What Does It Mean to be Human?

As we watch the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence technology,  we are confronted with increasingly complex moral dilemmas happening at home and abroad. Reflecting on these moral and technological revolutions forces us to reconsider what it means to be human on an individual and societal level. How can technology supplement human instinct or offer a new perspective? How do we compassionately acknowledge the humanity of healthcare staff and patients? What role should the human condition play within the greater environment? The 2024 ASBH Annual Conference invites the community to reconsider long-held notions and think critically about the nature of humanity within our shifting landscape as it addresses the central question: What does it mean to be human?

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 at 5 PM CT, Monday, March 4, 2024. No proposals or changes will be accepted. If you are having technical problems, call 847.375.4745 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• 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 that will agree to register and pay to attend the conference in St. Louis.
• 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-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-conference workshop presenters or to non-presenting co-authors of paper or flash presentations.
• 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.
• 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, you may be asked to reformat your presentation for the virtual landscape.

New This Year

Our returning submitters may be familiar with most of the proposal submission requirements, so we'd like to highlight a few key changes this year. These innovations have been implemented by the Program Committee in response to attendee feedback and our 2023 conference evaluations. 

• Keywords: All submitters will be asked to submit 1-3 keywords that relate to the proposal. These keywords will be used to group paper and flash presentations and allow attendees to more easily locate presentations on a topic of interest. 
• First-Time Presenter Status: Each presenter will be asked to indicate whether the upcoming conference would be their first time presenting in-person at an ASBH conference. If accepted, first-time presenters may receive additional instructional resources leading up to the conference week. 
• Enrichment Hubs: This new submission type allows for programming ideas that do not fit into a traditional breakout session format. Potential ideas may include, but are not limited to, storytelling events, collaborative artistic pieces, or organized networking opportunities. Please see below for more information on this submission type. 
• 60-Minute Sessions: All breakout sessions will now be limited to sixty minutes to allow for more scheduling flexibility and additional networking opportunities. To account for this change, paper sessions will be limited to 20 minutes (15 minutes presentation and 5 minutes of Q&A), and flash sessions will be limited to 8 5-minute presentations, followed by a Q&A period. 

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.

Keep in mind that all abstracts 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.

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 as possible and consider using your personal email address if your institution may change throughout 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 as up to date as possible.

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.

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.

Submission Formats

Submit your proposal in one format only. Do not revise your proposal and submit it in more than one format. 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.

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, storytelling events, collaborative artistic pieces or exhibitions, collaborative events with a local organization or institution, and organized networking opportunities. These submissions will not be anonymized for the peer review process. Submitters will be asked to indicate the length of time needed for their session and provide a point of contact for any collaborating organizations.

Preconference Workshops

These sessions are offered as extra-cost events before the beginning of the annual conference proper. Pre-conference sessions 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. These submissions will not be anonymized for the peer review process.

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.

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.

Panel Presentations

The ideal panel presentation compares and contrasts a variety of perspectives on a cohesive theme or includes 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.

Debates

This 60-minute session provides an opportunity to present opposing views about a topic. Sessions must include a moderator to introduce the issue/topic and up to three 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. Presenters must incorporate at least 15 minutes for audience interaction, questions, and response.

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.

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 and Program Committee 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.

Previous conference evaluations have indicated attendee interest in unique, engaging session formats, including debates and storytelling sessions. We strongly encourage you to consider audience engagement strategies and formats as you develop your proposal.

Topic Categories

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

• Clinical Ethics
• Diversity, Disparity, and Inclusion
• Education/Interprofessionalism
• Health Humanities
• History, Religion, and Culture
• Law, Public Health Policy, and Organizational Ethics
• Philosophy
• Research Ethics and Social Sciences

Previous conference evaluations have indicated attendee interest in sessions relating to the humanities, poetry, community health centers, rural bioethics, developing healthcare systems, in-depth workshops, mental health, and capacity evaluation. If you are considering submitting a proposal addressing one of these topics, we encourage you to do so.  

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 a minimum of 2 and no more than 3 objectives.

Begin each objective with a verb, such as understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, create, etc. 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 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 scans for unique or unusual topics. At this stage, the names of all presenters are revealed to ensure compliance with the two-presenter rule.

The program committee may accept some proposals in a different format, e.g., a proposal submitted as a 20-minute presentation may be accepted as a 5-minute 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 2024.

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..