Southern San Joaquin Valley Research Forum

SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY RESEARCH FORUM

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD:

Case Report Abstract | Multiple Subjects Abstract

GENERAL INFORMATION

1. ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS
The forum is open to all ACGME-accredited programs in the Central Valley of California. In addition, we welcome back undergraduates and graduates of CSU Bakersfield and Bakersfield College students who are conducting research in basic science with clinical application. We also welcome our colleagues from Kern County Public Health, and all Kern County Alumni.
2. CALL FOR ABSTRACTS DISTRIBUTION
Please use the appropriate electronic submission form located at KernMedical.com/ResearchForum. We do not have an abstract fee or registration fee. It is REQUIRED that you submit your abstract electronically.
3. IRB REVIEW
Abstracts covering human subject research or use of human subject data must have received an IRB/HIPAA approval either at Kern Medical or at another recognized IRB (one registered with OHRP). If reviewed elsewhere while on an external rotation, please include a copy of the IRB approval with the abstract submission. On the abstract submission template, there is a box to be completed for IRB number; please do not submit an abstract without this information.

All abstracts are peer-reviewed and ranked on the basis of scientific merit by faculty in the category selected. The committee will decide on oral presentations. Applicant will not be given a choice upon submission.

INFORMED CONSENT AND DISCLOSURE: Kern Medical has adopted guidelines for conflicts of interest (see Clinical Research, Volume 38, Number 2, April, 1990). Investigators should consider and disclose potential conflicts of interest in connection with papers presented at the regional meetings. Each abstract must comply with the following: (1) personal responsibility for assuring that, at the time of the meeting for which it is being considered, the material herein will not have been published; (2) the material may have been presented at another regional or national meeting with a focused audience like a subspecialty meeting, such that the material will be new to the broader audience;(3) that if accepted, an eligible author is prepared to present it; (4) that any animal studies conform with the “Guiding Principles in the Care and Use of Animals” of the American Physiological Society; (5) that any human experimentation was conducted according to a protocol approved by an Institutional Review Board on ethics of human investigation (if no such Board exists, please state in a separate letter what standards were used to assess the ethical property of the protocol); and (6) that potential conflicts of interest will be disclosed at time of presentation of abstract.
4. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROJECTS
In California, medical staff quality assurance (QA) projects have “discovery” protections by law. This means that nobody else can know the findings of those projects as they are originally intended for institutional development/improvement only.

Kern Medical Applications (QA); To obtain clearance to submit an abstract for a QA project to the Research Forum, please contact Glenn Goldis, MD, CMO and IRB Administrator; he has the authority to approve QA projects for public presentation/publication and to release them from the legal protection of “discovery”. Please promptly notify IRB staff by email if Dr. Goldis allows a QA project abstract inclusion in the Forum. QA projects will have the same participation considerations as the research projects: an abstract and a poster are required for QA project participation as is staffing the poster during the Poster Session of the Forum.

Non-Kern Medical applicants must obtain release from discovery protection from home institution and submit with abstract.
5. BLINDED ABSTRACT REVIEW
Multi-subject study and Case report abstracts will be eligible for blind scoring competition. Three to five selected reviewers from participating residency program departments will complete scoring grids for blinded abstracts (reviewers will not receive abstracts submitted from their own department).

QA abstracts are not included in blinded scoring.
6. BLINDED ABSTRACT SCORING OUTCOME
Multi-subject studies, the three highest multiple subject scored abstracts will be selected for oral/PowerPoint presentation at the Forum.

Case studies, if selected, you will be provided a time slot during the Forum to present your digital poster to small groups of attendees.
7. PRESENTATION STYLES
Abstract writing involves scientific, not literary, narrative or clinical charting styles; scientific writing is a skill distinct from graphic poster presentation and oral presentation of research projects. Scientific writing is the standard for information communicated to a scientific audience and used in all scientific journal articles.

Posters place emphasis on graphic design and tell the story of the research to interested parties within the profession, as well as to the public. All content from the abstract is not included, the poster is a visual summary presentation of your project

Oral presentation accompanied by PowerPoint slides combine oral presentation and displayed graphics that best represent study information to our interested scientific audience. An announcement of time allotted for the presentations occurs when the highest blinded scores are announced. Part of the scoring that will add or detract from each resident’s other presentation scoring components is providing your oral presentation/PowerPoint slides within the time allotted.

The Forum highlights the challenge for each applicant to show mastery of at least two related research reporting skill sets (scientific writing and poster presentation) and for the highest-scoring applicant abstracts, the additional skill set for a successful oral/PowerPoint presentation.
8. SCIENTIFIC WRITING SUPPORT
You are highly encouraged to go to your Department Faculty Research Director/Champion to discuss and review your scientific writing.
9. PARTICIPATION COMMITMENT
Submission of an abstract constitutes a commitment by the applicant(s) to participate on the day of the Forum, by, at a minimum, presenting a poster. Failure to do so reflects poorly on your program and on yourself, except in the occurrence of life changing circumstances.

GUIDANCE FOR ABSTRACT PREPARATION AND FORUM PARTICIPATION

1. WORD LENGTH
Multiple Subjects Abstracts are to be ≤ 750 and Case Reports ≤ 500 words in length, not counting words for Headings, Title, Authors and Affiliations. The applicant header block is not included in a word count. Scientific writing is an academic norm for published research abstracts.
2. APPLICANT'S NAME
If applicant’s name appears as Presenter or is listed as an Author, it must be identical; e.g., first name, middle name or initial, last name and degree on one abstract vs first initial and last name and more than one degree on the second time the name occurs.
3. CONTACT INFORMATION
Applicants should assure they provide a correct email address and phone contact information in the abstract head submission section. No contact info will be public; the IRB Chair and IRB staff relies on your email address to reach you regarding your abstract.
4. DATA SPLITTING
Applicants should not “split” data to create several abstracts from one study. If splitting occurs, only one of the relevant abstracts is likely to have acceptance, the IRB Chair will decide. Exceptions are considered for studies that ask more than one research question and analyze data (or data subsets) differently (if needed) to obtain answers to two or more research questions.
5. POSTER SESSIONS
Poster sessions all interested guests to interact with one or more study team members during poster viewing. A study team member is required to be present with a poster.

GUIDANCE FOR POSTER PREPARATION

1. DIGITAL POSTER INSTRUCTIONS
You will receive an email with instructions on starting on your digital poster after your abstract is deemed final.
2. POSTER DISPLAYS AT THE FORUM
Your poster(s) will be digitally displayed on large monitors; you will not need to print any posters.

Additional questions or information about the inaugural Southern San Joaquin Valley Research Forum should be directed to researchforum@kernmedical.com

To print this information about the Southern San Joaquin Valley Research Forum, please CLICK HERE.