Annual TB Conference: The Union - NAR

2024 NAR/NTCA Tuberculosis Conference

April 16-19, 2024

Baltimore, MD

CALL FOR POSTER ABSTRACTS  

Deadline for Submissions: November 28, 2023 

POSTER ABSTRACT SUBMISSION 

We welcome the submission of poster abstracts containing research on all aspects of tuberculosis prevention and care, including epidemiological, clinical, basic science, nursing, social, behavioral, psychosocial, and educational studies, as well as outcomes of program initiatives to address issues like health equity/health disparities and the programmatic response to the recent influx of immigrants into North America. Abstracts must be submitted in accordance with these guidelines.   

Poster Presentations 

• All poster abstracts submitted will be reviewed and scored by two reviewers. 
• The highest-ranked abstracts will be considered for oral presentation; all other abstracts will be accepted for poster presentation. 
• Abstracts of limited quality and those lacking results will not be accepted. 
• At least one author of the abstract must register for the conference by February 29, 2024 and attend the conference. 

Abstract Content  

• Abstracts may be written in English, French, or Spanish; however, we encourage posters to be in English. 
• Abstracts must be a maximum of 300 words*, excluding title, headings, and authors’ names and affiliations (*Please note this is a change for 2024 - previously, NTCA accepted abstracts of 350 words and NAR requested 250 words.) 
• The body of the abstract should contain the following sections (Note: section names should be included in the abstract, and written in all CAPITAL LETTERS): 

• TITLE 
• AUTHORS (last names and initials only, omit degrees), institutions, city, country (omit street address and zip/postal code); underline the name of presenting author 
• BACKGROUND 
• DESIGN/METHODS or INTERVENTION/RESPONSE 
• RESULTS (Give both numbers and proportions where applicable) 
• CONCLUSION 

Abstracts that do not adhere to the required format and work limit will be excluded from consideration.  

Abstracts may involve scientific research or public health practice, in the following categories: 

Category 1: Scientific research 

This category includes clinical, programmatic translational, and operational research. 

It is recommended that the abstracts in Category 1 be organized using the following sections: 

• Background: State study objectives, study questions, or a description of the challenge addressed by the research. 
• Design/Methods: State the setting, methods, desired outcomes, procedures, and techniques used to collect and analyze information. Include a description of participants, procedures, measures, and appropriate statistical analyses. 
• Results: Present specific findings to date. 
• Conclusion: State the implications of the results and key recommendations. Present specific findings on how the research addressed the study, question, or challenge. Highlight opportunities for future research as well as implications for further research for TB prevention and care programs. 

Category 2: Public health practice/education and training 

This category includes, but is not limited to, the following: TB clinical care, including new treatment regimens, TB epidemiology and surveillance, TB nurse case management, LTBI reporting and surveillance, TB outcomes of program initiatives, TB diagnostic and laboratory updates Contact investigations and large outbreak reporting, use of eDOT and other technologies to deliver care. 

It is recommended that the abstracts in Category 2 be organized using the following sections (if an abstract cannot address these sections, it is not eligible for submission): 

• Background: What is the reason for implementation? What is the problem being addressed? Identify the context and the specific challenges to program implementation. Describe the activity, program, or policy by which the issue was addressed. Describe target populations, geographic sites/locations and scale and type of activity or service. 
• Intervention/Response: How was the challenge overcome? Detail the methods, activities and implementation steps used to overcome the challenge. Describe the methods, procedures and techniques used to collect and analyze information that informed your conclusions. Identify the course of action used to address program implementation issues.  
• Results: What are the lessons learned? Describe the results and impact of the project. Explain the potential application or benefit to other programs. Describe what worked and what did not work and the evidence that led to this determination. 
• Conclusions: State the implications of the effective public health practice and key recommendations. Highlight opportunities for future program practice, as well as implications for other programs or settings. 

Scoring Criteria 

Note: The 2024 TB Conference Abstract Committee has elected to embrace The Union (IUATLD) scoring criteria. The scoring rubric can be found here.   

Relevance (Weight 1.0) 0-5 points 

Methods/Intervention or Response (Weight 1.0) 0-5 points 

Results/Impact (Weight 1.0) 0-5 points 

Clarity of the Message (Weight 0.5) 0-5 points 

Originality (Weight 0.5) 0-5points

Total: 20 points 

Top Scoring Abstract Award 

This award will be given to the abstract with the highest score based on the scoring system and submitted by a student, trainee, fellow, or a junior professional (with < 5 years of professional experience in TB Care and Prevention). This includes nurses, physicians, epidemiologists, public health professionals, researchers, etc. 

Submission 

We are developing an online portal for submission of the 2023 poster abstracts.  We anticipate that the portal will be open by early November. Deadline to submit is November 28, 2023. 

Use of Non-stigmatizing Language 

The Union-NAR and NTCA are committed to promoting patient-centered, non-stigmatizing language in conference abstracts and presentations, and therefore requests that you follow the guidance laid out in the Stop TB Partnership’s publication: Suggested Language and Usage for Tuberculosis (TB) Care, Communications and Publications. 

Deadline for Submission: November 28, 2023 

Notification 

• We will notify the submitting author of acceptance for oral (if requested) or poster presentation or rejection no later than December 20, 2023. 
• Abstracts may be accepted immediately, or conditionally. If accepted conditionally, we will contact you with instructions for revisions needed, or to provide assistance. If you may need assistance, we encourage you to submit your abstract early (at least 2 weeks before the deadline) and request assistance. 
• All accepted abstracts will be published in the meeting proceedings. 
• Please note: If the abstract is accepted for oral presentation, authors will be required to submit presentations for review by February 29, 2024. Oral presentations will be limited to 7 minutes in length, with 3 minutes for discussion. Presenters of abstracts selected for oral presentation must also sign a conflict-of-interest disclosure form. This form will be provided to the authors and must be submitted along with the presentation. 

In addition to the opportunity to submit poster abstracts, the 2024 TB Conference will also include opportunities to discuss challenging clinical cases and challenging programmatic issues facing TB programs with a panel of TB experts. Additional information about this opportunity will be shared soon.   

For Additional information, contact:  

Menn Biagtan, MD, MPH Conference Secretariat 

T: 604.731.5864 

E: biagtan@bclung.ca 

Sherry Brown 

NTCA TB Conference Coordinator 

T: 678-503-0503 

E: sbrown.ntca@gmail.com