The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Caucus of Public Health Professionals is soliciting abstracts for presentations in its scientific sessions at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Diego, CA, November 10-14, 2018. Topics should focus on LGBT health research, professional practice, and, to the extent possible, incorporate the conference theme, “Creating the Healthiest Nation: Health Equity Now.”  Content must be of sound science or professional practice and serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills, and professional competence of the public health practitioner.   LGBT topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Emerging Topics in LGBT Public Health
  A forum for new research topics, methodologies, treatment modalities, clinical practices, and health policy analyses.
• Global, International, and/or Transnational LGBT Public Health
  A forum for international LGBT public health disparities, human rights and health, and immigrant/migrant population health.
• Impact of Social and Political Climates on LGBT Health & Health Policy
  A forum which focuses on the direct impact and future implications of current social and political climates on LGBT community health from an access, quality of care and/or health policy perspective.
• Intersectionality and LGBT Public Health
  A forum to explore the often complex dynamics between various factors such as race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender/gender identity, sexual orientation, and/or age.
• Sexual Minority Womens Public Health (Including Lesbians, Bisexual Women, and/or WSW/WSWM)
  A forum devoted to the health of sexual minority women including health disparities, clinical practices, chronic diseases, access to care, and behavioral risk factors.
• Social Contexts and/or Social Determinants of LGBT Public Health
  A forum to explore the impact of socio-ecological, environmental, and behavioral factors on LGBT health.
• Trans/Gender-Variant People's Public Health
  A forum devoted to the health of trans/gender-variant individuals including health disparities, clinical practices, chronic diseases, body modification consequences, access to care, and behavioral risk factors.

Abstract Requirements

Abstracts should be no more than 250 words. Abstracts cannot be presented at any conference or published in any journal prior to the APHA Annual Meeting. Each abstract should clearly state the purpose, the relevance, content, and evidence within the context of LGBT health.

Scientific Session Formats

The LGBT Caucus accepts three scientific session formats for abstracts – preferred format, if any, should be identified when the abstract is submitted.  Scientific session formats include:

1. Oral presentation (individual)
2. Panel session – Due to the limited number of sessions available to the LGBT Caucus, the Caucus discourages the submission of complete panel discussion. However, if you choose to submit a panel, the session cannot have more than 5 speakers. Each speaker must submit an individual abstract for his/her presentation, which will be scored independent of the session. Additionally, the panel organizer should submit a panel abstract to the Program Chair noting the abstracts that are participating in the panel.
3. Poster presentation (individual) 

APHA Membership and Meeting Registration Requirements

Submitting abstracts does not require APHA membership. However, if accepted, presenters must be individual members of APHA and have registered for the meeting in order to present.

Abstract Review and Selection

All abstracts submitted to the Caucus undergo blinded, peer review and must comply with the criteria outlined below. Reviews will not be forwarded to abstract authors.

Author/Faculty Information

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 outcome (“to understand” or “to learn” are not measurable outcomes and compound outcomes 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 healthcare access and healthcare quality in the transgender community. My scientific interests include improving access to healthcare for transgender individuals, community based participatory research and health issues specific to transgender aging.

Please note that “I am the Principal Investigator of this study” or “I am a Professor at LGBT Public Health University” are NOT acceptable qualification statements.

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 six areas that your presentation will address.

Thank you for your assistance in making your session credit worthy. Abstracts that do not adhere to these requirements will not be accepted. Contact Mighty Fine at mighty.fine@apha.org if you have any questions concerning continuing education. For program questions, please contact the program planner listed below.

Walter J. Lear Outstanding Student Research Award

The Caucus strongly encourages student participation and has established the Walter J. Lear Outstanding Student Research Award to recognize exceptional work by students on LGBT-related issues. The award consists of a scholarship and free Caucus membership for one year. Students are invited to submit abstracts at all levels of presentation (oral or poster). Please indicate student status when submitting the abstract to be considered for the award.

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Ready?

Program Planner Contact Information:

Brittany Charlton, ScD
Harvard Medical School and Boston Children's Hospital
300 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Phone: 857-218-5463
bcharlton@mail.harvard.edu

and
Don Allensworth-Davies, PhD, MSc, CPH
School of Health Sciences
Cleveland State University
2121 Euclid Avenue, IM-117
Cleveland, OH 44115
Phone: 216-687-3833
d.allensworthdavies@csuohio.edu