Abstracts and Awards – BCVS Scientific Sessions 2025

Overview

To provide the best possible educational environment and ensure smooth and efficient handling of audiovisual presentations, please read and follow the guidelines below.

The Speaker Ready Room is located at Bristol Room, 3rd Level, Marriott Baltimore Waterfront.

• Invited speakers are allotted 20 minutes (15 minutes for presentation, immediately followed by 5 minutes of Q&A)
• Oral abstract presenters are allotted 15 minutes (10 minutes for presentation, immediately followed by 5 minutes of Q&A)
• Oral abstract presenters in the Early Career Next Best Thing session are allotted 12 minutes (8 minutes for presentation, immediately followed by 4 minutes of Q&A)

Speaker Ready Room Hours:

• Wednesday, July 23: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Thursday, July 24: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Friday, July 25: 7:00 am -5:00 pm
• Saturday, July 26: 7:00 am – 11:00 am

AV Equipment Provided

There will be technicians in the Grand Ballroom, Level 3 where the General Sessions are held. The session room will be equipped with a 16:9 format screen and LCD projector, lectern with microphone, large display speaker timer, monitor and mouse pointer.

Important Slide Formatting and PPT Tips

It is recommended that all PowerPoint presentations be created/submitted in a 16:9 (widescreen) format. Below is how to create your 16:9 PowerPoint:

• Open PowerPoint on your computer
• From the top menu, (depending on the version of PowerPoint you have) select Design, then Page Setup OR File, then Page Setup, OR Design, then slide size, and change Slides sized for to: On- screen Show (16:9).
• Click OK
• PowerPoint Page Setup on a PC

If you start with the step in the creation of your presentation, then just assemble the PowerPoint as you normally would. If you are converting an existing slide show, then please check all of the slides for format accuracy.

The widescreen format should not cause any issues with the text in your presentation; however some images may be stretched as a result. If your presentation has multiple images, a suggested way to transition to widescreen format is to save a copy of your current PowerPoint in the 4:3 format under a different name, then convert to widescreen, and cut and paste the images from the original version into the widescreen version.

• For optimal legibility, use a maximum of six lines of text and six words per line per slide (equals one frame in an electronic format).
• We request that you use Arial as it is a common cross-platform compatible font. Serif fonts like Times New Roman do not project well.
• A minimum slide typeface of 24 point is recommended.
• Use color for emphasis only. White or yellow lettering on a blue background is attractive and easy to read. DO NOT USE BLUE, RED or GREEN text.
• Use common image formats that are cross-platform compatible such as JPG, PNG, GIF, and BMP.
• Keep illustrations simple. Significance of data can be grasped more quickly in a simple graph form than in tabular form. Use rounded figures. Use captions sparingly.
• Sound and Video Clips: Solution 1: Pack and Go: The “Pack and Go” feature of PowerPoint embeds the clip into your presentation file. This ensures that the clip will be in the correct location when you unpack the file on the meeting room computer. Solution 2: Location of audio/video files: Create the presentation with the audio/video files in the same folder. PowerPoint looks in the immediate folder before generating the error that states it cannot find the audio/video file. Always check your video clips in the speaker ready room to make sure they have been embedded correctly.
• While it is recommended that all PowerPoints are formatted in 16:9, we can accommodate PowerPoints in 4:3. However, please note that when your presentation is displayed on the large screens for the audience, there will be black bars on the sides of your presentation slides.
• All PowerPoint files must be labeled with the date, time, and last name of the presenter.
• When building your presentation, all files (PowerPoint and external, i.e. movie files) associated with your presentation must be loaded separately and saved in the same folder as the rest of your presentation.
• Save your file to a memory stick.
• If you feel that your presentation has something out of the ordinary (extensive files or video clips), please bring your laptop to the meeting as back-up.

At the Meeting

• Your presentation must be received at least two (2) hours prior to the start of your scheduled SESSION START TIME. The Speaker Ready Room is in the Briston Room, 3rd Level at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront. Individual laptops will not be allowed at the podium.
• Any updates to your presentation MUST BE MADE in the Speaker Ready Room and not your session room.
• A technician will show you to a computer station to review your presentation and help you load it onto the computer.
• Once you are done reviewing your presentation, be sure to notify a technician so he or she can verify that the presentation is saved and properly labeled. Once the technician has verified that the presentation is labeled correctly, please check-out of the Speaker Ready Room. This will ensure that your presentation gets to your session in a timely manner.
• All presentations will be loaded by a technician onto the presentation computer in the session room.
• If you have embedded video in your presentation, you MUST test that your presentation can be “read” properly in the Speaker Ready Room prior to your presentation (preferably 12 hours in advance of your presentation).
• It is the presenter’s responsibility to collect his or her own media (if applicable) at the conclusion of the session.

Presenter Disclosure – Mandatory

• All presenters are required to have a conflict of interest disclosure slide as the first or second slide of your PowerPoint presentation.
• Moderators do not need to have a disclosure slide, but they should verbally disclose to the audience any applicable conflicts of interest they may have when they introduce themselves at the beginning of the session.
• If unlabeled use of a commercial product, or an investigational use not yet approved for any purpose is discussed, you must include this information on the disclosure slide. Give the name of the product and disclose that the product is not labeled for the use under discussion or that the product is still investigational. You must also verbally disclose this use to the audience.
• If you are referencing work within your presentation previously published by another author, be sure to include a complete citation at the bottom of the appropriate page.
• Exclude any information from your presentation that may compromise or violate patient confidentiality.

Presentation

Please arrive at your session meeting room at least 15 minutes before the start of your session. Take time to familiarize yourself with the setup at the lectern. There will be a mouse at the lectern that will allow you to control/advance (left click will move forward, right click will move backwards) the slides during your presentation. The mouse pointer can also be used in lieu of a laser pointer. The technician will be available throughout the session.

On the floor in front of the lectern you will find a large plasma monitor where you can view your presentation as seen on the screen. At the end of each session day, all presentations are deleted from the meeting room computer.

Should you have any questions regarding this material, please contact [email protected] with your specific concerns.

Session Format

The Speaker Ready Room is located at Bristol Room, 3rd Level, Marriott Baltimore Waterfront.

• Invited speakers are allotted 20 minutes (15 minutes for presentation, immediately followed by 5 minutes of Q&A)
• Oral abstract presenters are allotted 15 minutes (10 minutes for presentation, immediately followed by 5 minutes of Q&A)
• Oral abstract presenters in the Early Career Next Best Thing session are allotted 12 minutes (8 minutes for presentation, immediately followed by 4 minutes of Q&A)

Speaker Ready Room Hours:

• Wednesday, July 23: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Thursday, July 24: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Friday, July 25: 7:00 am -5:00 pm
• Saturday, July 26: 7:00 am – 11:00 am

Moderators & Presenter Disclosure: Mandatory for Continuing Education requirements

• All moderators and presenters must include an opening slide listing any disclosures. [Disclosure slide template (PPTX)] For presenters, if unlabeled use of a commercial product, or an investigational use not yet approved for any purpose is discussed, the presenter must also include a slide disclosing that the product is not labeled for the use under discussion or that the product is still investigational. The presenter must also verbally disclose this use to the audience.
• If the presenter fails to display a disclosure slide, it is the responsibility of the moderator to ask the presenter if there are any relationships to disclose before he proceeds with the presentation.
• If the presenter references work within his presentation previously published by another author, he must include a complete citation at the bottom of the appropriate slide.
• Presenters must exclude any information that may compromise or violate patient confidentiality.

On-Site

Call to Order

• Arrive in the meeting room 15-30 minutes in advance and introduce yourself to the speakers.
• The moderator will address the audience 5-10 minutes prior to session start time and inform them that they should be seated, as the meeting will begin shortly. The moderator will remind attendees that recording of sessions by video or still photography is prohibited. Only if permission is obtained from the speaker, non-flash photography is acceptable.

Convene the Session

• The moderator will call for audience attention, introduce him/herself and the co-moderator(s) and announce the overall subject of the session.
• All speakers are required to begin their presentation with a disclosure slide. If a slide is not included in a speaker’s presentation or if the speaker fails to verbally disclose commercial relationships and/or discussion of unlabeled/unapproved uses of products, please ask the speaker to give a verbal disclosure statement.
• The moderator will remind attendees that recording of sessions by video or still photography is prohibited (see policy below):

• The moderator will introduce the first presenter and begin the session.
• The moderator will encourage all presenters to adhere to their allotted times, ensure that all presenters comply with disclosure (see below), and will open the floor to questions at the appropriate times. A speaker timer on the podium will be in the room to assist the moderator.
• A moderator’s role is more than just introducing the speakers. In a session that has time for discussion, it is your role to stimulate discussion by either taking questions from the audience or creating topics of your own. The intent is to engage the speaker(s) and the audience into a lively discussion and/or debate. Be prepared with challenging and stimulating questions.
• When taking questions/comments from the floor, please ask the audience participant to verbally disclose their name, employer and any relevant conflicts prior to asking his/her question.

No-Shows

In the event of a no-show, the moderator should fill the time with questions and discussion, rather than go to the next speaker. This allows the remaining program to stay on schedule and attendees to hear designated speakers of their choice at the pre-scheduled time.

Adjourn

The moderator may want to briefly summarize the presentations and add a few last minute comments. The moderator will adjourn as closely as possible to the scheduled adjournment time.