Proposals for 2026 Basic-Translational-Clinical Roundtables
The Program Committee invites the SfN membership to submit proposals for the Basic-Translational-Clinical Roundtables to be held at Neuroscience 2026. Proposal submitters must be active SfN members. Submission opens Tuesday, December 9.
Visit Neuroscience 2025 and Neuroscience 2024 for past Basic-Translational-Clinical Roundtables examples.
- Roundtable Content
- Roundtable Format and Audience
- Participants
- Growth and Opportunity
- Funding
- Proposal Requirements
- General
- Presenter Guidelines and Policies for SfN Events
- Contact Information
Roundtable Content
This program integrates basic, translational, and clinical aspects of a disease/disorder with particular emphasis on new developments, controversies, or updates. The program is designed to stimulate debate and engage the audience. Basic-Translational-Clinical Roundtables are meant to focus on translational aspects of basic neuroscience research.
You are required to note the general theme classification into which the proposal fits best, as well as any potentially cross-cutting themes.
Roundtable Format and Audience
A clinical roundtable is programmed for 1 hour and 30 minutes, consisting of a panel of three speakers giving short 20-minute introductory talks followed by panel discussion for the remainder of the time. The panel discussion should be led by a designated chair. The chair can be a speaker in the session or a separate participant.
The audience for clinical roundtables includes clinician-scientists at all levels, students in MD, PhD and PhD programs involved in disease-oriented research. All speakers must agree to present in person.
Participants
The person submitting the proposal must be an active member of SfN. The proposer must be prepared to provide a conflict of interest (COI) disclosure for each speaker. A relevant COI is a financial relationship to a product or device from a commercial interest associated with the topic on which one is speaking. A commercial interest is defined as any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients. Relationships with governmental agencies (e.g., NIH), nonprofits or universities do not have to be disclosed. An example of the COI form that is required from each participant is available via PDF.
It is required that you name in your proposal a chair (perhaps yourself) who has agreed to be responsible for the event and three speakers, which can include the chair. The person submitting the proposal and the chair must be members of SfN. These entities are allowed to be two separate members of SfN. Speakers are encouraged to be SfN members or nonmembers. Speakers are required to have a free My SfN account. The chair’s responsibilities include entering required submission information for the entire session; obtaining consent from all speakers about their in-person presentation requirement; ensuring all proposed speakers have updated their My SfN account with their name, email, institution, and address; and making sure that all speakers have returned necessary logistical and programming information (i.e., disclosure forms, audiovisual needs) to SfN.
During the submission and review process, the proposer (if different from the chair) will be the primary contact. After acceptance into the annual meeting program, the chair becomes the primary contact and, furthermore, is responsible for relaying any and all important information to and from the other speakers.
If the chair will give more than brief introductory remarks and moderate questions, they must also be listed as a speaker. Each participant should be familiar with the overall objectives of the clinical roundtable and of the material likely to be covered by the other speakers.
Note that the Program Committee does not permit the inclusion of chairs or speakers who have participated in [mini]symposia, Basic-Translational-Clinical Roundtables, Dual Perspectives Sessions, or Storytelling Sessions in the past two annual meetings (Neuroscience 2024 and 2025). The session should also include speakers from different institutions and regions. Organizers should ensure speakers understand that chairing or presenting in a 2026 symposium, minisymposium, or featured panel means they are ineligible to participate in another of those annual meeting sessions until Neuroscience 2029.
Speakers are permitted to be in only one lecture, symposium, minisymposium, or featured panel session. If a speaker is on multiple accepted proposals, they must be replaced on all but one. If a speaker is invited to and agrees to present a lecture, symposium, minisymposium, Dual Perspectives, or Storytelling Session, they must be replaced in the Basic-Translational-Clinical Roundtable. Speakers are permitted to only be in one top of the program session. If a speaker is on multiple accepted proposals, they must be replaced on all but one. If a speaker is invited to and agrees to present a lecture or symposium or minisymposium, they must be replaced in the featured panel.
Important: All proposed speakers must have agreed to speak at the Basic-Translational-Clinical Roundtable and to present in person, before the proposal form is submitted.
Growth and Opportunity
Growth and opportunity are organizational priorities of SfN and programming must ensure representation of all members. SfN encourages and promotes participation, accessibility, active representation and leadership from all populations. Recognizing that opportunity advances the field of neuroscience, SfN encourages membership and participation. The Society promotes an environment that is supportive of all individuals in the interest of advancing science.
The Program Committee is tasked with maintaining a balance of perspectives across all dimensions with regard to the Annual Meeting scientific program and key lecturer opportunities. The success of our field — and of the entire scientific community — requires perspectives and participation from all professional levels and experiences.
Funding
Basic-Translational-Clinical Roundtable presenters will receive half-price annual meeting registration and the opportunity to reserve lodging before the hotel blocks open up to Neuroscience 2026 attendees.
Proposal Requirements
Proposals originate from SfN’s vast membership. Proposal submitters must be active SfN members. Click the button at the top of the page to log into the 2026 site and submit your proposal. The proposal site will direct you to provide the following (all character limits include spaces):
- Contact information (institutions, emails, addresses) and COI disclosures for the moderator and speakers. Note: all proposed speakers are required to have a free My SfN account.
- Title for the overall Roundtable.
- Short description of the Roundtable for use in the annual meeting Program and Exhibit Guide and Neuroscience Meeting Planner. (500 characters, including spaces)
- Three unique learning objectives describing what attendees will gain from attending your session. (150 characters each, including spaces)
- Why the proposal is timely. (500 characters, including spaces)
- The extent to which it could have a broad appeal to the membership. (500 characters, including spaces)
- The clinical relevance of the topic. (500 characters, including spaces)
- Other considerations that make the proposal attractive.
- Recent citation of a published work for each speaker.
General
Final selection is made by the Program Committee; whose primary consideration is to determine what will best serve the interests of the Society for Neuroscience and the success of the annual meeting. Note that proposals that fail to be accommodated one year will not be held over for consideration the next. However, a proposal can be re-submitted the following year and will receive the same consideration as any other submission.
The Program Committee reserves the right to alter or combine proposals in the best interest of the annual meeting program. This includes adding and removing presenters, suggesting different organizers, combining proposals, etc.
For more information, contact SfN staff at (202) 962-4000 or email program@sfn.org.
Presenter Guidelines and Policies for SfN Events
By accepting the invitation to participate in a Society for Neuroscience (SfN) digital or in-person event, you are agreeing to follow the SfN speaker guidelines and policies.
Contact Information
To make sure that you receive all SfN program-related correspondence, please add sconnor@sfn.org, program@sfn.org, and sfn@support.ctimeetingtech.com to your email “safe senders” list.
