I would like to lecture at a future AHVMA meeting. How do I find out more about this?
AHVMA sends out a Call for Papers to all AHVMA members each summer for the following year’s meeting. Specifics about what our Conference Committee seeks in a paper appear below.
What is the deadline for submitting proposals?
Proposals are typically accepted from mid-May through mid-October for the annual conference in the following calendar year. (Example: 2021 Conference proposals accepted May-October, 2020.)
How do I get on a list to be notified about future Calls for Papers?
If you are an AHVMA member, you’re on the list! The Call for Papers will come to you via e-mail, providing that you have given the AHVMA office a valid e-mail address. If you are not sure that AHVMA has a valid e-mail address for you, first check that AHVMA messages are not being blocked by your spam filters, otherwise contact the office.
If you are not an AHVMA member, the Call for Papers appears on our website. If you are a veterinarian who is interested in becoming an AHVMA member, you may learn more about membership here.
Who chooses the conference speakers and approved titles?
The AHVMA Conference Committee carefully reviews all proposals received and develops a program for each Conference during the fall of the previous year. The Board of Directors of the AHVMA mandates the number of hours and tracks for each Conference, as well as the required number of hours that the Conference Committee must accept to facilitate meeting the CE requirements of most AHVMA members.
What kind of lectures are the Conference Committee looking for?
Conference Committee goals are to provide a balanced educational program for all AHVMA members that will achieve member continuing education requirements. Lectures of interest are those that provide basic and advanced continuing education that is both specific and pertinent to a holistic and integrative veterinary audience, and free of bias, commercial promotion, or expressed commercial interest. No promotional material of any kind may appear in print, in a Power Point presentation, or be verbalized or displayed during an AHVMA lecture.
What kind of presentation will be required?
Each lecture is 50 minutes and should contain an engaging and relevant Power Point presentation in English. Please do not plan to simply read or summarize your lecture notes.
Multiple presentation slots may be requested. Priority consideration will be given to those individuals who can provide three accepted presentations which is equivalent to a half day of lecture.
Do I also need to have notes for my presentation?
Presentation notes are required for all lecture and lab presenters, without exception. Notes must be in English, between 2 and 6 pages, follow required AHVMA formatting guidelines defined in the speaker contract, and contain appropriate and relevant references. Notes that exceed the maximum number of pages will be returned for editing. Submission of materials that do not adhere to AHVMA guidelines may result in reduction in compensation.
These will be published in our meeting Proceedings. Generally, notes are due by late spring of the year in which the Conference is held. However, the specific deadlines appear in the Speaker Contracts.
Are speakers reimbursed for travel expenses?
Only speakers who present 3 hours or more will receive travel benefits. Preference will be given to those offering 6 hours of lecture.
I want to lecture, but I’m kind of new to lecturing on a national level – am I a viable lecture candidate?
In 2013, the Conference Committee developed a New Lecturers Program for veterinarians, which debuted two new lecturers at the 2014 Portland meeting. Our conference is a great opportunity for veterinary speakers who have lectured on a smaller scale to present to a national audience!
Each accepted New Lecturer (maximum of 3 per year) gets 50 minutes of lecture time and is subject to the same deadlines and requirements for notes, Power Point, and professionalism of presentation. Welcome and useful additions to your submission as a New Lecturer include relevant publications, dates and locations of previous speaking engagements relevant to veterinary medicine, and relevant prior professional experience. Conference Committee members may elect to mentor selected New Lecturers who ask for assistance.
I have a great product that I know AHVMA members will love. How do I get a lecture slot?
At each AHVMA Conference, daily breakfast meetings are held before the Continuing Education tracks begin. These commercially-sponsored meetings are a wonderful opportunity to introduce new products or services to our members.
Get more information about becoming an exhibitor, including details about sponsoring a breakfast meeting.
What kind of information should be included in my proposal for a future lecture?
The Conference Committee needs your full name, professional credentials, Curriculum Vitae, a proposed title for each submission, and an abstract for each submission in short paragraph form. The abstract must contain the educational goal of your lecture and a synopsis of what your proposed lecture will cover. Submissions containing partial information will not be reviewed. Do not submit complete papers in lieu of an abstract; these will not be reviewed.
See the Call for Papers for more information.
I submitted proposals in the past that were/were not utilized. Can you find them and review them for next year?
The sheer volume of proposals received precludes retaining them from year to year. Proposals previously submitted to AHVMA may certainly be submitted again, however, if they have been utilized at an AHVMA meeting before, they should be substantially updated or revised to be considered. Non-AHVMA lectures presented for allopathic audiences will require revision so that they are suitable for our educated holistic and integrative membership.
My proposal is ready – how do I get it to the AHVMA?
All proposals must be submitted online, using the format on our Call for Papers. We will not review any proposal that does not contain all of the requested information.
Completed proposals will be considered in the order received. Incomplete or incorrectly submitted proposals will not be considered.
If you wish to proceed with your proposal, please see the Call for Papers for detailed information about submission requirements, and to upload your proposal.
How will I know if my proposal was reviewed or has been accepted?
You will receive an automated acknowledgement of receipt of all proposals, utilizing the e-mail address you provide. Selected speakers will also be contacted individually, with contracts expected to be e-mailed in spring. We will also post a list of speakers selected for the meeting on our website.
Can I call or email someone about my proposal?
Unfortunately, no.
As with all AHVMA Committees, the CE Committee is a 100% volunteer workforce of veterinarians who also work in their specialty field full-time.
We review literally hundreds of proposals from potential speakers each summer and fall in order to develop a balanced CE program specific to the needs of our membership. We are unable to respond to individual queries about the status of any specific application via e-mail or telephone. All decisions of the Conference Committee are final.
Please DO feel free to speak to any of us during any AHVMA Conference.
