SESSION FORMAT

Annual Meeting INSTITUTES are conducted in a “flipped” format to promote active learner engagement, wherein the majority of didactic content is prerecorded and viewed separately from a live Q&A session designed as a more interactive experience with course faculty.

Following this model, INSTITUTES will be divided into prerecorded lectures that will be available on demand to attendees for a period before and after the Annual Meeting, and a scheduled live session with program faculty during the meeting week.

Submissions should be created with this format in mind.

GUIDELINES

An INSTITUTE should follow these guidelines in order to be considered by the Program Committee for the 2026 Annual Meeting program:

• Submission should focus on a review of a topic in addition to supplying new research information relevant to the topic.
• Submission should be a comprehensive and expert overview of a topic area, focusing on “how to do it” with respect to clinical problems, academic areas, or a blending of the two.
• Submission should include enough content for five (5) hours of prerecorded content that can include up to seven (7) independent presentations of 40-45 minutes each.
  • Each individual presentation can include up to two (2) presenters MAXIMUM.
• Submission should carefully describe how the live, in-person, two (2) hour time block will be organized and emphasize ways in which the audience will be actively engaged, keeping in mind that there will be both an in-person and a virtual audience.
• The live component might include time for Q&A based on questions submitted by viewers of on-line content, as well as questions posed in real-time. Creativity with how this time is used is encouraged but submission must clearly outline the plan.

STANDARD ROOM SETUP & AUDIO/VISUAL EQUIPMENT PROVIDED

An INSTITUTE will be in a room set up with theatre style seating. A head table will be provided for presenters. If accepted, AACAP will provide a screen and a projector for this session type. Microphones are provided based on room size and number of speakers. A laptop will be provided to facilitate the audience Q&A, as all questions from the virtual audience will be submitted online. An audience Q&A microphone will be provided to facilitate in room questions. No additional AV equipment will be supplied for an institute room.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Each submission for an INSTITUTE should include the following items:

• The title of the overall submission (no more than 20 words)
• The chair’s organization and email address
• At least two (2) Educational Learning Objectives
• Presentation Schedule describing the order of presenters as well as time allotted per person for the prerecorded didactic component.
• Well-outlined proposal for how the live component will be organized.
• Overall Review Abstract for the INSTITUTE, describing the reasons why the individual components belong in the same INSTITUTE and providing a description of each person’s participation
• Overall Proceedings Abstract for the INSTITUTE
• Each co-presenter's, discussant's, and co-author’s name, organization, contact information, email address, disclosure of affiliations, and recording permission
• Individual Proceedings Abstracts and keywords for each presentation

CONTENT ADDRESSING ETHICAL AND INCLUSIVE CLINICAL EDUCATION

AACAP is deeply committed to advancing mental health access and quality care across populations. We support training and practice approaches that help clinicians provide effective, person-centered, and contextually informed care for individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences.

We strongly encourage presenters to consider including content that examines variations in prevalence, diagnosis, or treatment across varied cultures, groups, and communities — or to explore other meaningful ways to integrate principles that promote inclusion and ethical care into their presentations. This may include inviting presenters with a range of perspectives, incorporating insights from individuals with personal or community experience, or drawing from the setting of Atlanta to enrich the session content in ways that reflect AACAP’s mission.

If such information is limited or not included in a presenter’s work, we ask that speakers acknowledge these gaps and highlight the need for continued efforts to better meet the needs of diverse communities in research and practice.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

INSTITUTE chairs are required to submit notebook materials with each lecturer's slides, talk outlines, annotated bibliographies, and multiple-choice self-assessment questions in late June 2026. Program faculty will need to be available to prerecord lectures in late August or early September prior to the October meeting. AACAP staff will provide training and technical support in recording these videos. Additional information and guidance will be provided if the INSTITUTE is accepted by the Program Committee. If any speaker for the INSTITUTE cannot submit materials by the end of June, it is the chair's responsibility to replace them.

It is the Program Committee’s expectation that an INSTITUTE will have broad interest to a wide variety of members.

The CME Committee will choose up to three (3) INSTITUTES to participate in an outcomes measurement evaluation system, where a set of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up self-assessment questions will be required. More information will be provided if your INSTITUTE is selected.

The chair or a co-chair of an INSTITUTE must be an AACAP member. INSTITUTES are largely didactic in nature, use a maximum of seven (7) presenters (including the chair(s)), and provide interaction/discussion between the presenters and in-person and virtual participants. Case examples are helpful. Submissions about clinical techniques should include a brief description of or reference to the scientific evidence for and limitations of the treatment technique.

While chairs are required to attend the meeting in person, presenters can participate in the Q&A virtually. Travel funding is not available. Non-member presenters will be eligible for reduced registration fee. All accepted submissions must display full disclosure slides to the audience. The Program Committee will accept approximately 8 INSTITUTES in 2026.

Pending acceptance, the Chair will receive Guidelines for INSTITUTE Presenters, and it is agreed that INSTITUTE chairs and presenters will follow these guidelines. The Chair should have all presenters submit the INSTITUTE notebook materials formatted for publication in June 2026. All materials will be then reviewed and approved by our INSTITUTES Subcommittee and AACAP before pre-recordings take place.

Questions regarding INSTITUTES can be directed to meetings@aacap.org.