ARO 2026 SYMPOSIA/SPECIAL SESSION SUBMISSIONS

OPEN – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2025, EXTENDED to MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2025

The ARO Program Committee welcomes Symposia, Young Investigator Symposia, and Special Session
submissions for the 2025 MidWinter Meeting. The submission deadline is now EXTENDED to Monday, June 23, 2025, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Late submissions will not be considered.

The content of the annual ARO meeting depends entirely on submissions from ARO members. As such,
the Program Committee encourages submissions that reflect the broad range of topics of interest to ARO
members.

SYMPOSIA SUBMISSION
Symposia are organized as a series of oral presentations on a theme. Preference will be given to
submissions that (i) strive for timely syntheses across or within existing disciplines; (ii) explore novel
approaches that will expand research in new directions; (iii) include diverse speakers who are first-time
ARO speakers, women, represent different labs, include speakers spanning career levels, and/or speakers
from underrepresented groups. Speakers from outside the usual ARO circle are encouraged insofar as
they contribute a novel perspective. Submissions that bridge clinical and basic research are encouraged.
Submissions on topics covered by other recent ARO Symposia or Special Sessions (formerly known as
Workshops) are discouraged (see recent ARO Program books https://aro.org/meetings/past-midwinter-meetings/).

YOUNG INVESTIGATOR SYMPOSIA SUBMISSION
Young Investigator Symposia should be organized by a young investigator and the majority of participants
should also be young investigators. A young investigator is someone who is within 10 years since receiving
an AuD, PhD or MD. Young Investigator Symposia are otherwise subject to the same guidelines as
Symposia. Please see the Symposia Submission section above for more details.
For both Symposia and Young Investigator Symposia, there is a required format:
• All Symposia have a maximum duration of 2 hours.
• Individual presentations may be either 15 or 30 minutes, but at least one 30-minute
presentation is required. Combinations of 15/30 minute presentations are welcome.
• A minimum of 4 and a maximum of 7 presenters may be named.
• Allocation of presentation times is at the discretion of the organizers. Symposium chairs will be
asked to allocate speaking times for each presenter if the symposium is selected for
presentation.

SPECIAL SESSION SUBMISSION
The Workshop category has now been replaced with the Special Sessions category. This will allow
organizers to design and propose a variety of presentation formats such as a moderated panel, a debate,
a public forum, an interactive session, a workshop, or another session type on a topic that is of interest to
ARO members. Special Sessions are typically 1 hour in length; however, 2 hours may be approved based
on rationale showing that the extended time slot is warranted. There is no required format or limitations
on the style of the session. Please be creative. Submissions on topics covered by other recent ARO
Symposia or Special Sessions (formerly known as Workshops) are discouraged (see recent ARO Program
books, https://aro.org/meetings/past-midwinter-meetings/).

Available Financial Support for non-ARO members:
• Travel funds are available for non-ARO members presenting in accepted Symposia or Special
sessions. However, a budget justification should be included with each submission which identifies
which speaker(s) would be supported by these funds, estimated travel costs and the total amount
requested.
• A maximum of 2 non-ARO members speakers are eligible for up to $1500 USD each which totals a
maximum of $3,000 USD that can be requested for each accepted Symposium or Special session. ARO will also
provide eligible non-ARO member speakers with a promo code for waived registration fees. View
the full Speaker Funding policy here
• Non-ARO member speakers are those who have NOT had membership or registration activity in
ARO since 2021 (within 5 years of the speaking engagement). If you or your speakers are unsure
about eligibility for financial support, contact headquarters@aro.org to verify past participation.
• Non-ARO members may receive funding from only one symposium/session per meeting.
• If your Symposium or Special session is accepted, your budget for travel funds will then be
reviewed by the Program Committee leadership. Allocation of travel funds will be offered based
on the submission review score and the available funds.
• Travel funds are given as reimbursement after the meeting based on receipts submitted.
Please Note: As Symposia or Special Session Chair, you are responsible for communicating this policy to
any speakers you invite. Please see the ARO website for more information.

SUBMISSION DETAILS:
All entries must be submitted through the online system. Please access submissions via the ARO website.
Submissions can be edited until the deadline of Monday, June 23, 2025. Notifications of accepted
submissions will be emailed no later than mid-late July.
Symposia submissions must include the following:
• The Symposium title
• Select a category that is applicable to your symposium submission
• Overall symposium description (at a maximum of 300 words)
• Individual abstract title for EACH presentation, as well as the name of the presenter,
and demographic information to include the following to ensure diversity within
sessions:
a) Geographic location
b) Gender
c) Race/Ethnicity
d) Career Status
e) Lab affiliation
• List of Co-Authors for EACH presentation
• Abstract for EACH presentation (at a maximum of 400 words)
• If travel funds are requested for speakers who are non-ARO members, include a budget
justification which identifies which speaker(s) would be supported by these funds, estimated
travel costs and the total amount requested (see guidelines above)
Special Session submissions must include the following:
• The Special Session title
• A selected category that is applicable to your Special Session submission
• Overall Special Session description (at a maximum of 300 words)
• Individual abstract title for EACH presentation as well as the name of the presenter,
and demographic information to include the following to ensure diversity within
sessions:
a) Geographic location
b) Gender
c) Race/Ethnicity
d) Career Status
e) Lab affiliation
• List of ALL presenters and Co-Authors for EACH presentation(s)
• Abstract for EACH presentation(s) (at a maximum of 400 words each)
• A rationale if a 2-hour time slot is requested
• If travel funds are requested for speakers who are non-ARO members, include a budget
justification which identifies which speaker(s) would be supported by these funds, estimated
travel costs and the total amount requested (see guidelines above)
If you have any additional questions, please contact the Executive Office at headquarters@aro.org