Dear Colleagues,

I am excited to announce that we are now ready to receive your abstract for the 40th Annual Meeting of the ISPN in Sydney, Australia. Our annual meeting Chair, Associate Professor Charlie Teo, is developing an outstanding event in beautiful Sydney and I hope you can join us September 9 ~ September 13, 2012 as well as at the Pre-Meeting at Palm Cove, Carins September 6- September 7, 2012.

The topic of the Annual Meeting is Surgical Complications and your papers on this topic are highly welcome.

Please note that OUR DEADLINE For Abstracts is Tuesday May 15, 2012.

Abstract Submission Process

A.    Submitting an Abstract

• Click here to submit an Abstract 
• You will need to register and create a username and password. This will give you access to submit a new abstract or amend an existing one.
  Please note: This username and password only registers you as a user of the abstract system. Delegates will still need to complete a separate registration process to attend the ISPN 2012 Sydney Annual Meeting, go to the registration menu at http://www.ispn2012sydney.org or click on the Online Registration option in the Quick Menu to register for the conference.

B.    The Deadline

• Abstract submission due: Tuesday 15 May 2012
• Date that you will receive the results of the abstract review: June 10, 2012
• Presenting author must register to attend the conference by June 21, 2012
• Final abstract acceptance for publication in Child’s Nervous System: June 24, 2012

C.    Abstract Review

After abstracts are reviewed, those that are acceptable will be “provisionally accepted”. Authors will be notified of this by June 10, 2012.

D.    Final Acceptance and Publication

Final acceptance and publication of the abstract in Child’s Nervous System requires that the presenting author register for the meeting before June 21, 2012. Abstracts will only be published in Child’s Nervous System if the presenting author is registered for the meeting before June 21, 2012.

E    Abstract limitation & Instruction

Limited to 250 words, not including titles, authors’ names and affiliations. The abstracts should be organised according to the following: Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusions.

F.    The Official Language

The official language of the meeting is English and abstract should be submitted in English.

G.    Awards

1. Best Clinical Poster and Best Basic Science Poster
   Best Posters will be judged prior to the meeting. Based on the abstract scores, authors will be notified that their poster is being considered for an award. They will be required to submit their poster electronically by August 15, 2012 so that it can be reviewed by the Scientific Committee.
   
   The winner of the best poster award will be recognized during the meeting and will be offered the opportunity to present their poster to the audience.
   
   
2. Trainee Awards
   International fellows and residents attending the meeting are eligible for this award. Authors of the most outstanding abstracts will receive a reduction of US$100 off their registration fee. The number of Trainee awards will depend on funds available and interested trainees. Those who wish to apply for the Trainee Award are required to apply online at the time of the abstract submission. In order to receive the trainee award, the trainee must attend the meeting and present the abstract.

H. ISPN Scholarships

Each year the ISPN awards a number of scholarships to facilitate attendance at the annual meetings for surgeons in training who wish to present a paper to the Society. Currently 6 such scholarships are made each year and the sum of $2,000 USD is given to subsidise travel and the registration fees for the meeting are waived.

The criteria for scholarships are as follows; the candidates must be less than 35 years old, must have their abstract accepted by the scientific program committee for either oral or poster presentation, must provide written proof of annual income, must have a letter of reference from their chairman or an active ISPN member and should not have recently received the award.

Application for this award should be made directly to the Chairman of the Ways and means Committee but should only be made once confirmation is received from the Scientific Committee that your paper has been accepted. Applications can be made online through the ISPN website at http://www.ispneurosurgery.org/meetings/scholarships/.

I.    ISPN Membership

If you are not an ISPN member, I encourage you to apply for membership prior to the Sydney meeting, so that your application can be reviewed by the Executive Committee in Sydney. In order to apply for ISPN membership, a completed application form and letter of recommendation from an existing ISPN Member are required. For more information, please visit the ISPN website at http://www.ispneurosurgery.org

I look forward to seeing your abstract in the near future and meeting with you in Sydney!

Prof. John Kestle
Chair, Scientific Committee
ISPN