IM4US 13th ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Hybrid November 2 - 4, 2023 | Call for Session Proposals

Proposals Due: September 1st, 2023; 11:59 PM EDT

Approval Notification: September 30th, 2023

IM4US is an organization working and advocating for integrative healthcare that is inclusive, anti-racist, accessible, and culturally-relevant to underserved communities. As an organization, we welcome voices often unheard in integrative health. We encourage proposals from BIPOC and unlicensed healthcare practitioners. If your work aligns with ours, we invite you to submit a proposal to present a session at our upcoming conference.

IM4US Mission

Integrative Medicine for the Underserved is a collaborative, multidisciplinary group of people committed to affordable, accessible integrative health care for all. Through outreach, education, research, and advocacy, we support those dedicated to promoting health in underserved populations. Together we work to shift the current paradigm towards equity, wellness, prevention, patient empowerment, and self-care.

Conference Theme

Decolonizing Medicine: Recentering Climate Health and Equity in the Spectrum of Care

What does it mean to decolonize medicine; and, how do we build more equitable models of integrative healthcare? Integrative Health has been critiqued as a movement emphasizing "elite medicine for the worried well... [and] pricey, non-essential healthcare practices for the 'overserved'.^* Yet, many ‘integrative’ practices (e.g., yoga, mindfulness, acupuncture) have historical roots in communities of color, and—like air and water--belong in the commons, where value goes beyond price. Such practices also often originate in Indigenous therapeutic paradigms that pre-date European colonization -- but continue to be devalued.

This year’s IM4US conference welcomes contributions on the following themes as well as other areas related to equity and inclusivity in integrative healthcare: 

• Using anti-racist and/or re-Indigenizing strategies to address social and structural determinants of health;

• Lifting up models of financially accessible, trauma-informed, culturally-safe and culturally-responsive healthcare;

• Building trustworthy healthcare organizations;

• Transforming biomedical supremacy, environmental racism and cultural misappropriation in healthcare;

• Expanding what ‘evidence’ means for marginalized communities and practices; 

• Redefining professional expertise through dignified collaboration between diverse healthcare practitioners, patients, and communities; and 

• Recognizing and honoring community-based health sovereignty.

Submissions will be housed within four conference ‘tracks’ aligned with the IM4US mission: Outreach, Education, Research & Practice, and Advocacy. 

*Chao MT, Adler SR. Integrative Medicine and the Imperative for Health Justice. J Altern Complement Med 2018 Feb;24(2):101–3.

Who May Submit a Proposal?
Healthcare providers, healers, researchers, public health workers, policy analysts, students, administrators, patients, and community members are encouraged to submit an abstract proposal. IM4US welcomes voices often unheard in the integrative health community and encourages first-time presenters to submit a proposal.

Types of Proposals

• Breakout Sessions (30 minutes)

• • High-level, Ted Talk style micro-learning sessions, typically 20-25 minutes of content with 5-10 minutes of discussion and/or Q&A.

• Workshops (60 - 90 minutes)

• • Highly interactive, in-depth sessions ranging from 60-90 minutes. These can include panel discussions, lectures, peer learning, case studies, Q&A, etc.

• Poster with Short Video (5 - 10 minutes, pre-recorded)

• • Brief, pre-recorded overview presentation of your poster.

• Wellness Experience Sessions (30 minutes)

• • 30 minute morning experiential session. Activity examples from past years include yoga, qi gong, tai chi, guided meditation, music/sound therapy, etc. 

Conference Tracks

OUTREACH 

Presentations addressing: 

• Strategies for inclusive community engagement, communication, and media outreach; Getting the word about community-based, equity-focused integrative care; 

• Ways to foster dignified collaborations between multidisciplinary health practitioner types; 

• Intercultural dialogue in the healthcare sphere; and

• Creating safe and welcoming therapeutic spaces. 

EDUCATION  

Presentations about: 

• Educational programs in communities and in health centers; 

• Strategies for decolonizing health practitioner education; 

• Non-institutional training pathways (e.g., apprenticeship, mentorship, oral tradition); 

• Experiential and group-based therapeutic gatherings; 

• Inclusive curriculum design; 

• Learnings about the work of decolonizing ourselves and our clinical care; and

• Expanding what counts as 'legitimate' health education.

RESEARCH & PRACTICE 

Presentations regarding: 

• Academic research related to the conference theme; 

• Research methods and what counts as evidence; 

• Case studies of whole systems care and inter-collaboration;

• Sharing how you do your clinical and community-based healthcare work; and

• Strategies for documenting decolonizing/integrative health equity work.

ADVOCACY  

Presentations about: 

• Strategies for advocating with and alongside patients and communities; 

• Advocating for greater inclusion of marginalized health practitioner groups; 

• Policy and legal advocacy; 

• Decolonial grassroots activism, community organizing, and direct health equity action; and

• Navigating government systems to advocate for inclusive health equity.

Presenter Guidelines

Please thoroughly read the following guidelines below BEFORE starting your proposal. You will be asked to confirm that you have read and agreed to the following terms during the proposal submission process.

Proposal Submission Guidelines:

• No more than two proposals per primary presenter, please. However, primary presenters are permitted to serve as co-presenters on others' proposals. 

• The deadline to submit proposals is 11:59 PM EDT on September 1st, 2023. 

• Late proposals will not be reviewed. 

• It is strongly encouraged that you submit your proposal a few days before the deadline in case you need technical help or have questions.

• You must submit your proposal in one sitting. Partial submissions will not be saved in our system. Please review the proposal requirements prior to beginning your submission.

Proposal Requirements:

• Session Title: 8-10 words that describe the topic of your presentation/poster.

• Session Description: One (1) paragraph describing your topic in detail, including how your session will benefit participants. Describe what knowledge, skills, or abilities attendees will gain as a result of participating in your session and/or what actionable takeaways they can use in their daily lives.

• Session Outline: Provide a brief session outline and indicate the time allotted for each topic/section of your presentation. For breakout and workshop sessions, please allow time for Q&A.

• Delivery Method: In an effort to provide educational sessions that align with adult-learning best practices, please indicate the instructional method(s) you will use during your presentation. This includes: case studies, lecture, discussions, panels, etc.

• Learning Objectives: A minimum of three (3) learning objectives that describe what participants will be able to do as a result of participating in your session. Learning objectives should always begin with measurable verbs. Learning objectives that begin with the words “learn” or “understand” will not be accepted. 

Click here for Submission Form

Review:

All proposals are reviewed by at least two people and are scored based on:

• Whether the proposal addresses the conference theme

• How the proposal embodies Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

• An alignment with the IM4US mission

Notification of Selection:

If your proposal is selected:

• You will receive an acceptance email notification by September 30th, 2023. 

• The acceptance notification will include the title of the accepted proposal, the day and time of your presentation, instructions for accepting the offer to present, and any other additional information.

• The primary presenter will be asked to formally accept the offer to present by the deadline listed in the acceptance notification.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, if we do not receive the formal acceptance to present by the deadline, we will extend the offer to another presenter.

If you need to cancel your presentation, please alert IM4US (proposals@im4us.org) right away so that we may select another presenter, time permitting.

If your proposal is not selected:

You will be notified by September 30th, 2023. 

Please note that many quality proposals are turned away each year due to the high volume of proposals we receive. If your proposal is not selected this year, we hope you'll apply again next year!

General:

We strive to include as many proposals as possible, however, no more than two proposals may be submitted by primary presenters. We do our best to select as many presentations as possible by employing creative scheduling techniques, joining presentations into one session, assembling panels, and giving those whose applications were not chosen an opportunity to submit a poster.

Additional Information:

• Presenters will need to create a profile that includes a photo and bio to share with our attendees. The information may appear on our website, marketing emails, social media, and conference mobile app.

• Unforeseen circumstances can impact the conference schedule and therefore alter the date and time of presentations. If selected, we will notify you by email if we need to change the day or time of your session.

• Presenters will be required to submit their presentation in advance of the conference according to our Continuing Medical Education (CME) provider.