I am excited to share the call for abstracts for a very special conference that bridges community members, practitioners and researchers. This year’s conference will be online and spread over the course of a week. It brings a cathartic opportunity for community members to share their experiences and a unique opportunity for researchers to engage directly with community members and practitioners about their work.

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

11^th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON STIGMA

Conference Theme: “Faces of Stigma”

Virtually Hosted by Howard University Monday, November 16, 2020 – Friday, November 20, 2020 (9 AM– 4 PM EST)

Deadline for Submission: Friday, September 18, 2020 by 5:00pm (EST)

The goals of this virtual conference are to increase awareness of the stigma of HIV and other health conditions and to explore interventions to eradicate this stigma. The conference also serves to educate healthcare providers and the general public about stigma as both a human rights violation and a major barrier to prevention and treatment of illnesses. We are looking for original research that addresses HIV or other mental or physical health-related stigma to be presented as a VIRTUAL POSTER during the conference virtual poster session. Abstracts that focus on the effects of intersectional stigma, or how different layers of stigma (e.g., race, poverty, mental health) affect individuals or communities of people are particularly encouraged. The Best Scientific Abstract Award recipient and the second-place scientific abstract will have the opportunity to provide a BRIEF VIRTUAL PRESENTATION of their work on November 19, 2020 in addition to their participation in the virtual poster session held throughout the week of the conference. Monetary prizes will be given for the top three scientific abstracts. The Best Scientific Abstract Award recipient will receive a $500 prize, the second-place scientific abstract will receive a $200 prize, and the third-place scientific abstract will receive a $100 prize.

Abstract Guidelines:  Submit an abstract, with a maximum of 300 words, to Victoria Hoverman at vicki.hoverman@gmail.com and Shirin Sultana at ssultana@brockport.edu, by 5:00pm (EST) on Friday, September 18, 2020.  Please include the full name, position/job title, affiliation and email address of each contributing author at the top of the page along with the abstract title.  Author information and the abstract title are not included in the 300-word count.  First author or another presenter must register for the conference if the abstract is accepted.  The first author (or another presenter) of the winning abstracts must virtually attend the conference to receive the prizes.  Students are welcome to submit abstracts and attend the conference!

Notifications will be sent by October 16, 2020.  These are virtual poster presentations only, with the exception of the Best Scientific Abstract Award winner and the second-place scientific abstract winner, which are also brief virtual oral presentations.

For questions about abstracts, contact Victoria Hoverman at vicki.hoverman@gmail.com and Shirin Sultana at ssultana@brockport.edu.  For general questions about the conference contact Patricia Houston at phouston@howard.edu.