2021 Lectures and Workshops Program

The Lectures and Workshops Committee invites you to participate in the educational program at Academy 2021 Boston by submitting course proposals for consideration. Academy 2021 Boston will take place November 3-6, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

In particular, we encourage the submission of new and innovative courses, interprofessional courses with collaboration with other healthcare disciplines, as well as novel course topics so that we may continue to offer a cutting-edge and original educational program. Please consider submitting an Academy Classroom Exchange (ACE) course proposal, which is our newest course format that will offer attendees a small group learning experience with emphasis on maximizing discussion and interaction with the course presenter(s).

Up to four (4) of the following course proposals can be submitted provided that at least one (1) of the proposals is from a workshop or ACE course.

Lecture (traditional)
Rapid Fire Lecture
ACE Course (Academy Classroom Exchange)
Workshop

Please note that the limit of four proposals includes those in which you are a co-author. Additional submissions after the first four will NOT be considered. Non-credit course submissions are exempt from the four course submission maximum.

A Grand Rounds presentation is a great opportunity to gain speaking experience for first time Academy presenters. In addition to the four (4) courses listed above, you may also submit up to three (3) cases for the Grand Rounds sessions.

Courses should present information to enhance optometric patient care management. Presentations should not actively promote or advertise products or corporate interests. With competitive topics, course submissions by Academy Fellows will receive selection preference.

Due to the recent increase in virtual education as a result of the pandemic, submitters may provide an optional Vimeo or YouTube link of virtual CE presented in the specified field on the submissions form to assist the Lectures and Workshops Committee with evaluating a speaker's ability. This is highly encouraged for new speakers or first time Academy presenters.

We ask your continued help in maintaining the quality and spirit of the Academy annual meeting. As opposed to many speaking engagements that might be fly-in / fly-out affairs, presenters at the Academy are expected to register and fully participate in the many events and activities of the annual meeting. This allows the education and camaraderie to extend beyond the lecture hall and permeate the meeting. We thank you for your commitment to honor the “Spirit of the Academy” with your participation this year.

Types of Submissions

Lectures

Rapid Fire (RF)

Academy Classroom Exchange (ACE)

Workshops (WK)

Grand Rounds (GR)

Lectures may be scheduled for one or two hours (one hour submissions are preferred).
The total number of speakers in a lecture should not exceed more than four.
Speakers will receive an honorarium of $400 per lecture hour, to be equally split amongst all co-authors.
CVs and financial disclosures for all speakers listed are required.
An outline of 1 ½ pages per lecture hour, is required. View a sample course outline.
Two hour lectures may be designated as Continuing Education with Examination (CEE, formerly known as TQ), as long as permission is indicated on the lecture submission and the presenter is willing to submit test questions to accompany this lecture.

Please reference the Topics, Compensation, COPE, and Conditions of Participation sections below for more information.

The goal of Rapid Fire courses is to provide fast paced, attention holding talks while still providing excellent educational content. To succeed, these must be well coordinated, smooth continuous talks, all concluding within the allotted time. The lead author should create a single complete presentation as time will not allow switching to new, separate presentations every 12-16 minutes.

Rapid Fire courses involve 3 or 4 presenters for a 1 hour submission, with each speaker covering a specific portion of the same overall topic area.

For a 1 hour Rapid Fire course with 3 speakers, each speaker would present once for 16 minutes on a specific portion of the topic.
For a 1 hour Rapid Fire course with 4 speakers, each speaker would present once for 12 minutes on a specific portion of the topic.
The entire 1 hour proposal should be submitted by the primary author, and include the presentations and CVs of all presenters.

Rapid Fire courses can be submitted in any of the topic sections. Please be sure to check the “Rapid Fire” box on the lecture submission form if you want the submission to be considered as a Rapid Fire course.

The Academy recognizes that not all continuing education is suited for delivery in a large ballroom. Therefore, ACE courses will provide small group learning experiences that will maximize discussion and interaction with the course presenter.
ACE courses will be limited to 1 hour.
The total number of speakers in an ACE course should not exceed more than two.
Attendance will be limited to 36 attendees to facilitate discussion and interaction.
Attendees must pre-register for these courses and pay $25 per course to reserve their spot.
Presenters are expected to prepare the course presentation to maximize attendee participation and interaction. Question and answer sessions or other engaging activities should be embedded within the presentation to enhance the exchange of information with attendees.

Workshop proposals should clearly indicate that all attendees will be provided with hands-on experiences in techniques and procedures.
Workshops may be scheduled for two or three hours.
Lecture time during the workshop must not exceed ten (10) minutes.
Workshop size is limited to a maximum of 24 attendees.
You must indicate whether workshop participants will have to sit as subjects for other attendees or whether you will provide paid subjects.
The Academy will provide subject reimbursement of $50 per person and a maximum of $400 per workshop.
Instructors will be personally responsible for providing the necessary subjects, specimens, instrumentation, supplies, and other equipment to conduct their workshop. The exception is slit lamps which will be obtained by the Lectures and Workshops Committee. Slit lamp based workshops must use the slit lamps provided by the Lectures and Workshops Committee and instructors are prohibited from arranging use of other slit lamps.
The Academy must be notified of any additional equipment requiring power that will be utilized during your workshop.
Workshops are intended to be educational in nature only. Therefore, industry vendors are prohibited from being present during the course of workshops. Further, marketing or sales of goods or materials are prohibited during workshops.
Audio-visual equipment MUST be requested. The Academy will provide audio-visual equipment upon request by the workshop presenter. There is no standard set for workshops.
The instructor is responsible for setting up equipment and materials 25 minutes before the workshop, unless your workshop is back-to-back with another workshop.
The Academy will assign a Committee member to assist workshop presenters with preparations for the program.

Grand Rounds are clinical case reports and a great opportunity for first time Academy presenters to gain speaking experience.
Select Grand Rounds as your topic area, with a specified time of 17 minutes. Do NOT select the COPE category as your topic area.
Up to 3 cases can be submitted per person and these do not count against the 4 course proposal limit for the Lectures & Workshops program.
Speakers will receive an honorarium of $130.
Due to strict time limitations, there can only be one author listed for each submission (no co-authors are allowed).
PowerPoint is required for presentations.
Presenters must adhere to HIPAA rules regarding patient privacy and disclosure of patient identifiers.
Please note that the Academy is currently in the process of expanding the Grand Rounds program to include a virtual presentation in June 2021 so it is possible that your submission may be selected as a virtual presentation at another time of the year other than the annual meeting.

Grand Rounds Case Report Format

Each case report is required to begin with an abstract, limited to 35 words (present tense), describing the uniqueness of the case that merits presentation at the Grand Rounds. The case report should be a minimum of 2 pages, and no longer than 3 page and should include the following information:

I. Case History

    Patient demographics
    Chief complaint
    Ocular, medical history
    Medications
    Other salient information

II. Pertinent findings

    Clinical
    Physical
    Laboratory studies
    Radiology studies
    Others

III. Differential diagnosis

    Primary/leading
    Others

IV. Diagnosis and discussion

    Elaborate on the condition
    Expound on unique features

V. Treatment, management

    Treatment and response to treatment
    Refer to research where appropriate
    Bibliography, literature review encouraged

VI. Conclusion

    Clinical pearls, take away points if indicated

Academy.21 Meeting Apps

Moderated Q&A Session

Several presenters had great success using the Academy.20 Moderated Q&A feature during Academy 2020 At Home. This feature allows attendees to submit questions through the app that the presenter can review and answer during or after the presentation. Questions and answers approved by the instructor are available for all attendees to view on the app.

View a Tutorial

Course Handouts Required

If your submission is accepted you are required to submit your final electronic handout by September 22, 2021. Please provide your handouts in PDF format, 1 slide per page, maximum file size of 2 MB.

Program Guidelines

Topics

Compensation

COPE

Conditions of Participation

Course selection is based on topical interest, outline content, and course originality within mainline optometric education and practice. Topics are arranged based on COPE categories. Please submit courses in the most appropriate COPE category; courses will be moved into a more appropriate category area if necessary.

Binocular Vision / Pediatrics (BV)
Contact Lenses (CL)
General Optometry (GO)
Glaucoma (GL)
Grand Rounds (GR)
Injection Skills (IS)
Jurisprudence (JP)
Laser Procedures (LP)
Low Vision (LV)
Neuro-Optometry (NO)
Peri-Operative Management of Ophthalmic Surgery (PO)
Pharmacology (OP)
Practice Management (PM)
Principles of Diagnosis (PD)
Public Health (PH)
Refractive Surgery Management (RS)
Systemic/Ocular Disease (SD)
Surgical Procedures (SP)
Treatment and Management of Anterior Segment Disease (AS)
Treatment and Management of Posterior Segment Disease (PS)
Workshop (WK)

Lectures may be one or two hour segments. The teaching stipend for lectures is $400.00 for each hour of lecture or workshop independent of the number of instructors.
- An additional $100 per hour will be paid to instructors whose courses are designated as Continuing Education with Examination (CEE) (formerly known as Transcript Quality (TQ). These courses must include test questions on material presented and these questions will be requested after the course is accepted.
Workshops may be designated for one, two or three hour courses. The teaching stipend for workshops is $400 for each hour independent of the number of instructors.
Grand Rounds speakers will receive $130 per 17 minute presentation.

You have the option of donating your honorarium to the American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF). In making this tax-deductible contribution, you support the Academy’s Foundation to fund optometric research and education.

The American Academy of Optometry is a COPE (Council on Optometric Practitioner Education) Qualified Administrator, and all courses submitted for consideration will, upon acceptance, be submitted for COPE approval. If the course you are proposing is already COPE-approved, please indicate the COPE course number where indicated on the proposal form.

The dates for submission of proposals will be January 2 – February 1, 2021. The submission window closes February 1 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. Courses must be submitted following the instructions on the Academy website. Submissions will not be accepted in any other manner.
A complete course submission consists of a course outline (Your outline must be a MINIMUM of 1 ½ pages per course hour. View a sample outline), an up-to-date CV of each instructor not exceeding 5 pages, and a completed proposal form. A valid email address for each instructor must be provided. Consent, disclosures and all other information on the proposal form must be completed for a course to be considered for Academy 2021 Boston. Course outlines must provide enough detail to allow the Lectures and Workshops Committee to determine if the course is suitable for presentation at the Academy meeting. Many topics are highly competitive and courses with updated, detailed outlines will be given selection preference.
In the interest of clarity for the attendees, please ensure that your course title is succinct and accurately reflects the course content. Course titles may be shortened or edited as deemed appropriate by the Lectures and Workshops Committee.
Standard audio visual equipment for lectures includes the following: laptop computer; LCD projector; one Lavaliere microphone; one podium microphone; one laser pointer. No MAC adaptors will be provided.
Please list any possible conflicts of interest. More submissions are rejected for omitting known conflicts than for having conflicts.
Indicate whether or not your lecture or workshop would qualify for Therapeutic CE credit as defined by AAO. A “therapeutic course” is one in which the diagnosis and management of patients with eye disease/trauma or ocular manifestations of systemic disease is clearly indicated as THE PRIMARY course objective by the speaker.
You must agree to present the accepted lecture or workshop at the time(s) scheduled by the Lectures and Workshops Committee. If you have scheduling conflict(s) that you are aware of, please indicate these in the comments box at the time of submission. Once scheduled, course times cannot be changed.
Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE) Approval: All courses that are not already COPE approved will be submitted by AAO for COPE approval. COPE may contact instructors directly regarding a course. Instructors must make every effort to respond to requests as necessary to achieve COPE qualification.
You must register for the meeting prior to the event (no on-site registration). You will receive a reduced registration fee (which will automatically populate when you register) for Academy 2021 Boston not including the cost of workshops, leadership courses or banquet tickets. If you wish to attend any workshop or ACE course, you must pre-register and pay the appropriate fee.
You must stay at an Academy-contracted hotel to receive your stipend.
You must register separately for the banquet if you are planning to attend this event, and must pay the fees indicated on the registration form.
You MUST indicate whether or not permission is granted to offer your course (only two hour courses can be considered) for Continuing Education with Examination (CEE, formerly transcript quality, TQ) credit. If you agree to this and your course is selected, you will provide the Academy with twenty (20) multiple-choice questions and answers. These questions are for inclusion in a CEE examination, which will be administered by the Academy or its designated representative. An additional stipend of $100 per course hour is paid to presenters of CEE courses.
The primary instructor will be notified in March 2021, if the proposal has been accepted or rejected. Please inform your co-authors of acceptance! All authors must accept the terms of presentation by logging into the Academy website.

Submission Deadline

The open enrollment period for course submissions will take place January 2 - February 1, 2021. The submission window closes Monday, February 1 at 5 PM ET.

Due to the large number of submissions, late submissions will NOT be considered. Due to the sometimes fickle nature of computer and online systems, we strongly suggest that you plan ahead and not wait until the deadline to submit your course.

If you have any questions or difficulty with the online course submission process, please contact Christina Velasquez at 321-319-4865 or ChristinaV@aaoptom.org.

Resources

Sample Course Outline