Showcase your groundbreaking ideas, research, or innovative practices by submitting an abstract. This is your chance to share the passion behind your work, connect with peers, and make an impact within the genetic counseling community. It's also an opportunity to highlight your outcomes, solutions and drive for positive change from the past year. All accepted abstracts will have a chance to be featured as an oral presentation or a poster presentation where you will have the opportunity for valuable discussion and feedback from your peers.

Submissions are limited to 500 words (excluding the title) and may include the following sections or headings: Introduction, Hypothesis/Purpose, Methods, Results and Conclusions. All references to names and organizations that could identify the authors/presenters should be removed from the abstract text.

Abstract submissions are open through May 12 and submitters will be notified of acceptance status in August.

Submit Your Abstract

Abstract Formats

Original Research abstracts are original work based on systematic investigations that expand the knowledge base relevant to the practice of genetic counseling or genomic medicine, in the broadest sense, and may utilize either a quantitative or qualitative methodology. 

Case Report abstracts address observations of patients or families that add to the knowledge of the etiology, pathogenesis and/or delineation of the natural history or management of the condition described. They may describe a single patient or family or a small series of patients or families related by genotype, phenotype, or counseling issues.

Note that both Abstract Formats have their own additional requirements and scoring rubrics, which are shared below. Or, view full scoresheets.

General Abstract Requirements

• The abstract should have a clear message of original work and include only one or two major points. If there are more, an additional abstract should be written.
• The work should not have been published as a manuscript or accepted for presentation at another national conference at the time of submission. Abstracts that have been published or presented at other national conferences will be rejected.
• The abstract should not be based on anticipated data. Abstracts stating that "results will be presented" or some variation thereof will be rejected
• The abstract should not be an advertisement, promotion or marketing tool for a particular product or service. Abstracts that are will be rejected.

Requirements Specific to Original Research

Original research abstracts are evaluated for quality of the study, novelty, generalizability or insightfulness of results, and relevance to the field.

• Quantitative studies are assessed for their success in testing a hypothesis or describing findings from an exploratory or pilot study.
• Qualitative studies are assessed for their success in describing a previously unexplored topic or increasing insight into a well-researched area.

Authors should include the following elements in their Original Research abstract:

• Clear statement of the research question 
• Justification of the need for the research (identification of a knowledge gap or what is novel and/or important about the study) 
• Selection of appropriate target population to answer research question 
• Clear discussion of methods, which may include statistical analysis appropriate for answering the research question (quantitative research) or how questions were derived and description of coding and thematic analysis process (qualitative research) 
• Clear presentation of results 

Requirements Specific to Case Reports

Case report abstracts are evaluated for novelty and significance to the practice of genetic counseling and/or medical genetics. Authors should ensure that the abstract includes a clear description of the patient/family and a discussion of the significance for the field or practice implications.

Submit Your Abstract

Abstract Workshop

Want to refine your abstract and make it stand out? Join the Abstract Workgroup chairs for expert tips on strengthening your submission. You'll also have the opportunity to collaborate in breakout groups, where you can exchange feedback with peers and enhance your abstracts together. The workshop will be held via Zoom on April 28 at 1:00 - 2:30 pm CT. Please come prepared with a draft of your abstract for peer review

Past Annual Conference Abstracts

2024 - 43rd Annual Conference Abstracts

2023 - 42nd Annual Conference Abstracts

2022 - 41st Annual Conference Abstracts

2021 - 40th Annual Conference Abstracts