Planning the Annual Research Meeting (ARM)
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the planning committee formed?
The ARM planning committee has approximately 25 members representing a wide array of disciplines, as well as a balance of age, gender, geographic location, ethnicity, and institutional affiliation. The committee includes representatives from most of the AcademyHealth Interest Groups and volunteers who have expressed an interest in becoming more involved in the ARM, as well as representatives from sponsoring federal agencies. The student representative is usually the past year's student poster awardee. The ARM chair is elected by the AcademyHealth Board.
How are themes determined?
Using data from the evaluations, the ARM planning committee selects specific conference themes that provide the framework for the meeting. The committee also considers the number of abstracts that were submitted to specific themes the previous year and current trends in health services research. Although the number of themes may vary from year to year, the committee strives to be inclusive and comprehensive in covering the field of health services research.
After the themes are determined, the planning committee selects theme leaders, many of whom serve on the planning committee. The theme leaders: (1) develop bullets for the call for abstracts, (2) invite co-reviewers, (3) oversee the abstracts review process in February, and (4) often moderate a call for papers panel.
How are the number and types of sessions selected?
Each year the planning committee reviews the format of the meeting and considers session balance to determine the approximate number of sessions based on the number of themes. For the 2008 ARM, the breakdown of sessions was:
- peer reviewed (call for papers and call for panels) – 75 sessions (52 percent)
- others (methods workshops, skill and career development, research resources, research agendas, sponsored, and special) – 41 sessions (28 percent); and
- theme related invited (policy roundtables and invited papers) – 29 sessions (20 percent)
The planning committee selects theme related invited sessions (policy roundtables and invited papers) and some of the other sessions, such as methods workshops and skill and career development sessions.
The peer reviewed sessions (call for papers and call for panels) are formed through the abstracts review process.
How are abstracts selected?
In February, each theme committee reviews the abstracts submitted to its respective theme. The acceptance rate is based on the number of abstracts submitted and the availability of breakout meeting space.
Abstracts not selected for oral presentation in the call for papers category are further reviewed for inclusion in the poster program. The 2008 meeting included three poster sessions and approximately 850 poster presentations.
For the 2008 conference, there were 22 theme-related review committees, chaired by theme leaders who were selected by the planning committee. The theme leaders invited at least five co-reviewers to serve on their respective committees. The other review committees—call for panels, poster, student poster, and best abstracts—include AcademyHealth members selected by the conference chair from the large pool of volunteers and Interest Group members. For the 2008 meeting, 148 reviewers participated in the abstracts review process.
How are the theme-related sessions scheduled?
Careful consideration is given to scheduling theme related sessions in different time blocks to avoid as much overlap as possible. For example, Medicare sessions are scattered throughout the program in different time blocks.
How are the Interest Groups involved in planning the main program?
Each year, Interest Groups committees are asked to contribute names to a pool of volunteers from which the planning and review committees are drawn.
How can I become involved?
With 15 active Interest Groups, you have an opportunity to collaborate with colleagues who share your research interests. Working with Interest Group members is an excellent way to become more involved in the ARM and other AcademyHealth activities.
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