Lifestyle Exposures Which Affect Human Health:
First Line Therapy for Chronic Diseases

AAEM is seeking presentations for its upcoming annual meeting to be held in the Fall of 2013. These presentations should serve to educate and inform practitioners regarding the underlying environmental causes of chronic illness. Presentations should provide basic science knowledge regarding causative factors and the relevant pathophysiology. Your presentation should integrate the conference theme with one or more of the focus areas outlined below: Please also make sure that your presentation meets the proposal requirements.

STATEMENT OF NEED:

Lifestyle exposures are becoming increasingly recognized as a major emerging contributing cause to a host of common complex chronic health problems in our society, involving, Aging, Neurotoxicity, Immunotoxicity, Cancer, Endocrine Dysfunction, Cardiovascular Disease, and more. This dramatic rise points to environmental causes of and influences over these disorders and disease states. Understanding of environmental causes and contributions to chronic disease such as these is conspicuously absent from formal conventional medical training, including postgraduate training.  Practicing physicians must become familiar with the complex mechanisms behind these problems, as well as how to accurately diagnose and effectively treat them. This activity should prove relevant to MD, DO and ND physicians, as well as any other health care provider who works with chronic disease.

FOCUS AREA:

1. An overview of the scope of lifestyle exposures indoors and outdoors.


2. The pathophysiological mechanisms behind environmental exposures and toxicity.


3. A review of the major effects of lifestyle exposures upon the body's various biological systems, especially the nervous, immune, endocrine and cardiovascular system, cancer, and the aging process


4. How to perform the history and physical examination to detect the presence of environmental exposures


5. Laboratory testing to assess the patient for biomarkers of exposure and biomarkers for the effects of toxic exposures


6. How to treat environmental exposures: environmental controls, nutrition, detoxification, sauna/heat depuration, chelation of heavy metals, immunotherapy where applicable, etc


7. Psycho-neurological assessments and treatments for the effects of neurotoxicity


8. The medical and legal aspects of workman's compensation, social security disability, establishing causation, being an expert witness, and doing an independent medical examination


9. The political, legal, economic and social ramifications of lifestyle exposures upon our health system, families, and society in general

TIMELINE:

• March 25, 2013 -- Submission Deadline
• May 13, 2013 -- Selected session presenters notified
• August 5, 2013 -- Papers and presentations due to Content Review Council for validation
  Email presentation to defox@aaemonline.org. Changes may not be made to content, presenters, slides or delivery after upload.
• October 25 - 27, 2013 -- Live presentations

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

You will need to list three (3) session objectives in your proposal, so please have that information prepared prior to your submission. AAEM's 2013 Conference Objectives are listed below, and the information submitted in your proposal should address at least 1 of the objectives to help set the stage for AAEM's 48th Annual Meeting. We ask that you please ensure your presentation is unique to AAEM's conference; and that your presentation is not given to another organization or event at least two (2) months before/after AAEM's scheduled annual meeting dates (October 25 - 27, 2013).

1. Identify the important role the lifestyle exposures may play in many common chronic illnesses seen by many different specialties


2. Understand and synthesize the nature of the complex biologic mechanisms and principles that govern the manifestations and course of environmental exposures


3. Explain how to objectively suspect, accurately diagnose, and effectively and comprehensively treat environmental exposures in your patients


4. Recognize that the comprehensive approach of Environmental Medicine is the best way to consistently achieve effective and cost-effective care for your patients.

PREPARE YOUR INFORMATION BEFORE SUBMITTING

All information received, especially your abstract and bio, should be proofed for spelling and grammatical errors. Your submission will be reviewed by AAEM's Planning Committee UNALTERED nor corrected for typographical errors.
AAEM reserves the right to edit titles and content of your abstract submission. Information you should prepare includes:

• Faculty information for EACH presenter:
• Full Name, Credentials, Job Title, Address, Work and Fax Number

• Presentation Title
• Limited to 50 characters or less -- no exceptions may be made.
• LONG TITLES are discouraged, and may be edited by AAEM

• Presentation Description
• Limited to 100 words.
• If your presentation is selected, this description will be posted to AAEM's website

• Presentation Abstract
• What message are your trying to get across?
• Limited to a maximum of 4000 characters

• Bio for EACH Presenter
• Limited to a maximum of 2000 characters
• Written in paragraph format -- do not use a resume or CV as your bio
• Do not compose in the 1st person tense or list hobbies and/or personal family comments.  Bios for presenters selected will be posted to AAEM's website

REVIEW PROCESS

The AAEM planning committee provides the following information to help you understand how the committee will review your proposal. We want to help you develop your proposal in a way that will give you the best chance of receiving full consideration.

• AAEM Central Office receives session application and abstract paper via email
• Planning Committee members review each submission and rank it on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being least favorable and 5 being most favorable.
• When completing the review, the reviewers use the following criteria:
• How well does the proposal relate to the overall theme and at least one of the identified focus areas?
1. The proposal should offer a unique prospective or application that adds value for an attendee.
• Will your proposal attract a diverse and global audience?
• Did you address the following areas completely and thoroughly?
1. Learning outcomes are clearly identified.
2. The proposal demonstrates application of the content.
3. Proposal title matches the content of the presentation.
4. Proposal is free of commercialism.
5. The proposal abstract, description and learning outcomes will be used in the selection review process.
• Other areas of selection criteria include
1. Alignment to theme and areas of focus
2. Originality
3. Technical content, value and relevance
4. Timing to cover subject
5. Overlap with other sessions
6. Balance with overall conference

RESPONSIBILITY FOR EXPENSES: Presenters are responsible for ALL travel-related expenses (including hotel, travel, transportation, and meals).

COMPLIMENTARY Should your proposal be accepted and scheduled, you will receive a complimentary FULL CONFERENCE REGISTRATION.

EXPECTATIONS OF SELECTED PRESENTERS

If AAEM selects your presentation for its 2013 program, you must adhere to the following guidelines:

1. STANDARDS FOR COMMERCIAL SUPPORT: All presentations must adhere to the ACCME Standards for Commercial SupportSM. Presentations cannot promote products or services. The presentation must promote improvements in health care. Presentations that constitute promotion and advertising (including the use of logos) will not be considered. If the cost of any presentation is underwritten to any extent, a clear acknowledgement stating the support, identifying the source, and describing the methods for keeping the content unbiased should be included. Presentations that in any way promotes the commercial interest of a particular company, enterprise, or the author(s) may not be distributed or displayed. Statements made in the presentation are the sole responsibility of the author; and are not viewed as, or considered representative of, any formal position taken on any product, subject, or issue by AAEM.
2. DEADLINES: Deadlines have been established to submit your COMPLETE and FINAL PowerPoint presentation(s) to the AAEM. Your presentation must meet published specifications and guidelines. Please refrain from any direct marketing of products, services, software, or other commercial ventures in either your submitted PowerPoint, the session itself, or supportive session materials. All PowerPoints and/or session materials must be pre-approved by AAEM's Planning Committee prior to presentation.
3. CHANGES:  Plan your PowerPoint EARLY! No changes will be made by AAEM to the content, presenters, slides, or delivery after established dates.
4. POLICIES:  Presenter(s) agree to abide by AAEM's policies and procedures.
5. CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION: Presenter(s) agree to submit all required elements for Continuing Medical Education (CME) approval by the deadlines established by AAEM.

MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS

Each Speaker further agrees that:

• Only standalone presentation files such as PowerPoint will be used. No "pdf" of presentation slides can be accepted; only the original PowerPoint file.
• AV provided in session room: Windows based computer, 1 wired mic, single front-projection screen, and LCD projector will be provided for presentation.
• No other audiovisual (AV) equipment will be made available.  Overhead projectors and/or slide projectors are not permitted. Additional fees will be billed to speaker for any deviation from above AV as defined.
• Conference sessions will be recorded for possible inclusion in AAEM's Educational Resource Library or post-conference extended learning opportunities. Online access to the recorded session, presented in its entirety as a standalone session or packaged with other educational content, may be made available for purchase by individuals unable to attend part or all of the AAEM 48th Annual Meeting as well as individuals interested in the educational information presented.
• Conference PowerPoint or supplemental materials may be posted to AAEM's website for pre-show downloading and review. Files will be converted to the Adobe Acrobat PDF file format to allow registered attendees the opportunity to print handout copies for sessions attended.
• Respective PowerPoint or supplemental materials may be placed in AAEM's Educational Resource Library or post-conference extended learning opportunities for viewing by individuals interested in furthering their educational knowledge, while simultaneously earning Continuing Medical Education Credits (CME).
• Proposals constituting marketing pitches for products or services will be eliminated from the show. Improperly or inadequately prepared submissions will be eliminated from review.
• Make no changes to content, presenters, slides or delivery after submitting presentation.

SPEAKER CHANGES/CANCELLATIONS:

If an unexpected situation occurs where you have to request a change to your speaker status, or even cancel your speaking role, please notify AAEM's Executive Director or email defox@aaemonline.org