We invite abstracts for 75-minute panel and workshop sessions,  25-minute paper presentations (15 minutes for presentation, 10 minutes for discussion), and posters. We also invite student participation in an essay contest.  We encourage a diversity of disciplinary approaches including empirical work in this area.  Abstracts that address the conference theme (noted below) will receive priority, but we welcome submissions that address any issue at the intersection of medicine and religion. 

All proposals must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. CST, Sunday, October 16, 2022.   

At the Limits of Medicine: Caring for Body and Soul

Abstract Submission Guidelines

1. We invite abstracts for 75-minute panel and workshop sessions, 25 minute paper presentations (15 minutes for presentation, 10 minutes for discussion), and posters. We also invite student participation in an essay contest.  We encourage a diversity of disciplinary approaches including empirical work in this area.  Abstracts that address the conference theme will receive priority, but we welcome submissions that address any issue at the intersection of medicine and religion. 

     *A panel session should incorporate more than one perspective on a cohesive theme. The perspectives should compare and contrast and build on one another.  A moderator should also be designated. The submitted abstract should not exceed 1,200 words.

     *A workshop session should engage a practical topic of interest to the conference attendees. The format may include, for example, an extended teaching seminar on a skills development workshop.  In an abstract of no more than 1,200 words, explain the rationale, proposed format, and intended audience for the workshop, as well as the qualifications of the faculty.  Speak to how the workshop fits the conference theme and/or the conference's focus on the intersection of medicine and religion.  

     *A paper session should include a structured discussion or lecture based on a paper or a work-in-progress. The work presented may be empirical or theoretical, descriptive or normative. One or more authors may present, but either the first author or the senior author must present. The submitted abstract should not exceed 500 words. If the presentation is based on published material, the material must have been recently published (after March 1, 2021). You will have an opportunity during the submission process to indicate whether you would be willing to present your abstract as a poster.

     *A poster presentation should demonstrate or explain a concept, work of art, or empirical research project. The submitted abstract should not exceed 500 words.

     *Student essay submissions should be full papers of no more than 6,000 words relevant to the conference theme. The winner will present the paper at a parallel session during the conference and receive complimentary registration, lodging, and travel. An eligible student is defined as one who is actively pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree and has not received any prior doctorate level degree (e.g. MD, PhD, JD or equivalent degree). Coauthored papers are eligible only if all authors are students.

2. In order to allow for as many different qualified presenters as possible to participate, conference participants can make no more than two presentations at the meeting, of which only one can be a paper presentation. Moderating a panel counts as one presentation.  

3. When selecting a discipline for your submission please select just one of six disciplinary categories: Theology/Philosophy/Ethics; History/Literature; Social Sciences/Law; Empirical Research; Clinical and Pastoral Practice; or Interdisciplinary. Proposals can be submitted in the Interdisciplinary category when the work involves scholarship that crosses several academic areas. If your proposal has an interdisciplinary element but the focus of the presentation will not be the interdisciplinary nature of the work, please select another category. Proposals can be submitted in the Empirical Research category if the focus of your presentation will be the empirical study. If your proposal has an empirical component but the focus of your presentation is not the empirical component, please select another category.

4. Each submission will be reviewed by at least three colleagues in blinded process of peer review. To ensure the integrity of our review process please do not include identifying information in your abstract or on any attachments that you submit. Reviewers will be asked to rate the abstracts on: 

     *Contribution to existing knowledge: whether innovative or on a cutting edge topic

     *Significance: importance and relevance to the field of medicine and religion

     *Quality of the written communication

The final slate of abstracts is subject to approval by the conference planning committee.

5. All submissions are final. Accepted abstracts will be available electronically on the conference website.  We will not be able to accept changes to an abstract after the submission deadline.

6. Presenters are responsible for all personal expenses associated with their attendance. Presenters are required to register online for the conference by January 29, 2023 and should register for the whole conference or for the one day that the presenter is scheduled to speak. One day registration entitles the presenter to attend all sessions on the day he/she is registered only.  Submitting a proposal does not mean you are registered for the conference. A failure to register by the deadline may result in the presentation being removed from the program. In the case of multiple presenters, at least one must register before the deadline.

7. All proposals are due by 11:59 p.m. CST, Sunday, October 16, 2022.  Successful applicants will be notified in mid-December, 2022.