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Call for Abstracts

Submit Abstracts

DEADLINE: September 15, 2025

MEETING DETAILS:
PCPLC 2026 Annual Meeting
January 14-16, 2026
Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver Downtown Convention Center

Abstract Submission Types

Scientific Oral “Plenary” Presentations 

  • Abstracts should be formatted as listed below in “abstract submission details”
  • If accepted, presentation is limited to 5 minutes plus 3 minutes for discussion.
  • Unlimited number of slides.
  • If accepted the final copy of the presentation must be submitted by January 2, 2026
  • These abstracts are eligible to submit manuscripts for publication in the Annual Meeting edition of The Journal of Pediatric Surgery. The PCPLC is afforded the opportunity to publish 3-5 papers from its annual meeting in The Journal of Pediatric Surgery. Manuscript submission is optional but encouraged.  Presentation of your abstract at the annual meeting is not a guarantee of acceptance for publication. Manuscript submission guidelines will be forwarded to those authors whose work is accepted for presentation in this category.

Video presentation 

  • Video is limited to 5-minutes.
  • Videos should be submitted in .mp4 format and should include narration.
  • If accepted, the video presentations will be presented in the oral session where the narrated video will play and there will be 3 minutes available for discussion, thus the author or a representative must be present at the meeting.
  • If accepted, the final copy of the video will be the originally submitted video, unless specific changes need to be made. This will occur at the discretion of the program committee.
  • These presentations are NOT eligible for manuscript submission.

Scientific Oral “Poster” Presentations

  • Abstracts should be formatted as listed below in “Abstract Submission Details”.
  • Authors may choose to have their work judged as a poster only if desired, and this must be indentified at the time of submission.
  • Posters will be presented at a dedicated interactive poster session.
  • Presenter must be present at the session.
  • Posters will consist of one PowerPoint slide that will accompany an oral presentation of no longer than 3 minutes, with a discussion of 3-5 minutes thereafter. Additional details on the construction of the poster will be emailed to the submitting author upon acceptance.
  • These abstracts are NOT eligible for manuscipt submission.

Interesting Case Presentations

Abstract should be constructed as listed here (different than for a regular scientific abstract):

  • Title: Should be short and descriptive, highligting the challenge the case poses. Avoid declaritive or interrogatory title styles.
  • Case: Should be a succint review of the case highlighting the controversies or difficulties.
  • Summary: Should summarize the questions to be asked by the content experts.

If accepted:

  • The presentation is limited to 5 minutes plus 10 minutes for discussion.
  • Do not submit video as part of the original submission.
  • Photos can be include in the abstract
  • Video or other visual adjuncts may be used if accepted for presentation.

Abstract Submission Details

All abstracts (oral “Plenary” presentations and oral posters) should be constructed as follows:

  • Title
  • Purpose
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusion

Details:

  • Title should be short and descriptive. Avoid declarative or interrogatory title styles.
  • Purpose should be a succinct statement of the research question or hypothesis to be addressed.
  • Methods should include the clinical setting (taking care not to identify the institution name), sampling criteria and inclusive dates. The control group should be adequately described. Specific mention should be made of the number of experimental subjects or patients in groups (n=). The statistical method and levels of significance should be included.
  • Results should be stated in sufficient detail to support the conclusion, with only enough interpretation to indicate relevance; extended discussion or literature reviews should be avoided.
  • Conclusion should summarize the abstract (We conclude…) with a brief statement of findings clearly supported by the data, consistent with the research purpose, and with a minimum of further suggestions or inferences. The conclusion should be readable as a short, stand-alone statement.

As part of our commitment to transparency and research integrity, we request that all authors disclose the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the preparation of their abstracts and related materials. This includes but is not limited to AI-generated text, data analysis, figure creation, or language editing. Please include a brief statement within your submission indicating how AI tools were used, if applicable. (***AI Use Disclosure Statement Must Be Agreed To In Order to Submit Your Abstract*** )*

  • Yes, I agree to the AI Use Disclosure Statement
  • No, I do not agree to the AI Use Disclosure Statement

Abstract Text Details

  • The abstract must be written in English and submitted as a Word Document. Authors who do not utilize English as a first language are encouraged to seek assistance for writing abstracts with proper English grammar and syntax.
  • Authors and institutions must be omitted from the abstract text. Because of the blinding process used during the review process these rules must be observed. Non-conforming abstracts will NOT be considered.
  • Abstracts must be limited to 300 words and one graphic element or one table, which do not count against the 300-word limit.
  • Tables are limited to a maximum of 7 columns and 10 rows.
  • Graphics should be submitted in a .jpg or .gif format. Do not submit .bmp files. Maximum file size is 30MB.
  • The abstract should clearly state the purpose for the study or review, the results obtained and the conclusions. Promises to explain the work or vague presentations of data will result in rejection.
  • Tables, figures, and graphs should not be used in the abstract unless they are simple and illustrate the central theme of the work in ways that text cannot.
  • Abbreviations conjured up for use within an abstract are discouraged. Thus, non-standard abbreviations should be avoided. There should be no abbreviations used in the conclusion. Authors agree to copy editing of the abstract.

DISCLOSURES

Authors must disclose any financial interest/relationship that they have with any commercial interest related to the content of the presentation. In addition, authors must identify any off-label or experimental uses of any drugs that are presented in the abstract. Please use the link to complete the disclosure form: Disclosure Link

INFORMED CONSENT: IRB/IACUC APPROVAL

Institutional Review Board (IRB) and/or Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval must be indicated for all studies involving human subjects and/or animals. IRB approval is required for retrospective reviews. Indication on the abstract form that IRB/IACUC approval has been obtained implies that written approval from the appropriate institutional committee has been obtained. Authors of abstracts that are exempt from IRB approval must provide documentation of exemption in the form of a letter from the chair of their IRB or provide a letter from the senior APSA member author on the abstract attesting to the fact that the study design meets all criteria for exemption from IRB review and approval. The program committee reserves the right to refuse claims of exemption if, in the opinion of the program committee members, the study design does not meet criteria for exemption. IRB/IACUC requirements must be satisfied upon submission of the abstract. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in the abstract being withdrawn. There will be no exceptions to this rule.

Any studies involving human subjects must conform to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association (Clinical 57 Research 1966; 14:103) and must meet all requirements governing informed consent of the country in which it was performed. To complete your abstract submission, you will be required to provide a copy of your IRB/IACUC approval (or equivalent of) or exemption for the abstract to be considered.

CATEGORIES (Key words)

Abstracts should be identified by one (or more of the following categories)

  • Basic Science
  • Anorectal malformations
  • Hirschsprung disease
  • Education
  • Ethics
  • Pelvic floor disorders
  • Motility disorders
  • Urologic disorders
  • Gynecologic disorders
  • Disorders of sexual differentiation
  • Other

AUTHORS

Credit for authorship implies substantial contributions to conception, design, analysis and interpretation of data, and to writing and revising the abstract. The number of authors should be reasonable, given the subject and experimental design. Data generated from multiple institutions should include an author from each institution or permission from a representative from each institution to use the data.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR

The corresponding author must provide a reliable email address at the time of abstract submission and must notify the PCPLC of any changes in contact information. In addition to acting as the liaison for their abstract(s), the duty of the corresponding author is to warrant to PCPLC they have reviewed the material to assure the quality and integrity of the work and will supervise preparation of the presentation and the manuscript. The individual identified as the presenting author during submission is, by default, also the corresponding author. The PCPLC program committee must be notified of any changes in contact information.

PRESENTING AUTHOR

In some cases, the presenting author may differ from the corresponding author. This is permissible. If so, this must be delineated when the abstract is submitted for consideration. The level of training for the presenting author at the time of the meeting must be documented (i.e., college student, medical student, resident, fellow, nurse practitioner or physician assistant, attending surgeon, other). This information will be utilized only after blinded abstract review for programming purposes. The PCPLC program committee must be notified of any changes in presenting author information as soon as possible.

Contact

Contact Brittany at bfermo@veritasamc.com for inquiries.

Submit Abstracts