Scientific Workshops Guidelines and Application

ASH is looking forward to its Scientific Workshops in 2024! The purpose of these workshops is to have interactive discussions on the latest scientific developments in a particular field of hematology.

For questions about the 2024 Scientific Workshops application process, please contact [email protected].

The purpose of the Scientific Workshops is to have interactive discourse on the latest scientific developments in hematology.

Each workshop should include brief presentations of primary basic/translational data followed by an interactive discussion, distinct from the clinical sessions offered at the Friday Satellite Symposia.

Oversight and Review

The ASH Committee on Scientific Affairs (CSA) reviews all Scientific Workshop applications and makes recommendations to the Program and Executive Committees for approval. Each workshop application will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Basic science to translational research focus of the proposed topic.
• Novelty of the workshop and topics to be discussed. · Alignment with ASH’s Research Agenda.
• Completeness of the application (including a full program with tentative topics and speakers)
• Interactive component of the workshop (i.e., built in panel discussion and Q&A with the audience as one example).
• Engagement of junior investigators.
• Diversity of proposed speakers.
• Compliance of workshop organizers with ASH policies.
• Incorporation of new topics or new research areas (for recurring applications).
• Turnover of workshop organizers on a regular basis (for recurring applications).
• Community engagement beyond just the workshop (for recurring applications).

The Committee on Scientific Affairs has direct oversight of the workshop program content development, organizers, and speakers. The Committee on Scientific Affairs has the right to alter the program if deemed appropriate.

If workshops with overlapping subjects are submitted, the Committee on Scientific Affairs will ask the organizers to consider consolidating the workshop to ensure high attendance and audience participation.

Audience

The target audience should be laboratory-based investigators interested in a specific scientific area of hematology. The workshop’s presentations and discussions must focus on basic science rather than clinical application (although clinical and/or translational research may be mentioned in this context). Presentations on clinical applications or treatment strategies fall under the purview of the Friday Satellite Symposia.

Workshop Format

The 2024 Scientific Workshops will take place as live in-person events on Friday, December 6. The workshops will be broadcast simultaneously on the virtual annual meeting platform for attendees participating virtually.

*New in 2024* To facilitate the review and execution of each of the scientific workshops it is required that all approved workshops follow the same format which will include short didactic lectures (10-minutes or less) and a panel discussion and Q&A with all speakers and the audience at the end of each session. Each workshop will be 3 hours and session chairs will be encouraged to use tools such as audience polling to further enhance interactivity in the session. Note that this unique presentation format distinguishes the Scientific Workshops from other components of the ASH annual meeting (e.g., Scientific or Educational Program).

Speakers are encouraged to refer to upcoming abstracts at the ASH annual meeting to increase attendance but are not permitted to pre-present those specific abstracts. Primary data presented at the workshop must be substantially different from data that which will be presented during the current ASH annual meeting. However, an overview of data from an ASH abstract can serve as an introduction to the scientific content of a workshop presentation.

Following the workshops, the recording of each entire workshop will be made available on the annual meeting platform until 11:59 p.m. PT on Wednesday, January 1, 2025.

Chairs, Moderators, and Speakers

Registration for the ASH annual meeting is a prerequisite for moderating and/or chairing a scientific workshop. Likewise, speakers must be registered to attend the ASH annual meeting.

Chairs and Moderators:

The chair and/or moderator of a scientific workshop is responsible for developing a full workshop program (that aligns with the format referenced above) for approval by the Committee on Scientific Affairs. Not complying with this requirement may result in the rejection of the workshop application.

In addition, it is the responsibility of the chair or moderator to ensure that their speakers:

• Have not committed to speak at or chair another scientific workshop;
• Have not committed to speak at, chair, or moderate any Friday Satellite Symposia.

Speakers:

ASH annual meeting speakers or abstract presenters may be considered for a role in any of the workshops (e.g., chair, moderator, speaker, panelist); however, workshop participants can participate in only one workshop each year. It is important to note that Friday Satellite Symposia speakers and chairs will not be able to participate in any scientific workshop role.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Given ASH’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, each workshop’s program should involve people with diverse perspectives. The programs should strive for gender balance, international representation, inclusion of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and institutional and geographic diversity. Speaker selection should demonstrate the broad involvement of junior 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 Scientific Workshop 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. 

ASH Embargo Policy

Workshop participants may not break the ASH Annual Meeting abstract embargo; 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 abstract presentation at the annual meeting and may not be discussed at the workshop.

The workshop, however, may preview topics that will be discussed in more detail at posters and simultaneous oral sessions in the ASH annual meeting, and invite attendance at those abstract presentations.

COI Disclosure Policy

Workshop co-chairs, session moderators, and speakers will fill out 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 Conflict of Interest Policy.

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 Scientific Workshop program Program to conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

CME

Continuing medical education (CME) credits will not be offered at the scientific workshops.

Scientific Workshops Fees

Organizers will be responsible for all expenses associated with the workshop beyond what is provided by ASH.

ASH will provide the following:

• Meeting room.
• Basic audio-visual equipment and technician for the duration of the workshop.
• Designated staff person to be a logistics point person for the organizers.
• No food and beverage will be provided and/or permitted in or around the workshop room.

Sponsorship

The Scientific Workshops will be sponsored solely by ASH. Workshop organizers cannot solicit additional funding from corporate partners or other external sources. ASH reserves the right to raise additional funding for the scientific workshops. There will be no honoraria, registration remittance, travel support, or lodging support for workshop chairs, session moderators, or speakers.

Promotion of Scientific Workshops

Information about the workshops 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 workshops (at no additional cost) to collect participants’ information and project attendance. ASH will promote the workshops in conjunction with its marketing for the annual meeting.

The workshop organizers are encouraged to do their own marketing/outreach to previous participants. However, marketing/outreach must comply with the following guidelines:

• ASH must review and approve all promotional materials produced in conjunction with the scientific workshops, including invitations, announcements, flyers, websites, and signs. These should be sent to the ASH liaison appointed for that workshop.