Annual Meeting Submission Guide

Submission Categories

Choose Your Submission Path

Beginning with the 2027 meetings, submissions for the SAEM Annual Meeting and the AEMP Conference are managed through separate submission pathways. If you plan to submit to both meetings, you'll need to complete two separate submissions, selecting the appropriate pathway when you begin.

Please note: The same content may not be submitted to multiple submission categories (for example, as both an Abstract and an Innovation).

SAEM27 Submission Opportunities

AEMP27 Submission Opportunities

Submission Types

Advanced EM Workshops

Overview

Advanced EM Workshops provide immersive, hands-on learning experiences where participants gain practical skills, exchange ideas, and explore emerging topics in academic emergency medicine. Workshops are offered as two-hour, half-day (four-hour), and full-day (eight-hour) sessions.

If you're planning a series of four or more related didactic sessions, consider submitting them as an Advanced EM Workshop. Co-sponsored workshops with SAEM Academies, Committees, Task Forces, and Interest Groups are encouraged.

What Makes a Strong Workshop?

Successful workshop proposals:

• Provide hands-on, practical learning. 

• Encourage participant interaction. 

• Address timely or emerging topics. 

• Include clear learning objectives. 

• Demonstrate thoughtful organization and pacing. 

• Feature experienced presenters with complementary expertise.

Submission Guidelines

Include:

• One-page course description 

• Agenda 

• Learning objectives 

• Brief biography for each presenter 

Reviewers evaluate:

• Educational value 

• Course design 

• Presenter expertise 

Helpful Resources

• How to Attract Attendees to Your Workshop

Didactics

Overview

Didactic sessions bring together educators, innovators, and learners to explore timely topics, emerging evidence, and new perspectives that advance academic emergency medicine. Sessions may address a broad audience or focus on a specific area of expertise.

All proposals should support SAEM's mission: To lead the advancement of academic emergency medicine through education, research, and professional development.

What Makes a Strong Didactic?

Successful didactic proposals:

• Present state-of-the-art content that is timely, relevant, and evidence informed. 

• Offer practical applications that attendees can incorporate into clinical practice, education, research, or administration. 

• Clearly identify the intended audience and learning objectives. 

• Incorporate meaningful audience engagement through discussion, polling, case-based learning, or other interactive strategies. 

• Demonstrate thoughtful organization and effective use of the allotted time. 

SAEM encourages innovative ideas that address emerging topics and issues important to the academic emergency medicine community—even if they do not fit neatly into traditional subject areas.

Suggested Content Areas

Successful proposals may focus on a wide range of topics, including:

Clinical Medicine

• Cutting-edge research 

• Translation of evidence into patient care 

• Future directions in emergency medicine 

Administration

• Systems improvement 

• Operations 

• Staffing 

• Quality improvement 

• Leadership and planning 

Medical Education

• Curriculum design 

• Educational innovations 

• Teaching and assessment methods 

• Faculty development 

Research

• Research methodology 

• Research tools 

• Scholarly development 

• Topics relevant to both researchers and practicing emergency physicians

Session Formats

Choose the format that best fits your content.

• Focused Session (20 minutes) —Ideal for concise, high-impact presentations featuring one or two speakers.

• Expanded Session (50 minutes)—Designed for interactive, in-depth learning experiences such as: panel discussions, seminars, facilitated discussions, small-group learning. Requests for an Expanded Session should include a clear rationale.

Submission Guidelines

Interactivity is a hallmark of an effective didactic session. Your proposal should clearly describe both what participants will learn and how they will be actively engaged throughout the session.

Include:

Description (300 words maximum)

• Background 

• Justification 

• Key topics to be discussed 

Didactic Plan (150 words maximum)

• Session format 

• Audience engagement strategies 

• Use of time 

Before submitting, review your proposal for clarity, completeness, and accuracy.

Helpful Resources

• Recommended Best Practices 

• Didactic Review Rubric 

IGNITE!

Overview

IGNITE! is one of SAEM's most energetic presentation competitions. Presenters deliver a five-minute talk using 20 slides that automatically advance every 15 seconds. Choose any emergency medicine topic and captivate the audience with your ideas, storytelling, and presentation skills.

What Makes a Strong IGNITE!?

Successful IGNITE! presentations:

• Tell a compelling story with a clear takeaway. 

• Present an original idea, insight, or perspective relevant to emergency medicine. 

• Engage and inspire the audience through dynamic delivery. 

• Use visuals that complement the presentation without overwhelming the message. 

• Fit naturally within the IGNITE! format of 20 automatically advancing slides presented in five minutes. 

• Designed to inform, inspire, and challenge—not simply deliver a traditional lecture.

Submission Guidelines

Only one submission per presenting author will be considered. Proposals should include:

• A concise description of your presentation. 

• The key message or learning objective. 

• Well organized

• An explanation of why the topic is well suited to the IGNITE! format. 

IGNITE! Awards include:

• Best of IGNITE! 

• Audience Choice Award 

Innovations

Overview

Innovations showcase creative ideas, programs, and approaches that advance education, faculty development, wellness, and operations in academic emergency medicine. These sessions bring together diverse leaders to share practical solutions, spark new thinking, and inspire meaningful improvements in undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education, as well as patient care.

Outcome data is not essential for submitting an Innovation. However, the Innovations need to be implemented prior to submission. Submitters with innovations that are still in concept or pre-implementation phase at the time of submission should wait for a future submission cycle after implementation.

What Makes a Strong Innovation?

Successful Innovation proposals:

• Present a novel idea, program, process, or educational approach. 

• Demonstrate practical application and relevance to academic emergency medicine. 

• Describe measurable outcomes or anticipated impact whenever possible. 

• Offer insights that can be adapted or replicated by other institutions. 

• Inspire new ways of thinking about education, operations, wellness, faculty development, or patient care.

Presentation Formats

Innovations may be presented as one of two formats:

• Oral Presentation — A brief presentation highlighting an innovative idea, program, or initiative. 

• Hands-on/Tabletop Demonstration — An interactive demonstration that allows attendees to explore an innovation in greater depth.

Priority Themes for SAEM27

While submissions on all innovative topics are welcome, the Program Committee is especially interested in proposals that:

• Promote early learner exposure to the field of emergency medicine

• Incorporate AI/LLMs in EM medical education

• Foster inclusivity in academic emergency medicine

• Fulfill the new additions to the ACGME EM program requirements

• Integrate cultural humility and trauma-informed care in medical education

• Develop resilience, prevent burnout, and support career longevity of emergency physicians (including both individual- and system-level strategies)

Innovative ideas outside these themes are also encouraged.

Submission Guidelines

Include:

• Innovation summary 

• Description of the innovation 

• Evidence of effectiveness or anticipated impact 

• Implementation strategy 

• Presenter information 

Scientific Abstracts

Overview

Share your original research with the academic emergency medicine community. Scientific Abstracts showcase research that advances the science and practice of emergency medicine through innovation, discovery, and scholarly inquiry. Accepted abstracts are published in the Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM) journal online supplement and presented at the SAEM Annual Meeting.

What Makes a Strong Abstract?

Successful abstracts:

• Present original, high-quality research that is relevant to academic emergency medicine.

• Clearly state the study's purpose, methods, results, and conclusions.

• Demonstrate sound study design and appropriate analysis.

• Highlight findings that are novel, practice-changing, or advance the science of emergency medicine.

• Communicate ideas clearly, concisely, and within the submission guidelines.

The strongest abstracts present a clear, well-organized story that demonstrates why the research matters and how it contributes to the field.

For complete evaluation criteria, please refer to the Abstract Scoring Rubric 

Submission Guidelines

Scientific Abstracts must:

• Present original emergency medicine research. 

• Not have been accepted for publication in any journal at the time of submission. 

• Not have been presented at another U.S. national or major international meeting more than 30 days before the SAEM Annual Meeting, except for CORD and SAEM Regional Meetings.

Submission Requirements

• Maximum length: 2,050 characters (excluding spaces and the headings Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusion) 

• Tables, figures, and graphics are not permitted. 

• Select the research category that best represents your work.

Research Topics 

Research abstracts are accepted across the full spectrum of academic emergency medicine. In your submission, select the primary topic (research category) that best fits your work.

Multiple Abstracts from the Same Research Project

SAEM welcomes multiple submissions from the same research team when they represent distinct, original contributions. However, authors should avoid submitting multiple abstracts with substantial overlap in the background, methods, results, or conclusions.

Large research projects often generate several important research questions, but closely related analyses should be combined into a single, cohesive abstract whenever possible rather than divided into multiple submissions.

For example: Submitting one abstract that analyzes a dataset by gender and a second abstract with a nearly identical analysis of the same dataset by race would generally be considered excessive overlap. Instead, these analyses should be combined into a single, more comprehensive abstract.

During peer review, abstracts found to have substantial overlap may be conditionally rejected unless the authors choose to merge the overlapping content into a single submission. This policy helps ensure that each presentation offers distinct and valuable insights while providing opportunities for the broadest possible range of researchers to present their work at the Annual Meeting.

Helpful Resources

• Properly Formatted Abstracts

• Abstract Scoring Rubric 

Clinical Images

Overview

Clinical Images showcase visually compelling diagnostic cases that educate and challenge attendees. Presentation at the meeting is not required.

What Makes a Strong Clinical Image?

Successful Clinical Image submissions:

• Showcase a unique, unusual, or highly educational clinical finding. 

• Demonstrate clear relevance to emergency medicine practice. 

• Include high-quality images that effectively illustrate the diagnosis or clinical concept. 

• Present a concise, well-organized case with an important teaching point. 

• Challenge participants to apply clinical reasoning through thoughtful educational questions. 

The strongest submissions combine compelling visual images with practical lessons that attendees can apply in clinical practice.

Submission Guidelines

Each submission should include:

• Up to three high-resolution images (2000 × 1600 pixels or higher) 

• Patient history 

• Vital signs 

• Diagnostic workup 

• One or two educational questions 

• A signed patient consent form 

AEMP Year in Review

Overview

The Academy of Emergency Medicine Pharmacists (AEMP) Year in Review highlights the most influential emergency medicine pharmacotherapy literature and clinical updates published during the previous year. Designed for emergency medicine pharmacists within their first five years of training or practice, this session provides an opportunity for early-career clinicians to critically evaluate emerging evidence, discuss its impact on patient care, and share practical insights with colleagues.

Speaker Eligibility

Presenters should be emergency medicine pharmacists within five years of completing residency, fellowship, or equivalent training. Self-nominations are encouraged.

What Makes a Strong Year in Review?

Successful proposals:

• Critically appraise high-impact emergency medicine pharmacotherapy literature from the previous year. 

• Highlight clinically relevant findings and emerging trends. 

• Discuss implications for emergency department practice and patient outcomes. 

• Present balanced, evidence-informed recommendations. 

• Engage the audience through clear organization and practical application. 

Submission Guidelines

Proposals should include:

Description (300 words maximum)

• Background 

• Literature or topic areas to be reviewed 

• Educational value and relevance to emergency medicine pharmacy practice 

Year in Review Plan (150 words maximum)

• Session organization 

• Allocation of presentation time 

• Approach to reviewing and synthesizing the literature