Submission Deadline: Thursday, July 1, 2021, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time

General Submission Information:

• The ASRM 2021 Postgraduate Program & Scientific Congress & Expo will be held October 17 - October 20, 2021, in Baltimore, MD.
  • The Postgraduate Program occurs on Saturday and Sunday before the Congress, October 25-26, 2025.
  • Symposia, Interactive, Clinical, and Roundtable sessions will take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, October 27-29, 2025.
  • Specific days and times for each accepted session will be assigned at a later stage of the planning process.
• Program Planning Committees may request edits before accepting the proposal for programming including, but not limited to: requesting alternative participant(s), asking you to combine your idea with another group(s), or suggesting a different direction in topic entirely. Not all proposals will be selected for presentation at Congress. Proposals not selected may be considered for other ASRM educational programming taking place throughout the year.
• Interprofessional proposals are not a requirement for 2021.
  • Interprofessional means that the groups included in the submission have collaborated on and have actively participated in the development of the proposal description, content, and proposed speakers.
  • All collaborating groups should be aware that their interprofessional proposal is being submitted under another group and will not reflect in their Program Contact’s submission portal. It is the responsibility of the submitting group to relay all decisions and requested revisions on interprofessional proposals to all groups and participants involved. Any required revisions should be completed in collaboration. Failure to properly collaborate will result in the proposal not being considered or reviewed. To assist with your interprofessional planning, the 2021 Program Contacts for all affiliated societies, professional groups, and special interest groups can be found here.
• The submission links provided are designated for Program Contacts only. Proposals submitted by anyone other than the group’s designated Program Contact will not be reviewed or considered for programming. Each proposal requires a separate submission.
• Additional supporting materials to assist in proposal preparation can be found here.

Participation Policies for 2021

• Proposed participants are limited to participating in one (1) Postgraduate or Hands-On course, one (1) Interactive, Symposia, or Clinical session, and one (1) Roundtable each year, totaling a maximum of three (3) opportunities to present and participate during the annual Congress. Be sure to remind your proposed participants of this policy so that they do not overcommit. If multiple sessions are accepted with the same participant, an alternate speaker will be required.
• Program Contacts should confirm, PRIOR TO proposal submission, chair and speaker willingness and availability to participate should the proposal be accepted. Please remember to enter proposed speakers with their email address associated with their ASRM account. Verify this information with your proposed speakers prior to submitting. All proposed speakers will be notified automatically, upon proposal submission, to confirm their participation. Failure to verify participation may result in the proposal being removed from the review process.
• Chairs are to participate as a speaker in the session and provide oversight. Chairs should be members of ASRM and the proposing group. It is the responsibility of the Chair to lead their session and ensure that all speakers involved in their session follow the ACCME guidelines.
• Registration discounts and honoraria should never be discussed with proposed participants. Chairs and speakers will be notified, if accepted, with any applicable benefits for their participation.

Sample Needs Assessment/Gap Analysis for Postgraduate Course

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that birth rates for women in their 40s and 50s have been steadily rising. Although medical risks associated with advanced maternal and paternal age are more evident, clinicians are facing increased patient pressure to provide care to older prospective parents. Unchecked, this trend potentially can lead to the development or worsening of a number of medical, psychological, social, and ethical dilemmas, including but not limited to pregnancy complications, involuntary childlessness, surplus/abandoned embryos, parental age-related health and psychological risks for children, children facing parental death at earlier ages, decreased or absent grandparent relationships, and complex/emotional balancing acts between the reproductive autonomy of the parent generation and the resulting impact on the child. ASRM has identified gaps in knowledge that are related to the rise in delayed parenting, including a need to better understand the effects of advanced paternal age on offspring, health issues in children and adults conceived via assisted reproductive technology, embryo abandonment, health and societal factors, and medical ethics. Similarly, several professionals have raised the alarm that reproductive health professionals are underprepared to respond to increased demand for delayed parenting.

Sample Description of Postgraduate Course

This course will identify educational needs of new generations of employees and continuous learning activities for experienced health-care professionals in reproductive medicine; outline best strategies for recruitment, training, and retention of employees, as well as establishment of competencies and clinical ladders; and review legalities regarding medical and nursing personnel, including scope of practice and risk management. In terms of practice management, the course will address cost analysis for employee turnover and management and organization of a team with various acuities. Emphasis will be on techniques that contribute to the strength of workforces and success of practices.