NSGC is pleased to announce the Call for Sessions for the NSGC 44th Annual Conference. All pre-conference symposia, workshops, educational breakout sessions, and pre-recorded sessions are selected through the Call for Sessions. Plenary sessions are also selected through the Call for Speakers, excluding the Beverly Rollnick Memorial Lecture, Professional Issues Panel, Late-Breaking Plenary session, and any award or fellowship presentation sessions.
The call for session proposals will remain open through Jan. 31, 2025. Those who submit an abstract will be notified of their submission status in April 2025.
Session Topics
Based on feedback from our past NSGC Annual Conferences, NSGC is particularly interested in sessions that cover the following topics:
- Cancer genetics and novel cancer testing modalities
- Prenatal counseling
- Newborn screening
- Emerging technologies, AI and other tools
- Research and clinical trials
- Clinical guidelines
- Insurance provider recognition, billing and reimbursement
- Cardiology
- Gene therapies
- Counseling tools and cultural competencies
- Pediatrics
- Neurology and neuromuscular conditions
- Metabolic conditions
- Hematology
- Autism
- Future directions for NSGC and genetic counseling
- Genetic counseling graduate training
- Professional development
- Case examples and patient stories
Session Formats
Please note: Due to technical limitations, NSGC is not able to facilitate live streamed remote speaker participation.
Pre-conference Symposia
Pre-conference symposia (pre-cons) include five hours of content (and a 30-minute break) allowing time for a deeper dive into a specific topic area. Pre-cons typically host up to 100 attendees.
Workshops
Workshops are two-hour sessions that employ skill-based, active learning methods to encourage interaction between session attendees. A minimum of 30 minutes of hands-on interactive activity is recommended for every 30 minutes of content. Workshops should be designed to host up to 200 attendees .
Plenary Sessions
Plenary sessions are 30 - 60 minutes in length and take place on the main stage unopposed by other educational activities. These sessions aim to highlight genetic counselor research, best practices, and/or updates to the profession. Plenary session content should be applicable to the majority of Annual Conference attendees. Plenary sessions are also broadcast to a virtual audience and should include a method for engaging with these individuals.
Janus Lecture
The Janus Lecture is an honored keynote address named for the ancient Roman god, Janus, who was depicted with two faces, one looking to the past and one to the future. In this spirit, the Janus Lecture features a genetic counselor with expertise in a specific area sharing their perspective on the past, present, and future of their specialty.
One genetic counselor will be selected to give a 30-minute lecture based on nominations. After the close of the nomination process, NSGC staff may reach out to nominees to request a CV. Self-nominations are acceptable, and nominations of colleagues can be submitted anonymously, if preferred. Submit a Janus Lecture Nomination
Educational Breakout Sessions (EBS)
Educational Breakout Sessions (EBS) are concurrent sessions that are 60 to 90 minutes in length. These sessions cover a variety of topic areas including but not limited to clinical specialties, professional issues, and counseling skills.
Pre-Recorded, On-Demand Sessions
A limited number of sessions will be made available fully virtually on-demand. These sessions are pre-recorded, so travel to the conference is not required for participants. The content of pre-recorded sessions is intended to be highly applicable to a wide range of genetic counselors, and/or sensitive topics.
Review of Proposals
After the close of the Call for Sessions, the Annual Conference Program Committee (ACPC) reviews, scores, and discusses all submissions to determine what sessions will be included at the Annual Conference. This review process involves the analysis of prior years’ conference evaluation feedback, Education Needs Assessment data, and other NSGC educational opportunities to determine gaps and priority areas. View the submission scoring rubric.
Session Submitter Mentor Program
The Annual Conference Planning Committee (ACPC) is pleased to offer a mentor program for novice submitters or those looking for additional guidance. Mentors are past ACPC members with an in-depth understanding of the submission process and objectives of the NSGC Annual Conference. Working with a mentor is a great way to transform your idea into a proposal. Mentorship does not guarantee acceptance of your proposal for presentation at the conference. Interested in being paired with a mentor? Reach out to speakers@nsgc.org with a description of your proposal to begin the process.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this process, please email speakers@nsgc.org or download our informational handout for additional details.