Accepted abstracts that were submitted by Students, Post-Docs, and Faculty Members identified as the first author on the Abstract Submission Form will be considered for the Student Poster Competition. All entrants must be in an accredited program and/or institution and designated as a student, post-doc, or faculty at the time of submission. Students are defined as undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral. Level of enrollment must be indicated at the time of abstract submission. Eligible entrants must be the first author on the work and abstract submissions must follow the Abstract Submittal Guidelines.

The competition will be hosted during two poster sessions on-site. A panel of judges will be assigned at random to review the student poster presentations. Each poster will be assigned a minimum of two (2) judges. Competition winners will be selected through a rigorous judging scorecard and rubric.

Eligible presenters are expected to explain the purpose, methods, findings, and importance of their work in easily understandable terms and should be able to provide an oral overview (approximately 5 minutes) of their projects.

The award will acknowledge a recipient in each of five categories: undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, post-doctoral, and faculty. Awardees will be announced during the Summary & Adjournment session.

• Post-Docs and Faculty
  Travel Award will be a maximum of $1,600, depending on location.
• Students
  The Travel Award will be a maximum of $1,400, depending on location.

Abstracts submitted by post-doctoral fellows, junior faculty members and students identified as the presenter or first author on the Abstract Submission Form will be considered for Travel Awards. Post-doctoral fellows include individuals with MD, DDS, DO, PhD, JD, or doctoral degrees in biomedical sciences and/or health sciences-related field who are in research training. An individual with either MPH, MSPH, or MSC degree and who is a presenter of an abstract is also eligible to apply.

A junior faculty is an individual who holds a full-time faculty appointment and who does not have or has not previously received external, peer-reviewed Research Project Grant (RPG), R01, or Program Project Grant (PPG) support from either Federal or non-Federal sources for which the individual is named as the principal investigator. Grants that name an individual as a sub-project investigator, collaborator, or consultant do not disqualify that investigator. Starter grants (such as NIH's membership award mechanism, K01, other K-series grants, R25 educational, SC-2 and SC-3), Academic Research Enhancement Award grants (AREA, R15), or exploratory/pilot project grants (such as NIH R03 award) also do not disqualify the investigator. A faculty at the rank of associate professor who has recently transitioned to translational and/or health disparities research and has an abstract is eligible. Also, faculty (assistant, associate or full professor) with significant teaching responsibilities who are transitioning into research are eligible.

** However, faculty, students, and postdoctoral fellows from Meharry Medical College are ineligible for the travel award. **

Each applicant should complete and submit an abstract via the online form indicating the academic status of student, post-doctoral fellow, or faculty; and indicate a request in the form to be considered for the Travel Award. Students and postdoctoral fellows should include one letter of recommendation from their faculty or mentor and a biography. The PDF letter of recommendation must be on official letterhead and signed by the faculty or mentor. Faculty applicants should include a copy of either NIH-formatted biosketch or full CV.

Senior scientists within MeTRC committees will review the abstract submissions, and Travel Awards will be based strictly on merit. Review criteria will include an assessment of significance of the research, rigor of the research design and data analysis, and the level of innovation.

Abstracts must be received prior to September 14, 2018. Award recipients will be notified no later than September 21, 2018. Awardees will be notified whether the abstract is selected as a poster or blue ribbon presentation. At the time of award notification, each awardee will be required to verify their status as a junior investigator, a post-doctoral fellow, or a student. All travel and lodging reservations will be made by the Conference Secretariat.