FCACS Abstract Program Rules and Guidelines

The Florida Chapter of the American College of Surgeons (FCACS) Surgical Education Committee invites the submission of abstracts for the Distinguished Edward M. Copeland, MD Resident Paper Competition. Accepted abstracts will be presented at the 2021 FCACS Annual Meeting being held April 30 - May 2, 2021 at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, FL.

Entries will be accepted for the following categories:
1. Basic Science     2. Clinical Science     3. Commission on Cancer (CoC)*

*All entries are encouraged. However, winners from another ACS local or regional chapter competition will NOT be eligible as an award finalist.

*Entries in the CoC category should be specific to oncology and related to the mission of the CoC. The CoC is a consortium of profession organizations dedicated to improving survival and quality of life for cancer patients through standard-setting, prevention, research, education and the monitoring of comprehensive quality care.

The top 3 scoring papers from each category will be selected for an oral podium presentation at the annual meeting. Entries not selected for a podium presentation, will be considered for a poster hall presentation.

Awards

1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place monetary awards will be provided in the above categories. Additionally, the winner of the CoC category will also be submitted for consideration in the national CoC competition held at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.

The 1^st place resident/fellow poster and the 1^st place medical student poster will also receive a monetary award. Winners from another ACS local or regional chapter competition will NOT be eligible as an award finalist.

All awards will be provided onsite at the meeting.

Basic Eligibility Requirements:

• Lead author must be a resident or fellow. Medical students are not eligible for the paper competition but can submit an abstract for consideration for the poster hall.
• Lead author must be enrolled in a general surgery or surgical specialty residency/fellowship training program in the state of Florida and not set to complete training before May 2021.
• Primary authors may submit a maximum of two submissions.
• Lead author must be enrolled in a general surgery or surgical specialty residency/fellowship training program in the state of Florida and not set to complete training before May 2021.
• As a condition of submission, the lead author agrees to register for meeting and present their work at the annual meeting for either a poster hall presentation or podium presentation (if selected for the competition). Additionally, a representative from the lead author’s program MUST be present at the annual meeting to support the resident, fellow, or medical student.
• One of the abstract authors must be a member of the Florida Chapter American College of Surgeons.
• All entries should represent original work done by the contestant while training in the state of Florida.
• Any unpublished work that has previously been accepted or presented at a national meeting is eligible. Presentation at our meeting may preclude future presentation at upcoming meetings depending on the individual societal rules. *Winners from another ACS local or regional chapter competition will NOT be eligible as an award finalist.
• Please be sure to read all instructions, information, and policies closely

Before preparing and submitting your abstract, please carefully read the following:

• General Information and Policies
• Abstract Guidelines
• Abstract Checklist

Questions? Contact the Florida Chapter office at abstracts@floridafacs.org or call 904-309-6240.