Abstracts

The Call for Abstracts for the 39^th EAST Annual Scientific Assembly is OPEN. The Submission Deadline is July 1, 2025 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.  

Please direct any questions regarding abstract submission to Christine Eme at ceme@east.org.

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Notifications of acceptance or non-acceptance will be sent via email to Corresponding Authors in August 2025. Corresponding Authors may review abstract status by signing in to your profile page (the same way you signed in to submit your abstract).  The abstract submission deadline for the EAST Annual Scientific Assembly is July 1st each year.  

See below for additional information on Abstract Submission Rules and Requirements (subject to change). Familiarize yourself with the abstract submission process by reviewing the Abstract Submission Guide. 

Rules and Eligibility Requirements

Abstract submission for the 39th Annual Scientific Assembly is OPEN. The submission deadline is 11:59 pm Pacific Time Zone on July 1, 2025. Notifications of acceptance or non-acceptance will be sent to the corresponding author via email in August 2025. Please direct any questions related to abstract submission to Christine Eme at ceme@east.org. 

SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT

1. Exclusivity: The abstract must not have been presented previously at any regional, national, or international conference in the past.
2. Prior Publication: The abstract cannot have been published previously in the current form, as submission for publication to the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (JTACS) is a prerequisite for abstract submission.
3. Manuscript:
   • For accepted abstracts a manuscript must be prepared by the authors and submitted to the EAST Manuscript and Literature Review Committee by the published date/time deadline for pre-review.  In addition, a manuscript for oral podium presentation must be delivered to the invited discussant (oral podium abstracts only) by the corresponding author by the published deadline. 
   • Failure to submit a manuscript to the EAST Manuscript and Literature Review Committee AND the invited discussant by the published date/time deadline may result in REMOVAL OF THE PAPER FROM THE PROGRAM and will result in sanctioning of the Presenter and Senior Author for future abstract submissions to EAST for one year.
   • Manuscripts associated with EAST presentations are reviewed by the EAST Manuscript and Literature Review Committee in conjunction with the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (JTACS)reviewers. The EAST society editor makes a recommendation regarding acceptance or rejection, but the final decision is made by the Senior Editor(s) of JTACS. The final decision of publication is determined by the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. 
   • Authors should be aware that the Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) has adopted an exclusivity agreement. As all abstract presentations will be under consideration for publication in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (Journal), authors are asked to refrain from distributing complete reports (i.e. copies of manuscripts under consideration) or full data presented as tables and figures to journalists. Although media coverage of the presentations themselves will not necessarily preclude publication, associated manuscripts are subject to the Journal's Embargo Policy (i.e., full reports or elements of manuscripts under review may not appear in print or online until publication, which, in most cases, will occur within six (6) months of the EAST Annual Scientific Assembly. Authors of papers that violate these rules may be precluded from submission of abstracts for future EAST Annual Scientific Assemblies.
   • JTACS performs Double-Anonymous (Double-Blind) Reviews effective March 1, 2022. Authors, Click here for additional information. 
   • Click here for more information on EAST Manuscript submission rules and requirements.

EAST Abstract Submission Rules and Requirements

All abstracts must be submitted using the electronic abstract submission portal. Complete all information requested on the online form. Failure to meet any aspects of these instructions will disqualify the abstract from the review process. Clinical Case Reviews or Series submissions are not permitted. 

EAST supports research in Trauma, Emergency General Surgery, Burn, and Surgical Critical Care.

1. All abstracts are completely blinded for judging.  No identifying reference to the author or institution may appear in the title or text of the abstract. If there are any identifiers in the title, text, or images/graphs/figures, the abstract will not be considered for presentation.
   
   
2. Abstract Categories - There will be three Abstract Categories: Basic Science, Clinical Science, and Injury Prevention*. You will be required to select a category from one of these types.  Please review the Abstract Category Descriptions below to determine the abstract category you should select. If you are unsure of what abstract category to select, please email ceme@east.org.    
   
   *To be considered for the Cox-Templeton Injury Prevention Abstract Presentation Competition (point 4b below) the Injury Abstract Category must be selected. 
   
   Basic Science - abstract would include bench research that involves laboratory studies with cell cultures, animal models or physiologic experiments.
   
   Clinical Science - abstract would include the use of randomized controlled trials, observational trials, retrospective studies, database analysis involving humans/human samples that examine disease/ diagnostics/ drugs/ devices/biologics or outcomes.  Clinical Case Reviews or Series are NOT permitted.
   
   Injury Prevention - abstract would include primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention, along with education strategies, engineering strategies and behavioral studies.  See category requirement below for Cox-Templeton Injury Prevention Abstract Presentation Competition. 
   
   
3. List all authors with their academic degrees. Author names and academic degrees will be printed in the program materials AS SUBMITTED.
   
   
4. Raymond H. Alexander, MD and Cox-Templeton Abstract Presentation Competitions - Special rules apply to be eligible for these competitions. Please review them below to ensure the abstract and presenting author are eligible. Confirmation of eligibility for these competitions is required during the submission process.
   
   

   Raymond H. Alexander, MD Resident/Fellow Abstract Presentation Competition 
   To be eligible for the Raymond H. Alexander, MD Resident/Fellow Abstract Presentation Competition:
   a. The resident or fellow must present the work at the EAST Annual Scientific Assembly.
   b. The resident or fellow must NOT have completed their training prior to June 2026. The resident or fellow must be a resident or fellow at the time of presentation. If the resident is in an ACGME, AAST, or equivalent training program and in their research/lab year(s), they may apply. A research/lab resident or fellow who is not enrolled in an ACGME, AAST, or equivalent training program may not apply.
   c. The resident or fellow must have participated in all aspects of the work and have conducted the research with significant leadership in the development of the project from idea creation, data collection, and abstraction production. This applies to all projects including, but not limited to multi-center trial submissions.
   d. The appropriate box on the abstract form for the Raymond H. Alexander, MD Resident/Fellow Abstract Presentation Competition must be checked. Raymond H. Alexander MD, Resident/Fellow Abstract Presentation  Competition submissions are given special consideration on the program.  
   e. The submitter must enter the email address of their faculty sponsor indicating that this is the work of a trainee.

   Cox-Templeton Injury Prevention Abstract Presentation Competition 
   The original scientific work must focus on an aspect of injury prevention.  Interventional studies are preferred. Only papers accepted for presentation in the formal oral competition are eligible for the award. The Injury Prevention Abstract Category (see above) MUST be selected to be considered. Other papers may be accepted on the program but would not be eligible for the award.

5. Disclosure Requirement - If an abstract is selected for presentation, the Presenting Author  will be required to complete a disclosure form by the requested deadline. Failure to complete this form will result in removal from the program.
   
   
6. All abstracts must be submitted in the Title-Background-Methods-Results-Conclusions format. Abstracts cannot exceed 4,000 characters (characters, not words); spaces are included in the character count. A maximum of two images are allowed (these do not count towards the overall character count). All images will be displayed on a separate page.
   
   WATCH THE VIDEO for abstract submission tips!
   
   Title: Enter the title of your abstract in ALL CAPS
   Background Section: Present the research topic, previous works, and gaps in the literature needing addressed.  State the study aims and present a clear hypothesis of the work along with primary endpoints.
   Methods Section: Include a description of study design, the institution setting and patient population (without identifying the center), inclusive dates of study period, and the physical or data methods employed. State the rationale for the study design and analysis type.  Identify primary and secondary outcomes and other measured variables.  Present the used statistical analysis methods and rationale as well as any factors controlled for in the analysis such as confounding covariates.
   Results Section: Clearly state results of the study without duplicating results presented in tables and figures.  In general the flow of the results should include population size, followed by descriptive statistics, comparative analyses of secondary and primary outcomes, and then adjusted analysis.  Any figures and tables should be referenced in the body of the text with explanation.. Figures and graphs should enhance statements in the conclusion and must be readable. Extended discussion or literature review should be avoided.
   Conclusion Section: Limited statements to conclusions clearly supported by the data, without over-estimating effect and importance.  Discussion of future directions and clinical impact is allowable but only if supported by the study design and analysis presented.   A discussion of clinical application is encouraged.
   
   
7. It is presumed that the named presenting author will present the abstract. Any variation from this will require approval from the Annual Scientific Assembly Committee Chair.
   
   
8. No prior submission or presentation. It is understood that all submissions must contain original scientific work that are not currently under consideration for presentation at any other major scientific assembly and has not previously been submitted to the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery (JTACS).  Major scientific assemblies include those that are both national, regional, and international. Abstracts must not have been presented in any format (oral, quick shot, poster, or video) at a major scientific assembly prior to the next EAST Annual Scientific Assembly. Presentation in another forum in which abstract publication is reflexive or manuscript submission to a particular journal(s) is required or invited is strictly prohibited.  Moreover, abstracts/manuscripts may not be under consideration for publication in any journal prior to presentation and cannot be work that was previously submitted and rejected by JTACS. There are two exceptions to this prohibition: (i) Work performed by a resident or fellow may be presented at the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma Resident Paper Competition (ii) Work by a student may be presented at the National Student Research Forum.   All authors of papers that violate these rules will be prohibited from submission of abstracts to the EAST Annual Scientific Assembly for two years.
   
   
9. Annual Scientific Assembly registration required. It is understood that if the abstract is accepted for presentation, the presenting author is required to register and pay appropriate registration fees for the EAST Annual Scientific Assembly.

SUBMIT AN ABSTRACT