ACRM Annual Conference

Submitting a Proposal

Event Information

ACRM 102nd Annual Fall Conference #ACRM2025

Progress in Rehabilitation Research: Translation to Clinical Practice

Location: Hilton Chicago

CORE CONFERENCE: 27 – 30 OCT 2025
Plenaries, hundreds of educational symposia, papers, posters, ACRM community group meetings, receptions & ACRM EXPO

PRE-CON: 25 – 27 OCT 2025
Dozens of Instructional Courses (ICs), ACRM Development Courses (Leadership and Career) and Brain Injury rehabilitation courses

Current deadline

WAVE 1

30 January 2025

Accepting all submission types

Who Should Submit

Rehabilitation professionals or teams who:

  • Wish to present their latest research
  • Value the opportunity to engage with an interdisciplinary audience
  • Offer translational research to inform evidence-based practice
  • Value the opportunity to engage with an interdisciplinary and diverse audience
  • Wish to network and seek potential collaborations with our many exhibitors and vendors
  • Wish to present their latest research and contribute to the state-of-the-art in rehabilitation 

Why Submit

 See infographic HERE>>
  • BUILD YOUR CV
  • Participating in the ACRM Annual Fall Conference and being published in the ARCHIVES are celebration-worthy career milestones
  • PRESENT your research to a large, INTERNATIONAL audience — 3,000+ attendees from 65+ countries expected
  • CONNECT with interdisciplinary colleagues who share your research interests and passions
  • NETWORK with POTENTIAL EMPLOYERS, mentors, collaborators, and funders
  • Gain RECOGNITION as an expert in your topic of research and as an ACRM contributor
  • Get Published in the ARCHIVES
    ACRM’s scientific journal, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation(ARCHIVES) is the most cited journal in rehabilitation. All abstracts of accepted oral and poster presentations of scientific papers will be published (fully searchable and citable) in the online pages of ARCHIVES.
  • AWARDS — Become eligible for prestigious ACRM AWARDS for outstanding posters
  • DISCOVER an interprofessional platform where clinicians can inform research and cutting-edge, evidence-based information can inform best practices in clinical rehabilitation.
  • The ACRM Conference attracts a passionate, interdisciplinary mix of rehabilitation pros from around the world.

Don't forget to submit

How to Submit

All proposals/abstracts and LaunchPad applications must be submitted online via the ACRM Conference System according to the submission deadlines.  To see an outline of the information you will need to enter during the submission process, please download the Proposal Worksheets below.

Proposal Worksheets 2025 (Coming Soon)

Instructions for Structured Abstracts 2025

LaunchPad Executive Summary Template

Presenter Benefits for 2025

Presenter Requirements for 2025

  • Presenter must register for the conference by the date specified in the acceptance letter
  • ACRM will do our best to provide the option to record your presentation on-site
  • Presenter must agree to an embargo period for their ACRM presentation
  • Presenter must agree to allow for their content to live on in the ACRM online library

Presenter Agreement for Submission >> (Coming Soon)

Please note that if your submission is accepted for the 2025 Annual Fall Conference, each presenter will be required to register for the conference and pay the special ACRM presenter rate.

Therefore it is important that submitters appropriately identify the role of presenters and moderators and confirm their intent to register and attend in person.

Proposal Submission Guidelines

The ACRM Annual Fall Conference: Progress in Rehabilitation Research is the premier educational conference for evidence-based learning in rehabilitation medicine. The 2025 Program Committee invites proposals focused on research evidence and its translation into clinical practice. 

ACRM is especially interested in the following topics:

  1. Aging Research & Geriatric Rehabilitation
  2. Artificial Intelligence
  3. Arts & Neuroscience
  4. Athlete Development & Sports Rehabilitation
  5. Behavioral Health Sciences
  6. Big Data
  7. Brain Injury
  8. Burn Rehabilitation
  9. Cancer Rehabilitation
  10. Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
  11. Career Development
  12. Caregiver Needs and Related Research
  13. Clinical Practice (assessment, diagnosis, treatment, knowledge translation/EBP, implementation science, program development)
  14. Complementary Integrative Rehabilitation Medicine
  15. Consumer Engagement
  16. COVID-19 and Long COVID (Post-Acute Sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection, PASC)
  17. Cross-Cutting
  18. Cultural Competency
  19. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  20. Early Mobilization/Rehabilitation in the Intensive Care Unit
  21. Ethics
  22. Health Services Research
  23. International
  24. Leadership
  25. Lifestyle Medicine
  26. Limb Care (including prosthetics/orthotics)
  27. Machine Learning
  28. Measurement
  29. Military and Veterans Affairs
  30. Neurodegenerative Disease (e.g. MS, Parkinson’s disease)
  31. Neuroplasticity (includes neuroscience)
  32. Pain Rehabilitation
  33. Pediatric Rehabilitation
  34. Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System
  35. Skin Management
  36. Spasticity
  37. Spinal Cord Injury
  38. Spatial Neglect
  39. Stroke
  40. Technology (e.g. robotics, assistive technology, mHealth)
  41. Telehealth
  42. Trauma
  43. Writing Grants & Getting Funded

Proposals that are interdisciplinary in nature, or include international or early career presenters are encouraged!

Avoidance of Commercialism

All presentations must avoid commercialism. Presentations that constitute promotion and advertising will be prohibited. This includes pervasive and inappropriate use of logos. No advertising matter of any kind may be distributed. No material may be displayed that in any way directly promotes the commercial interest of any company or enterprise, or of the author(s)/presenter(s). If the cost of presentation has been underwritten to any extent, a clear acknowledgment stating support and identifying the particular source should be included (e.g., “The support of [name of corporation/institute] for this project is gratefully acknowledged.”) Statements made in presentations are the sole responsibility of the author(s)/presenter(s). Any statement made should not be viewed as, or considered representative of, any formal stance or position taken on any product, subject, or issue by ACRM.

Accreditation Requirements

At the time of online submission, submitters must provide complete contact information (e.g., name, credentials, title, institution, mailing address, email, and phone) for all authors/presenters associated with the submission. Further, all submitters, authors, and presenters must submit a current CV or resume and electronically sign a continuing education (CE) agreement and disclosure form. Failure to do so prevents acceptance of a submission. An electronic copy of presentations must be held on file with ACRM.

Conference Attendance and Presenter Expenses

Presenters for all accepted proposals are required to register for the conference, and are fully responsible for all of their expenses related to the conference (e.g., registration, airfare, hotel, meals).

Proposal Submission Selection Criteria

Each complete submission received by the published due date will be independently peer reviewed.

Each proposal for a symposium will be reviewed for the following elements: (1) contribution to state of the art of rehabilitation science, including scientific rigor and the presentation of new findings (2) Clinical and/or translational relevance (3) Pertinent to the interests of the ACRM membership; (4) Expertise and qualifications of the presenters; (5) timeliness of the topic; (6) overall impact and quality.

Weighting for Each Criteria
Contribution to state of the art of rehabilitation science, including scientific rigor and the presentation of new findings15%
Clinical and/or translational relevance12.5%
Pertinent to the interests of the ACRM membership7.5%
Expertise and qualifications of the presenters7.5%
Timeliness of the topic7.5%
Overall impact and quality50%
Guiding Questions for Scoring Each Attribute
CONTRIBUTION TO STATE OF THE ART OF REHABILITATION SCIENCE, INCLUDING SCIENTIFIC RIGOR AND THE PRESENTATION OF NEW FINDINGS
  1. To what degree are the concepts, approaches or methodologies, or interventions reflective of rigorous scientific principles, evidence-based research, or other generally accepted principles or practices?
  2. Does the submission indicate that new findings will be presented (including findings from individual studies as well as evidence-based reviews)?
  3. Does the topic demonstrate consistency with available literature and evidence?
  4. Is a clear, reflective component identified?
  5. Does the abstract articulate purpose and content of the presentation? 

CLINICAL AND/OR TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE
  1. To what degree does the session have relevance to rehabilitation practice?
  2. Will methods and implications for translating research findings and evidence into practice be discussed?

PERTINENCE TO THE INTERESTS OF THE ACRM MEMBERSHIP
  1. To what degree are the concepts in the abstract relevant to one or more of the content topic areas of most interest to ACRM:
  1. Aging Research & Geriatric Rehabilitation
  2. Artificial Intelligence
  3. Arts & Neuroscience
  4. Athlete Development & Sports Rehabilitation
  5. Behavioral Health Sciences
  6. Big Data
  7. Brain Injury
  8. Burn Rehabilitation
  9. Cancer Rehabilitation
  10. Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation
  11. Career Development
  12. Caregiver Needs and Related Research
  13. Clinical Practice (assessment, diagnosis, treatment, knowledge translation/EBP, implementation science, program development)
  14. Complementary Integrative Rehabilitation Medicine
  15. Consumer Engagement
  16. COVID-19 and Long COVID (Post-Acute Sequelae SARS-CoV-2 infection, PASC)
  17. Cross-Cutting
  18. Cultural Competency
  19. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  20. Early Mobilization/Rehabilitation in the Intensive Care Unit
  21. Ethics
  22. Health Services Research
  23. International
  24. Leadership
  25. Lifestyle Medicine
  26. Limb Care (including prosthetics/orthotics)
  27. Machine Learning
  28. Measurement
  29. Military and Veterans Affairs
  30. Neurodegenerative Disease (e.g. MS, Parkinson’s disease)
  31. Neuroplasticity (includes neuroscience)
  32. Pain Rehabilitation
  33. Pediatric Rehabilitation
  34. Rehabilitation Treatment Specification System
  35. Skin Management
  36. Spasticity
  37. Spinal Cord Injury
  38. Spatial Neglect
  39. Stroke
  40. Technology (e.g. robotics, assistive technology, mHealth)
  41. Telehealth
  42. Trauma
  43. Writing Grants & Getting Funded

2. Interdisciplinary: To what degree are the concepts presented in the abstract relevant to a large number of health professionals and researchers that comprise the ACRM membership?  ACRM audiences include: rehabilitation medicine researchers, physicians, nurses, psychologists, counselors, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language professionals, disability management specialists, healthcare executives, dieticians and others.

EXPERTISE AND QUALIFICATIONS OF THE PRESENTERS

  1. Is there relevant expertise to present the topic?
  2. Is the presentation topic consistent with the focus of the presenters’ training and work?
  3. Is the level of material appropriate for the identified target audience (introductory, intermediate, advanced)?


TIMELINESS OF THE TOPIC

  1. To what degree are concepts/findings presented in the abstract reflective of recently released, significant information?
  2. To what degree are the concepts in the abstract a hot topic of interest to a large population of the ACRM audience?
Scoring Guidance
Impact Score Descriptor Additional Guidance on Strengths/Weaknesses
High 9 Exceptional Exceptionally strong with essentially no weaknesses                                                                                                     
8 Outstanding Extremely strong with negligible weaknesses
7 Excellent Very strong with only some minor weaknesses
Medium 6 Very Good Strong but with numerous minor weaknesses
5 Good Strong but with at least one moderate weakness
4 Satisfactory Some strengths but also some moderate weaknesses
Low 3 Fair Some strengths but with at least one major weakness
2 Marginal A few strengths and a few major weaknesses
1 Poor Very few strengths and numerous major weaknesses

Questions

Contact meetings@ACRM.org or call +1.703.435.5335.

Skip to content