2021 Virtual Conference, Mission: Health Equity, Logo

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Introduction: 2021 ACU Conference Call for Abstracts

The Association of Clinicians for the Underserved accepted workshop and poster abstracts for its 2021 Annual Conference, Mission: Health Equity. The conference will take place virtually from November 1-2, 2021.

The ACU Annual Conference brings together hundreds of healthcare clinicians, public health, and industry leaders from across the country, all with an interest in expanding access to care and improving healthcare delivery for underserved populations. The meeting is a special opportunity for clinicians, administrators, researchers, students, and advocates to network, learn, and share strategies to support our collective work.

This year’s conference theme, Mission: Health Equity, highlights the need to work harder at eliminating health disparities by calling out and adequately addressing individual and systemic practices that contribute to poor health among marginalized groups.

The in-person conference will include more than 20 educational sessions, networking opportunities, and more. Attendees will be able to network and access content through our Attendee Hub, including livestreaming of keynote speakers, general sessions, and a curated list of workshops. Continuing Education credits will be available for workshop sessions.

Though the call has now closed, you can still learn more about the ACU Conference Call for Abstracts below.

Workshop Proposals

Twenty-four proposals will be selected for 60- and 75-minute workshops. Sessions will be grouped into four tracks: policy, practice, workforce, and a wild card track for proposals that do not fit neatly in the three proceeding categories. While content will cover a wide range of clinical, administrative, and advocacy topics, we encourage you to consider how your workshop promotes health equity. Presenters must be available to conduct their workshops in-person.

Proposals for the Policy Track

Workshops in this track should focus on local, state, or national efforts to eliminate health disparities and promote health equity through advocacy or policy development. This could include completed or developing initiatives, but should document the partnerships, replicable strategies, and results of efforts that brought increased access to care or improved quality outcomes to underserved communities.

Proposals for the Practice Track

Workshops in this track should focus on innovative practices to deliver health care to underserved populations and communities, especially those where health disparities exist. Workshop content might include clinical practice guidelines, pilot projects, community outreach and partnerships, and more. Key clinical areas are primary care, oral health care, behavioral health, vision services, pharmacy, health information technology, and emergency response.

Proposals for the Workforce Track

Workshops in this track should focus on the recruitment, retention, and development of a strong and agile health center workforce. This could include any number of organizational or practice initiatives that focus on increasing the number of health professionals trained and working in underserved areas. Proposals in this track can also include organizational approaches to training the health center workforce on issues such as implicit bias, anti-racism, cultural humility, and more. Presenters are encouraged to consider leadership development, workforce diversity, and provider satisfaction in this track.

Wildcard Proposals

Workshop proposals submitted under this track do not need to address health equity but should be of interest to health centers and those caring for the underserved.

Poster Presentations

Faculty and staff from the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved and ACU leadership will review and judge conference posters for their presentation, information, and innovation. One poster will be selected and awarded with the opportunity to work with faculty and staff from the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved to publish an article. Research Posters should be displayed on a board measuring 4ft x 6ft. Presenters must be available to discuss their posters during dedicated poster sessions on November 1 and 2. Poster presenters will also be asked to pre-record a 5-minute video via Zoom for our virtual attendees (instructions will be sent to individuals whose poster abstracts are accepted).

Presenter Registration and Travel

Both workshop and poster presenters must register for the Annual Conference. All workshop and poster presenters are eligible for a $50 discount from their registration rate. We are not able to cover any travel or hotel expense; please keep this in mind when you are submitting a proposal.

2021 registration rates are as follows:

ACU Members
$550 early bird
$695 regular

Nonmembers
$700 early bird
$845 regular

Students
$100

ACU Conference Call for Abstracts Presenter Timeline and Deadlines

  • June 2, 2021 – ACU will begin accepting workshop and poster abstracts
  • June 30, 2021 – Deadline to submit abstracts
  • Late July/early August 2021 – Workshop selection notifications sent out

Additional Information

  • Workshops are scheduled for November 1 and 2.
  • Workshops are scheduled for 60- or 75-minute blocks (only 3 sessions will be selected for 75-minute blocks)
  • Presenters may submit abstracts for both a research poster and a workshop
  • Presenters may submit more than one workshop and/or poster abstract
  • Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of experts and scored using the criteria below. Abstracts should attempt to meet at least 3 of the 5 criteria:
    • Addresses a current issue
    • Makes a lasting change
    • Can be implemented by other organizations/providers
    • Solves a problem
    • Alignment with the conference theme (exceptions made for wildcard proposals)

The Call for Abstracts Has Closed

Thank you to everyone who submitted an abstract! We will communicate decisions on accepted proposals soon.

In the meantime, you may review the Call for Abstracts Application Preview in Word.