The Disability Section of the American Public Health Association is seeking abstracts on topics related to disability and public health for presentation at the 2015 APHA annual meeting.

The Disability Section is seeking submissions for oral and poster sessions in these areas:

• 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act – Looking Back and Looking Forward
  
• Disability data collection and surveillance
  
• Emergency health services for people with disabilities
  
• Evidence-based health promotion interventions for persons with disabilities
  
• Health, economic and social disparities among people with disabilities (including youth, young adults, and older adults with disabilities)
  
• Innovative policies, programs and services that focus on improving the health and wellness of people with disabilities
  
• Integrating disability in medical and healthcare education and practice
  
• Maternal health and health care, including reproductive and perinatal health, for women with disabilities
  
• Policies, programs and services that promote inclusion of people with disabilities
  
• The impact of the Affordable Care Act on health services and health outcomes of persons with disabilities
  

Abstracts are limited to 250 words. Abstracts are reviewed anonymously and rated based on the following criteria:

 (1) importance of the issue or problem addressed;

 (2) clarity of content;

 (3) soundness of the methodology and conceptual framework used;

 (4) substantive findings or recommendations; and

 (5) relevance to a broad audience.

Those whose abstracts are accepted for presentation will be asked either to give 15-minute oral presentations or to present their work in one of the Sections hour-long poster sessions. Abstracts submitted and accepted for the APHA Annual Meeting may not be presented at any other meeting or published in any journal prior to November 19^th, 2014. Research in the pilot or development stages, small-scale studies, and descriptions of projects without a significant evidence base are best suited to poster presentations. Submissions from students are encouraged, and students should indicate their status when submitting their abstracts.

Presentation requirements

While it is not necessary to be a member of APHA to submit an abstract, all presenters must be members of APHA and must register for the annual meeting. Presentations are must be accessible and adhere to Disability Section guidelines for accessibility.

Continuing Education Credit

APHA values the ability to provide continuing education credit to physicians, nurses, health educators, and those certified in public health at its annual meeting. Please complete all required information when submitting an abstract so members can claim credit for attending your session. These credits are necessary for members to keep their licenses and credentials. For a session to be eligible for Continuing Education Credit, each presenter, panelist, discussant, and/or faculty must provide:

1) an abstract free of trade and/or commercial product names.

2) at least one MEASURABLE SINGLE objective (“to understand” or “to learn” are not measurable objectives and compound objectives are not acceptable). Use ONLY the following Measurable Action Verbs: Explain, Demonstrate, Analyze, Formulate, Discuss, Compare, Differentiate, Describe, Name, Assess, Evaluate, Identify, Design, Define or List.

3) A signed Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form with a relevant qualification statement;

Example of Acceptable Biographical Qualification Statement: (I have been the principal or co-principal of multiple federally funded grants focusing on the epidemiology of drug abuse, HIV prevention and co-occurring mental and drug use disorders. Among my scientific interests has been the development of strategies for preventing HIV and STDs in out-of-treatment drug users.)

Please note that stating “I am a Principal Investigator/Project Coordinator of this project.” is not sufficient since it only gives submitter's job title or position. Please add little more information about your experience and/or background.

4) All continuing education learning content must be of sound science or professional practice and serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills and professional competence of the health professional. Learning content should be evidence-based if available. A list of over 30 areas will be provided online for you to choose from. You will be asked to choose at least one or up to 6 areas that your presentation will address.

 Thank you for your assistance in making your session credit worthy. Contact Annette Ferebee at annette.ferebee@apha.org if you have any questions concerning continuing education.

 For program questions, contact the program planner listed below.

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Ready?

Program Planner Contact Information:

Monika Mitra, PhD
Disability, Health and Employment Policy Unit, Center for Health Policy and Research
University of Massachusetts Medical School
333 South Street
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
Phone: 508-856-8548
monika.mitra@umassmed.edu