Virtual Educating Leaders Schedule Now Available
The in-person conference has been cancelled
Given the growing and uncertain path of the current coronavirus public health crisis and the need for all of our medical professionals to be available to serve our patients and our communities, the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) has decided to cancel its annual conference, Educating Leaders 2020, scheduled for March 25-27 in Washington, DC. This includes cancelling our Pre-Conference workshops and Council meetings.
As you know, our conference attendees predominantly include health care professionals whose first duty is to be available in their hospitals and communities to care for their patients, including those affected by COVID-19. The goal of AACOM’s leadership, which includes our Board of Deans, Assemblies, and Councils, is to support and promote those efforts.
The motivation for this decision reflects the cornerstone of our profession – our duty to care for patients and the health of our fellow citizens. We have all prepared for moments like this; we have chosen this profession and this path since the beginning of our education and into our careers. AACOM is committed to providing our students, residents, educators, COM staff and physicians with every opportunity to be there with their patients as the demand for their services becomes more urgent.
Thank you for your commitment and leadership during this healthcare challenge. Your patients and your communities need you more than ever. Please continue to share your efforts and initiatives to battle COVID-19 so that we can all learn from and be inspired by how our profession is making a difference in this time of need.
Refunds
AACOM will be issuing refunds of 50% to registrants of the in-person Annual Conference. We will begin processing refunds immediately and expect to complete these within the next 30 days. Registered exhibitors will receive full refunds. Please check back here for full information on the timing and other Frequently Asked Questions later in the week. For students and residents whose conference registration was unsponsored (not paid or reimbursed by their institution), please email us at AC2020-C19@aacom.org for further information on refunds.
We look forward to seeing you all “in person” next year at Educating Leaders 2021!
Educating Leaders 2020 Cancellation FAQs
Will my registration fee be refunded?
What if I can’t attend the virtual conference? Do I get a full refund?
What about my hotel and other travel arrangements? Will hotel and airline costs be refunded?
Will poster presentations be presented virtually?
For sessions that will not be available virtually, will presenters still be able to share session content?
Will CME be available for the virtual conference?
As a planned presenter, will my accepted abstract still be published in the JAOA?
I am a member of an AACOM Council/AOGME member, are the Council and membership meetings also cancelled?
Where can I find more information about COVID-19?
Who do I contact for more information?
Will my registration fee be refunded?
- AACOM will refund 50% of the fee, in the original form of payment. The remaining 50% will be used toward the virtual event and the non-refundable costs incurred by AACOM for the conference.
What if I can’t attend the virtual conference? Do I get a full refund?
- No. If you can’t join for the virtual event which is scheduled for the same dates of the conference, you will have access to some conference materials after the virtual event. We hope you will take advantage of these!
What about my hotel and other travel arrangements? Will hotel and airline costs be refunded?
- Contact the hotel directly to cancel your room reservation by March 16 to get your full refund.
- Work with your travel agent or the airline to cancel your transportation arrangements.
Will poster presentations be presented virtually?
- AACOM plans to make all posters submitted by March 23 available on our website. If you are participating in the poster competition, finalists will be selected, and presentations will be held virtually. We are working on announcing poster winners during the virtual event.
For sessions that will not be available virtually, will presenters still be able to share session content?
- AACOM is developing a plan to store slides and/or handouts from our oral session presenters and will provide more information as it becomes available.
Will CME be available for the virtual conference?
- No, we are unable to offer CME for the virtual event.
As a planned presenter, will my accepted abstract still be published in the JAOA?
- Yes, we will be working with the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, to have the abstracts published. We will keep our presenters apprised of our progress.
I am a member of an AACOM Council/AOGME member, are the Council and membership meetings also cancelled?
- All in-person meetings associated with the Educating Leaders 2020 have been cancelled. However, we are working to reschedule some of them. Stay tuned; your AACOM Council liaison will be reaching out soon.
Where can I find more information about COVID-19?
- AACOM has created a web page (https://www.aacom.org/coronavirus) for our community as a way of sharing official information about COVID-19. We welcome you to check back often to get updates.
Who do I contact for more information?
- Visit the Educating Leaders website for updated information on the virtual event we are moving to, and registrations. AACOM has set up an email (AC2020-C19@aacom.org) for you to contact us with questions regarding the changes
Images from previous Educating Leaders
