Poster Walks Guidelines and Application

Poster Walk Format

The 2024 ASH Annual Meeting Poster Walks highlight cutting-edge emerging science in hematology presented in the poster sessions during the meeting. A total of seven (7) ASH Poster Walks will be featured during the meeting with two (2) ASH Poster Walks taking place virtually and five (5) taking place in-person in collaboration with the Blood Journals Studio.

New this year: Given ASH's recent launch of Blood Neoplasia and Blood Vessels, Thrombosis & Hemostasis, and the upcoming launches of Blood Global Hematology, Blood Immunology & Cellular Therapy, andBlood Red Cells & Iron, applications submitted in these topic areas will be considered for an in-person poster walk in connection to these new publications. Details on the in-person poster walk will be shared with qualifying applicants following the review and approval process.

• Blood Neoplasia: Hematologic malignancies and associated disorders, including leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, Waldenström macroglobulinemia, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, myeloproliferative neoplasms, minimal residual disease, and precursor conditions
• Blood Vessels, Thrombosis & Hemostasis: Normal and abnormal hemostasis and vascular function, including acquired bleeding and thrombotic disorders and disorders involving the venous, arterial, and microvasculature
• Blood Global Hematology (coming soon): Hematology research that address issues with a global focus, including clinical cases in local settings that provide important insights into disease biology, diagnosis, or management, smaller-scale observational studies, and prospective studies using novel approaches to blood disorders that optimize resources 
• Blood Immunology & Cellular Therapy (coming soon): Immunotherapy, transplantation biology, transplantation, and immunodiagnostics
• Blood Red Cells & Iron (coming soon): Hematologic diseases involving the erythroid lineage including inherited and acquired anemias, nutritional anemias, sickle cell disease, thalassemia, malaria, immune-mediated anemias, and normal and ineffective erythropoiesis including myelodysplasia.

In general, upon approval, both the virtual “walk” and in-person Poster Walks can contain up to six posters and should be designed to include a brief overview of the selected abstracts, followed by an interactive question-and-answer period between the session organizers, abstract authors, and audience. The session organizers will be responsible for moderating the discussion and selecting four to six abstracts to be featured during the session.

Each Poster Walk will devote five minutes to introductions (led by the Chair), 30 minutes to summarizing the selected posters (delivered by each speaker), followed by up to 25 minutes of audience questions and answers with the poster authors and organizers. Each walk will be coordinated by a single organizer, who is responsible for submitting the application.

Poster Walk Schedule

Included below is the schedule for the 2024 ASH Poster Walks – in-person poster walks will take place at the Blood Journals Studio, located in the San Diego Convention Center, Halls GH.

All times listed are in Pacific time.

Each Poster Walk will be one hour long and scheduled to take place during any of the timeslots referenced above.

If a virtual Poster Walk is approved, the recording of the walk will be made available on the annual meeting virtual platform until 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. The in-person Poster Walks will not be recorded.

Chairs and Speakers

Registration for the ASH annual meeting is a prerequisite for organizing and/or moderating a Poster Walk.

Chairs and Moderators:

Each organizer of a Poster Walk is responsible for:

• Submitting a Poster Walk application by August 5, 2024:
  • The organizer will be required to include the following as part of their application:
  • Proposed title for the Poster Walk.
  • Brief rationale for the walk (in other words why is a Poster Walk on this topic relevant and how will the audience benefit from the walk).
  • Selection of appropriate abstract categories that the Poster Walk will include.
  • Up to eight keywords that will be used to generate a report with a reasonable number of abstracts for the walk.
  • NOTE: The organizer will NOT have to select abstracts at this point in time. If an application is approved, the organizer will be given access to embargoed annual meeting abstracts in late September. During this time, they will select posters to be featured in the walk.
• Session logistics once a walk is approved:
  • Early September: ASH staff will send notifications to organizers of approved walks (who will now serve as Chairs).
  • Late September: Chairs will be asked to select posters to be featured in their respective walks, after which the abstract authors will be notified.
  • Mid-to-late October: Abstract authors participating in the Poster Walks will be invited and confirmed.
  • Mid-November: ASH staff will organize planning calls with the Poster Walk Chair and their featured poster presenters to discuss session details and format.
  • December: Poster Walks take place during the scheduled times.

Speakers:

Poster Walk participants can participate in only one Poster Walk each year.

Oversight and Review

The ASH Committee on Scientific Affairs reviews all Poster Walk applications and makes recommendations to the Executive Committee for approval. The Committee on Scientific Affairs has direct oversight of Poster Walk program content development, organizers, and speakers. The Committee on Scientific Affairs reserves the right to alter the program if deemed appropriate.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Given ASH’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, each Poster Walk should involve people with diverse perspectives. The programs should strive for gender balance, international representation, inclusion of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and a mix of junior and senior investigators.

Given the Society’s commitment to the importance of clinical trial enrollment reflecting the spectrum of the general population at risk for the disease under investigation, ASH requests that demographic information regarding, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, or other relevant factors of enrolled subjects be included in Poster Walk presentations with a clinical trial focus, if this information is available. If some or all information is not available, the Society asks that presenters disclose in their oral presentation, the limitations that led to such data not being collected. 

Professionalism and Respect

All Poster Walk participants are required to adhere to ASH’s annual meeting code of conduct policies, and to use the following guidance on professionalism, when referencing colleagues during formal sessions in the meeting:

• If you are making an introduction, please include the individual’s name, institution, location, and credentials.
• Please use professional titles (“doctor” for those with MD and PhD degrees) when introducing or referencing colleagues during formal portions of the ASH annual meeting.
• It is important to pronounce names correctly, so be sure to confirm with speakers beforehand, particularly when in doubt.
• Please advocate the same principles to the audience during question and answer periods.

ASH Embargo Policy

Poster Walk organizers may not break the Annual Meeting Embargo Policy; only data contained within the accepted abstract may be discussed. Data beyond what is already contained within the published abstract is embargoed until the time of the poster presentation at the annual meeting and may not be discussed prior to that date.

Scientific Integrity

Transformative scientific research is an essential part of ASH’s mission. As such, ASH expects all scientific research presented or discussed during the ASH Poster Walks to conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Policy

Poster Walk organizers and abstract presenters will complete their conflict-of-interest (COI) disclosure in the ASH online speaker management system in accordance with ASH Conflict-of-Interest Policy. These disclosures will then be displayed during the presentation in accordance with ASH's Conflict of Interest Policy.

To minimize bias and manage potential conflicts of interests, Poster Walk organizers/Chairs are strongly discouraged from selecting abstracts in which they are actively involved as either a principal investigator, presenting or senior author.

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

Continuing medical education (CME) credits will not be offered at the Poster Walks.

Sponsorship

The Poster Walks are sponsored solely by ASH. Poster Walk organizers cannot solicit additional funding from corporate partners or other external sources. ASH reserves the right to raise additional funding for the Poster Walks. There will be no honoraria, or registration remittance, for Poster Walk Chairs or speakers.

Promotion of Poster Walks

Information about the Poster Walks will be displayed on the ASH website, in the annual meeting mobile app, the virtual meeting platform, and in the annual meeting Program Book. Attendees registering for the annual meeting may be asked whether they plan to attend any of the Poster Walks to collect participants’ information and project attendance. There is no additional charge to attend the Poster Walks. ASH will promote the Poster Walks in conjunction with its marketing for the annual meeting.