This information is for anyone interested in organizing a symposium for the 2011 Congress. Symposia is a place to discuss the most important issues facing epidemiologists. Symposia typically provide many of the best moments of epidemiologic meetings.

Some things to consider as you prepare your proposal:

• Symposia are 90 minutes long
• Symposia can cover a wide range of topics, from the latest in theoretical methods to public health policy. Symposia should not be primarily a series of resesarch presentations, which will be a major component of the Congress in the form of Spotlight Sessions
• The best symposia often have speakers with contrasting perspectives
• Audience discussion is often the liveliest part of symposia. Be sure to allow ample time - at least 20 minutes - for discussion. This can best be done by limiting the number of speakers to 2 or 3 - certainly no more than 4.
• All speakers must be clearly informed about their time limits. We do not have the option of allowing symposia to run past their allotted time.
• The Congress may provide up to $1000 to defray expenses of speakers who do not belong to any of the four primary sponsoring organizations (APHA, SER, CSEB, or ACE). Speakers who meet this criterion and plan to attend only the day of their session may also have their registration fee waived.
• Several symposia will be provided in each time block. To the extent possible, we will try to arrange the program so that symposia on similar topics will not compete. However, please understand that it is not always possible to avoid slight overlaps.

APPLICATIONS ARE DUE BY OCTOBER 31, 2010.

Follow this link to submit a Symposium Proposal