As American culture becomes increasingly polarized, the need for interdisciplinary collaboration, high-quality research, and ethical practices grows ever stronger. How can the past guide our present? How can diverse perspectives offer unique insights into perennial issues? We encourage you to explore the intersections between bioethics and humanities and consider how their intersection may be greater than the sum of their parts.

If you would like to discuss recent national policy changes, collaborate on problem-solving solutions, or otherwise engage in productive discourse with the ASBH community, we strongly encourage you to submit a proposal and help us develop spaces for up-to-the-minute scholarship and practice.

Important information on proposal submissions and submission types can be found below. In order to submit any proposal, you will be prompted for your ASBH website login credentials; if you do not have an ASBH website account, you will have the opportunity to create one.

The call for proposals closed on 5 PM CT, Monday, March 10, 2025. 

• As you submit your proposal, you should be aware that ASBH is unable to accommodate requests for specific dates and times, as any rescheduling has a serious cascading effect on other presenters. If your proposal is accepted, you should be prepared to pay for registration and attend the meeting on the day on which your presentation is scheduled.
• All presenters are required to complete a registration form, pay the registration fee, and cover all travel and personal expenses. For information on ASBH’s Guest Speaker Policy, visit the FAQ page. Only submit proposals including presenters who will agree to register and pay to attend the conference in Portland.
• ASBH has a “two submission” rule. You can submit no more than two abstracts (including flash presentations) or be included in no more than two workshops, panels, debates, or performances submitted by others. This rule does not apply to pre-/post-conference workshop presenters or to non-presenting co-authors of papers or flash presentations.
• ASBH has a “two presentation” rule. You may present no more than two times during a meeting. This rule does not apply to pre-/post-conference workshop presenters, non-presenting co-authors of paper or flash presentations, or presenters at affinity group meetings. 
• All presenters must complete a disclosure of any financial interests or other relationships that could be considered a conflict of interest.
• Keep a copy of your proposal and proposal submission confirmation. 
• In order for your proposal to be considered “complete” and entered into the review process, you must click the “submit” button at the top right of the proposal page. In order to submit your proposal, all proposal tasks must be completed. You will receive a confirmation email when you have submitted your proposal successfully.
• If the conference switches to a virtual or hybrid model due to unforeseen circumstances, you may be asked to reformat your presentation for the virtual landscape.

New This Year

Each year, the Program Committee reviews feedback from ASBH volunteers, reviewers, and attendees and incorporates this feedback into our latest Call for Proposals. Here's a quick look at some of the major changes from last year:

• Category Update: The Program Committee has recognized the role that history, religion, and culture play in the humanities, and it has opted to fold this category into the broader Health Humanities category. The Program Committee has also provided descriptions for each category to make it easier for you to select the right category for your work.
• Pre- or Post-Conference Workshops: Those who are interested in hosting in-depth workshops with a longer format may now indicate whether they would prefer to offer their sessions before or after the traditional conference programming schedule.

Submission Requirements

Be sure to allow time to collect all the following information before the submission deadline. You must provide all the information requested to complete your submission. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed.

All abstracts, except enrichment hubs and pre-/post-conference workshops, should be prepared for an anonymous review process, so be sure to remove all identifying information, including institutional affiliations, in the body of the abstract text. Abstracts with identifying information will not be reviewed. The Program Committee may unblind proposal submissions in the final stage of the review process.

For each presentation, you must submit the following pieces of information:

• title
• preferred presentation format
• topic category
• abstract
• 2-3 learning objectives
• 1-3 keywords

For each presenter and co-author

• name
• credentials
• institution name, city, and state
• email address*
• phone number
• first-time presenter status 

*Please provide the most up-to-date email address possible and consider using your personal email address if your institution may change during the year. Abstract notification status and presentation updates are communicated via email ONLY, and it is extremely important that email addresses (submitters, presenters, and co-authors) are current.

Audience Engagement Strategies

If your proposal is a workshop, panel, debate, or performance, you will be asked to provide a brief description of the strategies you will use to engage the audience during the session. (250 word limit) 

Diverse Discipline Submissions

If your workshop, panel, debate, or performance brings together speakers from diverse disciplines to examine or demonstrate the intersection of health humanities and bioethics related to your topic, please provide a brief explanation. (250 word limit) 

Submission Formats

Submit your proposal in one format only. Do not revise your proposal and submit it in multiple formats. If you are experiencing issues with the submission system, please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. before submitting your proposal under the incorrect format.

The Program Committee strongly encourages you to consider audience engagement strategies and formats as you develop your proposal. The Program Committee may give preference to interactive or engaging formats, such as enrichment hubs, workshops, or debates.

Allowable formats include:

Enrichment Hubs

These sessions or asynchronous activities are thought-provoking, engaging opportunities that do not fit into a traditional session format, to be offered outside the traditional breakout session schedule. Possible ideas include, but are not limited to, problem-solving sessions, storytelling events, collaborative artistic pieces or exhibitions, collaborative events with a local organization or institution, service projects, and organized networking opportunities. Submitters will be asked to indicate the length of time needed for their session, any required resources, and a point of contact for any collaborating organizations. These submissions do not need to be anonymized for the peer review process.

Pre- and Post-Conference Workshops

These sessions are offered as extra-cost events before or after the annual conference’s standard programming. Pre- and post-conference workshops focus on teaching content that is actionable and provides tools, information, and knowledge that can be applied by attendees in their own work. These sessions can vary in length and, if accepted, may be grouped into a series with similar presentations. This format may be ideal for actionable content that goes into more depth than a 60-minute workshop allows. These submissions will not be anonymized for the peer review process.

Debates

These sessions provide an opportunity to present opposing views about a topic. Debates are limited to 4 presenters. One presenter will serve as a moderator to introduce the issue/topic and the other presenters, each presenting alternative approaches or views to the issue/topic. Proposal abstract should include the issue/topic to be debated, the structure of the debate, descriptions of the major points likely to be argued by each presenter, and the general qualifications of each presenter (without compromising anonymity) to ensure a fair debate. You are required to list at least two presenters; you must indicate which panelist will serve as a moderator. Debates are 60 minutes, and presenters must incorporate at least 15 minutes for audience interaction, questions, and response.

Flash Presentations

In this “flash” presentation format, one individual will have 5 minutes to present 3 slides: one with a title and their name and institution, a second with key points on a work-in-progress or a completed project, and a third with a bibliography. Each 60-minute session will include presentations by up to 8 individuals, followed by a period for individual conversations with each presenter. Members of the ASBH Board of Directors will moderate presentations, transitions between speakers, and interactions with the audience. This format may be especially appropriate for projects that might otherwise be presented on a traditional poster.

Panel Presentations

Panel presentations compare and contrast a variety of perspectives on a cohesive theme or include presentations that are cross-disciplinary and build on one another. Panels are limited to 4 presenters who should be from multiple disciplines. One of these 4 presenters will serve as a moderator, and will be responsible for teeing up the discussion, introducing the presenters, keeping the session on schedule, and facilitating questions and answers as time allows. You are required to list at least two presenters; you must indicate which panelist will serve as a moderator. Panel presentations are 60 minutes.

Paper Presentations

In this format, one individual will have 15 minutes to present a brief structured discussion or lecture based on a work-in-progress or a paper whose central, substantive content has not been previously published, followed by 5 minutes to address questions from the audience. Three paper presentations will be grouped in a 60-minute session.

Performances or Exhibitions

These sessions feature work created to be performed or exhibited and invite the audience to reflect critically and in a scholarly manner on relevant issues/topics. Possible formats include, but are not limited to, staged dramatic performances, readers’ theater, movement-based compositions, exhibitions, 2D work, 3D work, projection, sound art, and readings of original work. Performances or Exhibitions may be proposed by one or more presenters and may include more than one performance/exhibition, in which case identifying a critical theme that connects the pieces is strongly recommended. Sessions are 60 minutes and must incorporate at least 15 minutes for audience interaction, questions, and/or other opportunities for response. Proposals should include space requirements and other relevant specifications. These sessions are limited to 4 presenters. We regret that no additional funding is available for producing performance sessions.

Workshops

Workshop presentations are designed for instruction and interaction in a 60-minute session. Presenters must engage and involve the members of the audience for a significant portion of the session in small group activities, breakouts, role play, audience feedback, or discussion of cases or other content, design of materials and models, and similar forms of interactions. These sessions are limited to 4 presenters, preferably from multiple disciplines and institutions.

Topic Categories

Submit your proposal in one topic category only. Do not revise your proposal and submit it in more than one area. 

Previous conference evaluations have indicated attendee interest in sessions relating to pediatric ethics, case study reviews, interdisciplinary sessions, global bioethics, topics on professional development, and international ethics. If you are considering submitting a proposal addressing one of these topics, we encourage you to do so. 

• Clinical Ethics: Proposals in this category are primarily concerned with clinical ethics consultation practice, such as, but not limited to, end-of-life issues, pediatric ethics, or surrogate decision making.
• Diversity, Disparity, and Inclusion: While proposals in this category may relate to the other topics, these proposals are primarily concerned with issues relating to health disparities, diverse perspectives, identity, and inclusion.
• Education/Interprofessionalism: Proposals in this category focus on educational methodologies, pedagogy, and bridging knowledge between disciplines, including education in bioethics and the health humanities for undergraduate, graduate, and professional students as well as current professionals.
• Health Humanities: Proposals in this category may relate to the arts, literature, history, religion, culture, or other disciplines in the humanities.
• Law, Public Health Policy, and Organizational Ethics: Proposals in this category are related to the law, public health, organizational ethics, and other systemic issues.
• Philosophy: Proposals in this category primarily use a philosophical lens to analyze a broad array of issues in bioethics and the humanities, such as philosophical theory or the work of a specific philosopher.
• Research Ethics and Social Sciences: Appropriate proposals in this category are of two different types. Research ethics proposals focus on ethical issues in the planning, conduct, or oversight of research, or on ethical issues in the responsibility of the conduct of research. Social science proposals use social science methodologies to investigate questions in a variety of topics related to bioethics and the health humanities. These methodologies include those of anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology. Submitters should choose this category if the focus of their presentation will be the design, conduct, or results of social scientific work that does not fit more appropriately in other categories.

Abstract

In 250 words or fewer, describe the content of your presentation or nature of your study as you wish it to appear in the program. If accepted, your abstract will be added to the program exactly as submitted. Please take the time to review your abstract for errors before submitting. Consider the Program Committee’s advice for Writing an Effective Proposal.

Your submission will not be reviewed if you include the names of presenters or institutions or other information that will compromise the anonymous review process in the body of the abstract.

Learning Objectives

Provide at least 2 and no more than 3 objectives. Begin each objective with a verb, such as understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create, etc. ASBH recommends the use of Bloom’s Taxonomy Action Verbs as you develop these objectives.

Construct each objective from the point of view of the attendee by completing the following sentence: “At the end of this session, attendees will be able to…”

If accepted, your learning objectives will be added to the program exactly as submitted. Please take the time to review your learning objectives for errors before submitting.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure and Attestation

In order for the proposal to be submitted, the submitting presenter must disclose any financial interests or other relationships that could be considered a conflict of interest. Upon being accepted into the conference schedule, all other presenters must submit a conflict of interest disclosure in order to present.  

Review and Notification

Only complete, online submissions will be reviewed. Proposals received via fax, mail, or e-mail will not be reviewed.

Any proposals that contain identifying information in the abstract will not be reviewed.

ASBH uses a rigorous 3-stage review process:

1. All submissions are reviewed anonymously by three ASBH members recruited for their expertise in the topic category selected. Each reviewer is asked to score the proposal on a 5-point scale considering contribution to existing knowledge; innovation, cutting-edge, and novelty; presentation of innovative solutions to current issues in the fields of bioethics and health humanities; cross-disciplinary approaches; and quality of the written proposal.
2. At the second stage of the process, one experienced reviewer for each category assesses all the individual and average scores throughout that category, taking into consideration factors such as significance, innovation, relevance, breadth of topic, and appropriateness for the meeting.
3. Finally, the Program Committee—with access to all the previous assessments—selects the strongest proposals that address topics of interest to a multidisciplinary community. The Committee then considers balance among the categories and subjects, and identifies unique or unusual topics. The Program Committee may unblind proposals in its final deliberations as it relates to the speakers’ experience with the topic, session formatting, diversity of speakers, speakers’ presentation history, and compliance with the two-presentation rule. If a speaker has a repeated history of late withdrawals from the conference schedule, the committee may factor this history into their final programming decisions. 

The Program Committee may reassign some proposals to a different format, e.g., a proposal submitted as a Paper presentation may be accepted as a Flash presentation. You will be notified if your proposal type is changed.

You will receive notification of your proposal’s status via email in late June 2025.

Questions? Visit the ASBH FAQ page, call 847.375.4745, or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..