Abstract submissions are now being accepted.
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT NOW
The CAHR 2025 Scientific Committee invites abstracts in the areas of: Basic Science, Clinical Science, Epidemiology and Public Health, and Social Sciences. In addition, once again in 2025, you can request that your abstract be considered under a Key Populations session theme. Click on the link below to go directly to any of the following sections:
- Abstract Submission Guidelines and Policies
- Abstract Subjects
- Scholarships and Awards
- Abstract Presentation Guidelines and Policies
- Submit your Abstract
- Edit your submitted Abstract(s)
- Questions?
Abstract Submission Guidelines and Policies
Submission of an abstract acknowledges your consent to the following:
- If accepted, your abstract may be published in a scientific journal.
- If accepted as an oral presentation, your PPT presentation and/or video recording of your presentation may be posted on the CAHR website post conference.
- If accepted as a poster presentation, you will display a hard copy version of your research (as per the poster guidelines) at the Conference.
- If requested by CAHR, you agree to prepare a “one-page media profile sheet” on your abstract for distribution to media.
Note: CAHR strives to promote excellence and innovation in HIV research in Canada. While CAHR welcomes all abstracts, those that offer new insights and are supported by researchers in Canadian universities, hospitals and other research institutions are particularly encouraged.
Abstract Submission and Review Timeline
The deadline for abstract submission is Wednesday, January 15, 2025. The Abstract Submitter will be notified by email. Subsequent correspondence will be with the Abstract Submitter only.
Presenting Author Registration
Presenting Authors must register to attend CAHR 2025. If you are not registered by the Presenting Author registration deadline of Wednesday March 19, 2025, your abstract may not be included in the final program.
Author Information
At the beginning of the abstract submission process, you will be asked to enter author information and affiliations.
Abstract Submitter and Presenting Author
CAHR strives to support the broadest number of researchers to participate in the Conference program. Any researcher who is submitting an abstract or presenting an abstract (oral or poster) must be a member of the research or investigation team.
Note: The Abstract Submitter is the individual who is submitting the conference abstract for consideration. This Abstract Submitter can be the presenting author or a member of the research team.
Disclosure of Potential Conflict of Interest
If an author or immediate family member has had a substantial personal financial relationship relating to the support of the abstract within the past five years, this relationship must be described. Such relationships include salaries, ownerships, equity positions, stock options, royalties, consulting fees and honoraria for speaking, material support and other financial arrangements. During the abstract submission process, you will be asked to disclose any potential conflicts of interest. Find out more about CAHR’s Policy on Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest.
Language of Abstract
Your abstract may be submitted in English or French and will be published in the language of submission.
Number of Submissions
There is a limit of two (2) abstract submissions per presenting author.
Individual researchers are limited to presenting a total of two (2) abstracts during the conference program (oral and poster abstracts combined). In addition, individual researchers may not present more than one oral abstract per track. If the author wishes to submit more than two (2) abstracts, the additional abstracts should be submitted by another researcher on the investigation team (that is, other than the principal investigator or presenting researcher). There is no limit to the number of times that a researcher’s name may appear as a member of a team of investigators on abstracts submitted to the conference. In cases where a researcher is involved in more than two abstracts or studies submitted for the conference program, that researcher may be listed as the presenter only once for an oral session and twice for posters.
Title and Abstract Length
The abstract title is limited to 30 words. Please use Title Case (capital letters to start the principal words) for your abstract title instead of all CAPITAL or all small letters. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words in length, not including the title. Please note that abstracts will be truncated at 300 words in the Abstract Book if they run longer. Tables count as 50 words against the 300-word limit.
Submission Format
Prepare your abstract in a word processing software such as MS Word ahead of time so you can copy and paste the text into the abstract system. Do not use presentation software such as PowerPoint. If you incorporate a data table in your abstract, the table counts as 50 words against your 300-word total.
Preferred Presentation Format
Please select one of the following presentation options during online abstract submission:
- Oral
- Poster
A limited number of oral presentations are available at CAHR 2025, and therefore many authors requesting an oral presentation cannot be accommodated. The Scientific Committee will note the author’s preference for an oral, but if not selected, authors may be offered a poster presentation instead.
Canadian Connection Policy
Scientific abstracts submitted for CAHR conference program must demonstrate a clear Canadian connection.
To demonstrate a Canadian connection, an abstract would need to meet at least one or more of these criteria:
- one or more investigators are based in Canada, are Canadian residents, or trained in Canada
- one or more funders are based in Canada, i.e. a Canadian funder, or other national or international funders (organization or individual) that is based in or operating in Canada
- one or more Canadian scientific research or other organizations based in Canada is involved or partnered in the research project
- at least some of the research population is resident in Canada
- at least some of the research activity is conducted in Canada
- the research builds extensively on existing Canadian research
- the evidence from the research is relevant, wholly or partially, to current issues and challenges specific to the HIV/AIDS response in Canada
- other connection such as the research was initiated, proposed or promoted by Canadian researcher(s) or institution(s).
New to writing conference abstracts?
This informative video was developed by the editors of the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) in advance of AIDS 2024. The video covers the key components of a conference abstract, how to correctly write each abstract section, and how to avoid common pitfalls that result in the rejection of a conference abstract. See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho5h-GRT_nU
Abstract Submission from outside of Canada
Over the last several years, there has been an alarming increase in the number of plagiarized abstracts submitted to the CAHR conference. With the aim of reducing the burden on abstract reviewers and conference organizers, abstracts submitted from individuals who reside in countries that require a visa to enter Canada will be required to describe their Canadian connection (as described above) as well as provide additional information and references, as requested by the conference organizers. The information to be provided includes:
- The name and contact information of a Canadian researcher who can act as a reference;
- An overview of the current HIV research partnership with a Canadian counterpart that will be showcased at the conference; and
- An academic or knowledge-user CV.
Failure to provide this information in full will result in the removal of the abstract for consideration.
Common Reasons Abstracts Are Not Accepted for Presentation
Outlined below are common reasons why abstracts are not accepted:
- Subject matter is not appropriate
- Information is not novel (new enough)
- Abstract is duplicative of other submissions
- Format does not follow guidelines
- Submission is poorly written and difficult to understand
- Background does not summarize the hypothesis
- Methodology is inadequate or insufficient to support conclusions
- Evaluation is inadequate or absent
- Summary of essential results is inadequate or absent
Abstract Subjects
Basic Sciences
- Antivirals, Microbicides and Mechanisms of HIV Resistance
- Biomarkers and Diagnostics
- Comorbidities, Coinfections and Complications
- COVID-19 in the context of HIV
- Eradication Strategies Towards an HIV Cure
- Host Genetics and Viral Evolution
- HIV Latency and Viral Reservoirs
- HIV Pathogenesis and Animal Models
- HIV Virology (Viral and Host Factors)
- Immunology of HIV and Vaccines
- Monkeypox & other STBBIs in the context of HIV
- Other
Clinical Sciences
- Aging and Co-Morbidities
- Clinical Trials and Observational Studies of Antiretrovirals and Other HIV Therapies/Interventions
- Co-infections and Co-Morbidities
- COVID-19 in the Context of HIV
- Complications of Antiretroviral Therapy
- Early Treatment and Cure
- Engagement and Adherence
- HIV Care Continuum
- HIV in Children and Adolescents, including Transitioning to the Adult Care
- HIV in Key Populations and Global Health Issues: Clinical Aspects
- HIV Prevention: Clinical Aspects
- HIV in Women and in Pregnancy
- Impact of Converging Pandemics
- Mental Health and Wellness in People Living with HIV
- Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacoeconomics
- Substance Use, including the Opioid Crisis, and HIV
- Other
Epidemiology and Public Health Sciences
- Data and methodological science: use of administrative data, new tools and other novel data sources in HIV surveillance, prevention and control programs
- Economic Evaluation of Public Health Policies, Programs or Interventions
- Epidemiology and Surveillance of HIV Co-infections
- Epidemiology of COVID-19, STBBIs and Monkeypox
- HIV Prevention and Control in Global Populations: Epidemiology and Public Health Aspects
- HIV Prevention Interventions in the Adult and Pediatric Populations
- Implementation and Program Science: Evaluations of Public Health Policies, Programs, or Interventions
- Interdisciplinary Epidemiology (Biological, Behavioural and Social) of HIV infection, including structural, social and individual determinants
- Process Advances and Lessons Learned in Complex or Community-based Public Health Research
- Public Health Ethics
- Other
Social Sciences
- African, Caribbean, and Black Communities
- Children and Adolescents
- Critical theory and applications
- Gay, Bisexual, and other Men who have Sex with Men (MSM)
- Gender diverse people
- HIV Care and Treatment
- Indigenous Health
- Impact of converging pandemics (COVID-19, Monkeypox, etc.)
- Implementation Science
- Intersectionality and oppression
- Interventions and Prevention Programs
- Law, Citizenship, and Policy
- Living with HIV
- Methodologies: Innovative, community-based, and creative
- People Who Use Drugs
- Sex workers
- Social, Structural, and Systemic Drivers
- Women
- Other
Key Populations
The CAHR 2025 Scientific Committee invites abstracts in the areas of Basic Science, Clinical Science, Epidemiology and Public Health, and Social Sciences. You can also request that your abstract be considered under a “Key Populations” session. By indicating your interest in participating in this session that focusses on equity-seeking groups, you agree to tailor your presentation to an audience from all tracks. Please note that indicating your interest here does not preclude your abstract from being accepted for your selected track sessions.
Themes:
Community driven and culturally responsive approaches to harm reduction, sexual health, and HIV care cascades for the following key populations:
- African, Caribbean and Black people
- Indigenous communities
- Refugees and newcomers to Canada
- Sexual and gender minorities
- People who use drugs
Scholarships and Awards
Academic Scholarships as well as New Investigator Awards will be presented to selected candidates. For application details, visit the Scholarships & Awards page. Please note that you must apply for scholarships and awards when submitting your abstract.
Abstract Presentation Guidelines and Policies
Abstract Presenter
CAHR strives to support the broadest number of researchers to participate in the Conference program. Any researcher who is submitting an abstract or presenting an abstract (oral or poster) must be a member of the research or investigation team. Individual researchers are limited to presenting two abstracts per researcher during the conference program. Individual researchers may not, however, present more than one oral abstract per track. If the author wishes to submit more than two (2) abstracts, the additional abstracts should be submitted by another researcher as part of the investigation team (that is, other than the principal investigator or presenting researcher). There is no limit to the number of times that a researcher’s name may appear as a member of a team of investigators on abstracts submitted to the conference. In cases where a researcher is involved in more than two abstracts or studies submitted for the Conference program, that researcher may be listed as the presenter only once for an oral session or twice for abstract posters.
Oral Presentation
Oral presentations are scheduled on May 2, 3 and 4, 2025. You will be notified about your presentation time once your abstract is accepted as an oral presentation (March 2025). Oral presentations are 10 minutes in length followed by 5 minutes for question and answer. New Investigator Awards applicants will be judged during their live presentation. The awards recipients are announced at the Closing Ceremonies of the Conference.
Poster Presentation
Posters will be presented Thursday, May 1 to Saturday, May 3, 2025. Poster presentation guidelines will be sent via email in March 2025 to all accepted poster presenters. This includes information on poster viewing times, poster size, set up and removal times.
Poster Tour
CAHR will be offering tours of accepted posters during the conference. During the submission process, the abstract submitter will be asked if they are interested in having their abstract (if accepted for a poster) included in a poster tour.
Poster Printer in Halifax
Those interested in having their posters printed near the CAHR 2025 venue instead of traveling with them across the country might be interested in utilizing the services of the area company noted below. Please click on the name of the printer to find out information on requirements and pricing.
Submit your Abstract(s)
CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT NOW
Edit your submitted Abstract(s)
If you would like to edit your submitted abstract(s), return to the Abstract Submission site, log back into your user account and edit your abstract(s). You can edit an abstract until the abstract submission deadline. After this date, it is not possible to make changes.
Questions?
Please email your questions on abstract submission to conference@cahr-acrv.ca.
