Abstracts, Prizes and Booklets

Applicants must be trainees conducting research within the University of Alberta's Department of Medicine and be supervised by a faculty member affiliated with the Department of Medicine. Eligible applicants include:

• graduate students enrolled in a graduate program of study
• postdoctoral scholars (post-PhD)
• trainees with a post-health professional degree (e.g., core internal medicine resident, senior subspecialty resident, clinical and/or research fellow)

Please read carefully as all submissions are considered FINAL.

All trainees are required to submit an online abstract to be considered for oral and poster presentations. Abstracts should represent original research that:

• has recently been completed by residents, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows; and
• has not been previously published as a manuscript, online journal or book.

Preparing Your Abstracts

Submitters are responsible for final editing and formatting of submissions. All submissions as of the deadline will be considered final; there will be no opportunity for corrections and will be published as-is.

The abstract must be submitted in English and formatted as follows:

1. Abstract structure must contain in the following order:
   
   • INTRODUCTION
   • METHODS
   • RESULTS
   • CONCLUSIONS
     
     
2. Abstract text must be 300 words maximum and keep abbreviations to a minimum (define when first used). Any graph/chart/table will be uploaded separately and will appear at the END of your abstract, so please create Appendices accordingly.
   
   
3. Authorship. All authors must meet the authorship guidelines outlined in: Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals (N Engl J Med 1997; 336(4): 309-15).
   
   
4. Figures. A maximum of ONE figure (e.g., chart or graph) can be included with your abstract.
   • Upload your figure to the submission page as a PDF file.
   • Please note that your figure will appear at the END of your abstract and should be labeled accordingly.
     
     
5. Symbols. Most e-documents allow the use of multiple fonts for displaying special characters and symbols. However, the online abstract submission system accepts only normal text characters (e.g., the standard Times New Roman character set).
   • If you are copying and pasting into the submission box, you should convert the ENTIRE abstract into Times New Roman font. 
   • After your abstract is pasted into the submission box, select the “Preview Abstract” button to ensure that your symbols will appear as they should because your abstract is considered FINAL after your press Submit.
     
     In Microsoft Word, you can access the special characters through the following process:
     • Select “Insert” from the Word menu bar
     • Select “Symbols...” from the “Insert” pull-down menu
     • Under the “Symbols” tab, change the “Font” pull-down menu to “normal text”
     • Double click on the symbol you wish to insert... this will paste in into your document

Submission Deadline

The abstract submission deadline is Monday, April 6, 2026 at 23:59 MT.

Submissions entered BEFORE the deadline will be editable for corrections by the submitter.

All abstracts in the system as of the CLOSING TIME will be considered final submissions. Late abstracts will not be accepted — NO EXCEPTIONS!

Submitting Online

When submitting online, trainees will be required to select:

1. the category associated with their research area:
   • scientific 
   • quality improvement
2. the presentation type:
   • oral
   • poster

Submit Your Abstract

If you have any questions regarding electronic submission, please email the DoM Office of Research, domreas@ualberta.ca.

Abstract submissions will be judged by our DoM research intensive members.

All abstracts will be reviewed by three adjudicators using a standardized form for evaluation of the following criteria:

• Clarity and justification of the research question/hypothesis
• Appropriateness of the methods used to answer the hypothesis
• Validity and relevance of the results to the hypothesis
• Clarity of the discussion and conclusion
• Innovation impact

Strict conflict of interest declarations will be provided to each reviewer. 

The five highest scoring abstracts in each category (i.e., scientific or quality improvement) will be invited to present an oral presentation. The remainder will be invited to post a poster.

Please note: All abstract submissions will be published in an online abstract booklet.

Oral presentations will take place from 8 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. in Bernard Snell Hall.

Each oral presenter will be given 8 minutes to present their research followed by four minutes of Q+A from the audience.

In addition to traditional oral presentations, a subset of presenters will participate in a Three-Minute Thesis Style (3MT-style) presentation format. 3MT-style presenters will deliver a single three-minute presentation followed by two minutes of Q+A from the audience.

Research oral presentations will be judged by our external guest keynote speakers.

Poster Sizes

The poster boards are 4' high and 6' wide. Standard sized posters on the U of A poster templates will fit on these boards. See poster templates.

Poster Viewing

The DoM Office of Research will send a list of poster board numbers to all poster presenters.  Please hang your poster by 9 a.m. on May 14, 2026 on the corresponding poster board number provided to you.

Public viewing and lunch will be between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. You are required to be by your poster and interact with faculty members who may have questions about your research.

During this time, the winner will be announced based on the score of the abstract. Three awards of $500 each are available. Trainees must be present to receive the prize.

Mano and Savi Senaratne Research Day Awards

A generous donation from the Senaratne Family supports the Best Basic Science and Best Clinical Research Oral Presentation Awards.

Oral Presentations

• Best Research
  • First prize: $1,000
  • Runner up: $500
• Best 3MT-style Research
  • First prize: $1,000
  • Runner Up: $500
• Best Clinical Quality Improvement: $1,000

Poster Abstracts

• Best Research
  • First prize: $1,000
  • Runner up: $500
• Best Clinical Quality Improvement: $500

Photo Permission

Please note that award winners will have their photo taken and images may be shared on Department of Medicine communication channels, including the website, Pulse, and social media platforms. If you do not wish to have your photo posted on specific communication channels, please email domcom@ualberta.ca.

Paul Man Award

The Paul Man Award is in honour of Dr. Paul Man, Division Director of Pulmonary Medicine from 1986 to 2001, for his exceptional contribution to translational research.

Trainees interested in applying for the Paul Man Award will do so upon submission of their abstract by selecting to be considered for the Paul Man Award.