The American Association for the History of Medicine (AAHM) 2021 Program Committee is extending the time for submitting proposals for the 2021 annual meeting until midnight, Pacific Time (US), 26 October 2020. Now that the AAHM Council has decided to hold the May 2021 annual meeting as a virtual event only, the Program Committee wanted to extend the deadline so that all may consider this new opportunity to share research in an innovative format. We particularly want to bring your attention to New Media Formats: podcast, film, and poster options. The Program Committee will provide some technical guidance for successful proposals in the New Media category. Graduate students will want to consider submitting a proposal for a flash talk, a session spotlighting graduate student research and chaired by senior scholars. The shorter format of the flash talk could be a distinct advantage in the online environment.
The AAHM invites abstracts for papers in any area of the history of health and healing for its 94th annual meeting, to be held online, 13-16 May, 2021. The AAHM welcomes papers on the histories of medicine, disease, and health broadly defined, including the history of medical ideas, practices, institutions, technologies, or patients as well as the history of healing, disability, illness, disease, or public health. We are keen to include papers on both biomedical and non-biomedical therapeutic systems and traditions. The Program Committee, led by co-chairs, Leslie J. Reagan and Projit Bihari Mukharji, particularly encourages the submission of papers and panels that increase the methodological, thematic, chronological and geographical diversity of the histories of all forms of medicine. We welcome engagement with related fields (such as literary studies, anthropology, STS, LGBTQ+, gender and critical race studies etc.) and encourage submissions that engage with topics of contemporary political and public health immediacy.
The Program Committee seeks submissions in four categories:
1. Individual papers: All papers in this category should represent original scholarship not already published or in press. Speakers should expect to give a presentation of no more than twenty minutes followed by ten minutes of discussion.
2. Panels: These consist of three individual papers featuring original scholarship (again limited to twenty minutes each) addressing a common topic. An appointed moderator should submit a proposal for the entire panel and coordinate individual speakers. Each speaker should submit an individual abstract as well. Please note that both panels and the individual abstracts for the papers included in them will be judged collectively, the goal is to keep proposed panels intact as proposed; occasionally, however, the program committee may make changes.
Panels may also include an invited discussant but must still fit within a ninety-minute session (i.e., fifteen minutes per paper).
3. Symposium/Lunch Workshops: Symposia and workshops address topics of broad interest, such as historiography, teaching, research methods, and advocacy, rather than original scholarship. These 75-minute sessions have a flexible format and may include a larger number of presenters (5-6), while also leaving ample space for discussion with the audience. A number of these symposia will be scheduled during lunch breaks. We are particularly interested in roundtables that engage with pressing scholarly or political issues, bring together different disciplinary or methodological backgrounds, address audiences, or use non-traditional formats.
4. Flash talks: Flash talks are concise presentations of developing and ongoing research meant to highlight the work of students. Flash talks last up to 5 minutes, and will be followed by discussion of up to 10 minutes.
5. New Media Formats: This category welcomes scholarly presentations under the following heads:-
Posters are well-suited to works that emphasize non-textual content. A limited number of them, representing original work not already published or in press, will be accepted for display in a designated area, with planned times for discussion during the meeting.
Podcasts: Short 5-10 minute pre-recorded audio presentations. This is a new format for AAHM and its exact form is evolving. We seek proposals for individual podcasts or from individuals who might produce a series of podcasts/interviews with selected scholars. Proposals should address content as well as podcast design and previous experience.
Film: These may be videos or other online material produced by the scholar her/him/themselves. Or one might propose a presentation of short films or film segments accompanied by discussion and analysis. The committee encourages imaginative proposals that explain both content and the proposed format. 5-15 minutes. Note that films (or a selection) may also be proposed as part of a luncheon/symposium.
To submit an abstract for new media formats,
**Please note that submissions are limited to one per person per category—one symposium/workshop, one paper abstract, one flash-talk abstract, one poster/podcast or film abstract. Presenters, however, may also serve as chairs of an organized panel.
The AAHM uses an online abstract submissions system. Submissions must include an abstract (of no more than 300 words) with title, your name and institutional affiliation, three key words that describe your proposed paper, and three Continuing Medical Education (CME) learning objectives (the learning objectives are not considered part of the word count). For suggestions on developing learning objectives, see: https://www.histmed.org/learning-objectives. And for examples of successful abstracts from selected past programs, see: https://www.histmed.org/meetings
Individuals are not required to be AAHM members at the time of submitting an abstract, but they must join AAHM to register and participate in the online meeting.
We would also urge all authors wishing to publish their papers to submit them for consideration to the Bulletin of the History of Medicine.