant Award. Authors of the top 5 abstracts eligible for the DuRant Award (and not nominated for the Charles E. Irwin Jr., New Investigator Award) will be notified at the same time abstract acceptances are sent. DuRant Award finalists will be asked to send a CV and complete manuscript to the Awards Committee at the SAHM National Office due approximately late December. An individual may be a recipient of the DuRant Award only once. Finalists may be nominated for the award in subsequent years. The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine reserves the right not to name an award recipient in any year without a suitable nominee. 

• Vaughn Rickert Vaccine Research Award: The Vaughn Rickert Vaccine Research Award recognizes the top-rated abstract submission focused on vaccination research. Abstract review committee members will designate submissions eligible for the Rickert Award. Authors of the top 5 abstracts eligible for the Rickert Award (and not nominated for the Charles E. Irwin Jr., New Investigator Award) will be notified at the same time abstract acceptances are sent. Rickert Award finalists will be asked to send a CV and complete manuscript to the Awards Committee at the SAHM National Office due approximately late December. An individual may be a recipient of the Vaughn Rickert Vaccine Research Award only once. The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine reserves the right not to name an award recipient in any year without a suitable nominee.

• Consistent with SAHM’s overall mission of promoting the optimal health and well-being of all adolescents, authors should consider conducting and presenting their research with attention to identifying assets, using inclusive language, and addressing health equity.
• • • The abstract can frame the research within an assets framework.
    • The abstract should include consideration of socioecological/contextual contributors to outcomes, so as to avoid inadvertent negative stereotyping of any sub-population of adolescents and young adults.
  • Do not repeat the title or include author information in the body of the abstract.
  • Tables and Figures: Abstracts are text only. Do not include table or figures in abstract.
  • Proofreading and Publication: Proofreading, including spelling and punctuation, is the responsibility of the submitting author. Please review the abstract carefully before submission as your writing is a reflection of you, your organization and SAHM if accepted. Sections of accepted abstracts will be published on the SAHM 2025 Annual Meeting website and the meeting conference app.

To complete your scientific research abstract submission, please provide the following through the online submission: 

• Title (Up to 250 characters excluding spaces) 

• Abstract (up to 500 words): Briefly describe the objectives of the study or investigation, the basic procedures (study subjects and analytical methods), the main findings (giving specific data and the statistical significance, if possible), and the principal conclusion. Emphasize new and important aspects of the study. There is a cumulative total of 500 words allowed for all fields including sources of support.  Your abstract should contain the following sections:  
  • • Purpose 
    • Methods 
    • Results 
    • Conclusion 
    • Sources of Support 

• Topic Areas: Select 1-3 topic areas that best fit your presentation. If you choose “other” please specify. Topic options include: Chronic Illnesses, Eating Disorders, Education in Adolescent Health, Global Adolescent Health Equity, Global/International Health/Millennial Developmental Goals, Health Equity/Health Disparities, Health Policy, Health promotion/prevention & population health, Health Services/Primary Care, HIV, Legal and Ethical Issues, LGBTQ health, Mental Health, Parent-Teen Relationships, Physical activity/nutrition, Positive Youth Development, Pregnant and Parenting Teens, Quality of Life, Runaway/Homeless Youth, Sexual Reproductive Health/Contraception, Sports Medicine, STIs, Substance Use, Technology-based interventions, Transition to Adult Care, Vaccines, Violence (physical and non-physical), and Other (please specify in text box). 

• Methodologies: Select 1-3 methodologies that best fit your research.  Options include: Advanced Statistical Methods, Case Series/Report, Community Based Participatory Research, Descriptive/exploratory studies, Intervention Study, Program Evaluation, Qualitative Methods- Focus groups, key informant interviews, unstructured/semi-structured interviews, Quality Improvement, RCT, Secondary Data Analysis, and Systematic Review/meta-analysis.

• Learning Outcome (up to 150 words): learning outcome describes the overall purpose or goal of the educational activity.

• Educational Objective (up to 250 words): Objectives are used to structure the content of an educational activity, and may include tasks such as “list”, “compare”, or “explain. Do not use words: understand, appreciate, learn, know, or familiarize. Please note that learning objectives are not an overview or outline of the abstract. Objectives of accepted abstract will be listed on the SAHM 2025 Annual Meeting website and conference app. 
  • •  Example of objectives:  
      • Analyze the current epidemiology of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic 
      • Identify and verbalize effective HIV prevention strategies 
      • State an alternative intervention framework for approaching prevention of HIV among adolescents and young adults. 

• Keywords (up to 5): Provide up to 5 keywords, separated by commas, for your abstract from the MeSH database to be published with your abstract. 

• Name & Contact information for authors.  The lead author/presenter will be listed on the SAHM 2025 Annual Meeting website and conference app. The lead author (name listed first) will serve as the primary contact for all correspondence related to the abstract. All presenters at the SAHM 2025 Annual Meeting are expected to present in person. 
  • • Full name 
    • Credentials 
    • Institution  
    • Email address 
    • Lead Author/Presenter Curriculum Vitae (CV): CVs are required only for the Lead/Presenting Author. Please upload the CV with the following naming convention: presenter’s last name, first name in the document name, for example: Smith, John. Documents must be uploaded as a PDF. Word documents are not accepted. 

• Consider for New Investigator Award (yes/no) – Please see above for more information.  

• Consider for DuRant Award (yes/no) – Please see above for more information.  

• Consider for Vaughn Rickert Award (yes/no) – Please see above for more information.  

• Supplemental Materials: If you would like to be considered for any of the awards, please upload a word document that provides expanded methods and results. You may include tables and figures in this document. There are no guarantees of acceptance.  

• Ethics Review (Yes/No response): I acknowledge that this research has been approved by an institutional review board (IRB). If you selected “No”, please explain below. Include enough detail in your explanation for abstract reviewers to understand rationale. If the IRB indicated to you that study was exempt or review not indicated, please state this. Note: All abstracts published in Journal of Adolescent Health must have been approved by an IRB or designated by an IRB as exempt from review. 

• Faculty Financial Disclosures:  Presenting authors are considered faculty for the annual meeting and MUST disclose whether or not they have any financial relationship with commercial interests, including but not limited to, participation on speaker bureaus or advisory boards, receipt of grant support, etc. Should the abstract be accepted, the lead author associated with the submission will receive a link to a disclosure survey. The disclosure must be completed by December 31, 2024. 

Abstracts will only be accepted through the Catalyst site. To submit an abstract for consideration for the SAHM 2025 Annual Meeting in Baltimore please do the following:  

1. Go to the SAHM 2025 Annual Meeting Catalyst site: catalyst.omnipress.com/#event-home/SAHM2025 
2. Sign in to your existing Catalyst account or create a new one. Please note that if you have ever submitted using Catalyst your account, you can use that account.  
3. Select the Submission Type you would like to submit.  
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to submit your abstract.  

Please only start a submission if you plan on completing it. If you encounter any issues with the abstract management system, please reach out to Catalyst support through the site. Submitting authors can revise submitted abstracts until the submission deadline on September 4, 2024 at 11:59pm CT (Chicago).  

Correspondence: All emails regarding your submission will be sent to the submitter of the abstract. If you are using a professional email, not personal such as Gmail or Yahoo, PLEASE be certain to whitelist, ‘omnipress.com’, ‘catalyst@omnipress.com’, and, ‘noreply@omnipress.com’ to ensure they received all emails. If you do not, emails regarding the submission may be blocked. 

Important Information: If you re-enter the site and make changes after you have finalized your submission and submitted it, please make sure you resubmit your submission. Once the submission site closes on September 4, 2024 at 11:59pm CT, edits will not be possible.