ISHLT 46th Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions
22 – 25 April, 2026
Metro Toronto Convention Centre
Toronto, ON Canada
ISHLT2026 Symposium Submission Tips & FAQ
Symposium Proposal Preparation Tips
- Session Length: 75 minutes total (max 60 minutes of presentations; minimum 15 minutes for discussion).
- Topic: Choose a multidisciplinary topic that will interest a wide range of ISHLT members.
- Title: Clear and engaging, reflecting your session’s content.
- Diversity: Strive for multidisciplinary balance in faculty selection, including gender, geography, and career stage.
- Faculty: Two moderators and up to five speakers, with alternates identified for each role. All speaker selections must be justified, with a clear explanation of each speaker’s qualifications and relevance to the proposed topic.
- Membership: Moderators must be ISHLT members. Speaker priority is given to ISHLT members. Non-members may be replaced by the Program Committee if suitable ISHLT members are available.
- Conflict of Interest: The ISHLT does not allow owners or employees of ACCME-defined ineligible companies to participate as speakers or moderators in scientific sessions offering CME.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start by sharing your idea with colleagues and seeking collaborators. Post your idea on the ISHLTconnect forum for your Professional Community (PC) and consider sharing it in another PC for multidisciplinary collaboration. Consult your IDN Steering Committee (AHFTX, ALFTX, MCS, or PVD) feedback.
Need help organizing a meeting? Contact ISHLT Governance & Communities Administrator Juliet Osazemwinde at juliet.osazemwinde@ishlt.org.
Yes! Debates inject excitement and engagement into a symposium by providing different perspectives on important topics, often uncovering new insights, challenging assumptions, and encouraging attendees to reconsider their views.
Speaker priority is given to ISHLT members. You must provide a clear justification for each proposed speaker, explaining their qualifications and relevance to the topic. Non-members may be replaced by the Program Committee if qualified ISHLT members are available. Speaker compensation details are outlined in the Annual Meeting and Academy Expense Reimbursement, Compensation, and Registration Policy
Volunteer proposal reviewers will review, score, and comment on submissions specific to their primary PC and/or IDN. The Program Committee uses these scores and comments to evaluate submissions and decide on the final program content.
Possibly. The Program Committee may adjust or combine your proposal with others to develop the highest quality symposia. Factors considered include multidisciplinary representation, reviewer evaluations, content priority, and diversity factors.
Yes, all submitters will receive an email regarding the outcome of their proposal by 17 October, 2025.
It may be considered for other ISHLT educational formats such as webinars or online learning.
Contact the ISHLT Education Team for assistance throughout the process. We're here to help with any questions.
Education Team
Sue Bessner
Director of Education & Research
sue.bessner@ishlt.org
+1 (312) 224-0003
Susie Newton
Scientific Programs Manager
susie.newton@ishlt.org
+1 (312) 224-1341
Olivia Taylor Penninger
Research & Education Manager
olivia.taylor@ishlt.org
+1 (312) 224-1253
Schedule IDN/PC Zoom Meetings
Juliet Osazemwinde
Governance & Communities Administrator
juliet.osazemwinde@ishlt.org
+1 (312) 224-0012
Top 5 reasons why a proposal might be rejected:
- Incomplete or missing information
- Insufficient multidisciplinary balance and diversity
- Topic repetition from recent ISHLT Annual Meetings: priority is given to fresh and innovative topics
- Content overlap with other submissions.
- Low reviewer scores (mainly due to reasons listed above)