1. Why does AANP handle "industry sponsored" abstracts differently than others?
The AANP Conference awards CE credit for unopposed poster sessions. To meet continuing education standards, accredited content must be developed free of commercial influence. For this reason, it is essential that industry sponsored content is identified as such and that they be separated from the general poster area.
2. How is a determination made regarding whether or not a project is "industry sponsored"?
Most industry sponsored abstracts are submitted in response to the Industry Sponsored Call for Abstracts. However, on occasion, the general abstract reviewers identify an abstract as having potential industry influence. In this case, a determination regarding whether or not the abstract describes a project that best fits the "industry sponsored" category is usually made on an individual basis. This often requires consulting the submitting author to determine the degree of control associated with any commercial funding received in support of the project. For example, if the project director received some unrestricted support for a project, but maintained full control over the design, implementation, and analysis of a project, it is unlikely to be designated as "industry sponsored". Conversely, if it is determined that the support introduced some bias or control to the project described, it will be categorized as "industry-sponsored".
3. How are the industry sponsored posters separated from the general poster area?
The actual arrangement of the poster area varies from year-to-year, based on the space available. However, there is typically a space between the NP Posters and Industry Sponsored Posters, often with some seating to separate the poster displays. Another distinction is that each industry sponsored poster is provided an 8x10' area, rather than just a standard poster display board.
4. What qualifications are required of the industry sponsored presenters?
The presenter must have the educational and/or experiential background to support their ability to present the poster, discussing the findings and implications with attendees. The person submitting an abstract for the industry-sponsored poster session need not be an NP.
5. How many industry sponsored abstracts can one individual submit?
While an individual may submit multiple abstracts, each "1st author" is limited to only one poster although he/she can be listed as the contributor for other posters.
6. Why is the number of posters which one "1st author" can present limited?
The presenters are expected to be available at their poster to dialogue with conference attendees during the manned poster sessions. For this reason, a presenter can only adequately cover one poster at a time.