Guidelines

OVERVIEW

The event will be held at the University of South Carolina Alumni Center (900 Senate Street, Columbia, SC) on Friday, February 1, 2019. This all-day event will feature a keynote address by Marshalyn Yeargin-Allsopp, MD, Medical Officer and Associate Director for Children with Special Healthcare Needs for the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at CDC, and an afternoon plenary session by Jennifer Bailey Bisson, PhD from the Department of Psychology at Clemson University.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Abstract submissions should show how DHEC or other population health data were utilized to address the prevention of disability, health disparities experienced by people with disability, or integration of people with disability into public health practice or policy related to this year’s theme, “Data-Driven Approaches to Promote Equity”. Disability is a broad term, which includes self-identity, as well as medical and social models. Disability includes: intellectual and developmental (i.e., autism, Down syndrome, epilepsy, intellectual disabilities); physical (i.e., long term disability, such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, and spina bifida, and adult onset disability, such as spinal cord injury, neuropathy associated with diabetes, or obesity); and sensory (e.g. blindness, deafness).

Original abstracts should be 500 words or less and should be structured. The following headings should be included: background; objective(s); methods; results; discussion; possible public health implications.  Presenters can choose to submit their abstract as an oral presentation, poster, or no preference. The abstract rubric is included on abstract submission portal and on this webpage.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Monday, October 15, 2018 by 11:59 PM  – Deadline to submit abstracts.
• Thursday, November 15, 2018 – Notifications regarding abstract status will be sent to submitters.
• Friday, January 18, 2019 at 11:59PM – Deadline for accepted poster presenters to submit a PDF of their poster for award consideration. Awards will include monetary prizes, and the poster rubric and guidelines will be included with your acceptance email.

NEXT STEPS

If you are accepted, you will be expected to register for (≤$20 for students; $30 for non-students) and attend the symposium and present your work. The registration website is expected to open by October 1, 2018. Abstracts previously accepted and published elsewhere are eligible for submission; however, they MUST follow the submission guidelines above. DHEC and USC staff and affiliates are welcome to submit an abstract.

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Scoring Rubric for Abstracts 

Abstract ID:
Preferred mode: oral / poster / no preference

Format

Criterion	Yes/No
500 words or less
Structured

If both yes, then go to the next section. If not, do not score.

Content

Section	Criterion	Points Possible
Background	Provides context or explanation for study (with references on an accompanying page) Explains why study is important or novel	10
Study objective	States objective clearly Objective is appropriate given background information	10
Methods	Identifies the data source, year(s) of data, population, and sample size States any inclusion/exclusion criteria applied to sample Measures and outcomes defined Specifies statistical analyses	10
Results	Connects to what is outlined in the methods section Presents statistics (descriptive and/or analytical) Shows both statistically significant and non-significant results, if applicable No results are “to be completed” or “to be collected”	10
Discussion	Demonstrates how the results connect to the objective Describes strengths and limitations of current analysis Presents ideas for future research	10
Possible public health implications	Explains why the findings are important Describes how the study can be utilized to impact public health programs or policies	10

Recommendations

Accept as oral -> suggested track: prevention / disparities / integration

• Accept as poster
• Reject