NAALT-WALT 2020 is a joint congress of the North American Association for Photobiomodulation Therapy (NAALT) and the World Association for Photobiomodulation Therapy (WALT). The theme for the conference is “Breakthroughs in Photobiomodulation 2020” with the subtitle “Scientific and Clinical Applications that are Improving Patient Outcomes”. The conference is anticipated to congregate global leaders in education, research, industry, and clinical practice and present a platform for collaboration, networking and sharing contemporary knowledge, cutting-edge research and state-of-the art clinical practice in the broad field of photobiomodulation. NAALT and WALT are both committed to validating photobiomodulation therapy as a treatment modality by promoting cutting-edge science, evidence-based clinical practice and technological innovations and breakthroughs. 

Submission Guidelines

Thank you very much for your interest in NAALT-WALT 2020 conference. Please use the following guidelines to submit your abstract.

• Use this link to download the Abstract Submission Template. Follow all instructions within. Upload formatted abstract to link above.
• Please do not submit the same abstract to more than one session; abstracts submitted to more than one session will be rejected.
• Indicate your preference for poster presentation or for oral presentation. Please note that oral presentations will be limited in number.
• The Abstract Review Committee will review the abstracts. By June 1, 2019, the corresponding author of each abstract will be notified of the acceptance of the abstract either as a poster presentation or a podium presentation.
• If you wish to be considered for the Young Investigator award competitions, include “Award 1” as a key word for Tiina Karu Excellence in Basic Science Award, and “Award 2” for Mary Dyson Excellence in Clinical PBM Sciences Award. Requirements for the Young Investigator award can be found below. Only the primary (first) author will be considered in the award competition. A first author is presumed to be both the primary contributor AND the conference presenter. 
• By submitting a paper, you are confirming the commitment of the first author (either yourself or the first author if you are submitting on another individual’s behalf) to deliver the presentation in person at the NAALT-WALT 2020 congress should it be accepted, as well as such commitments for all presenters included in your session. If the primary author is unable to attend the conference and has made arrangements for someone else to present the paper or poster, that person must register for the conference and pay the applicable registration fee.

ALL PRESENTERS ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE AND TO PAY THE APPLICABLE REGISTRATION FEE NO LATER THAN JULY 1, 2020.

Contact us at: (sciencecommittee@naalt.org.) for any questions. Thanks.

List of Topics

Photobiomodulation: Basic Science and Clinical Research

Plenary Sessions 

• Taking PBM into Mainstream Medicine
• PBM and Pain Management with a view on the opioid crisis
• PBM Mechanisms  
• Technology and PBM Delivery Systems
• PBM for Tissue Repair
• Antimicrobial PBM

Breakout Sessions

• Musculoskeletal, Pain Management & Acupuncture
• Sports, Emergency & Industrial Medicine 
• Neuromodulation and Repair
• Wound Healing and Dermatology
• Antimicrobial and Cancer Therapy
• Dental PBM
• Veterinary Medicine 
• Ophthalmology

Scientific Committee

• Terry Baker, MD, MS
• John C. Castel, PhD.
• Rene-Jean Bensadoun, MD, MSc, HRD
• Chukuka S. Enwemeka, PhD., FACSM
• James Carroll, Founder and CEO at Thor Photomedicine Ltd
• Praveen Arany, PhD., DDS
• Violet Bumah, PhD.
• Don Patthoff, DDS
• Rodrigo Lopes Martins, PhD. 
• Reza Fekrazad, PhD.
• Nick Wise, DC
• Nicolette Houreld, PhD.
• Dawn Castel, BS, PT

Invited Speakers

• Speaker 1: TBA
• Speaker 2: TBA
• Speaker 3: TBA

Venue

The conference will be held at the Key Bridge Marriott, Arlington, Virginia, right on the outskirt of Washington, DC from August 6-9, 2020. For more hotel information and special conference rates, go to (https://www.naalt.org/event/naalt-2020/)

Young Investigators's Competition: NAALT Excellence in Basic PBM Sciences Award (Award 1)Tiina Karu

Eligibility:

1. Young investigator (Age < 45years as of Jan of that year)
2. Must be a NAALT member
3. Must be the first (primary) author on the submitted abstract in Basic PBM sciences*
4. Must attend annual conference and present work in person
5. Can be affiliated from academic or industry
6. Work must be original, novel or innovative and recent (i.e., unpublished in journals)

Basic PBM sciences*: as judged by SEC to include work on basic light physics, chemistry or biology, in vitro biological or biochemical analyses, all small and large animal work for research purposes (excluding large orcompanion animal and human studies), instrument manufacturing or innovation.

Selection Procedure: This award is meant for a young investigator based on both scientific merit as well as ability to communicate their science to the audience effectively. One award will be given each year. Abstracts are reviewed by at least three independent reviewers and scored for originality, content and novelty-innovation. The best three eligible abstracts will be invited to present their work in a special session at the Annual meeting, and will be judged by 6 to 10 members comprising of the SEC and NAALT board but must include at least two members from the general membership. The nominee will be judged on a standardized scoring sheet provided by SEC chair on scientific merit, presentation skills and addressing audience and/or judges’ questions. A majority decision will be used to select the awardee. Any ties will be resolved by majority vote from the NAALT President, Vice-President and SEC Chair. The award will be announced during the dinner gala and will be preceded by a brief description of Dr. Karu’s seminal contributions to our understanding of laser basic sciences.

Young Investigator's Competition: NAALT Excellence in Clinical PBM Sciences Award (Award 2)Mary Dyson

Eligibility:

1. Young investigator (Age < 45years as of September of that year)
2. Must be a NAALT member
3. Must be the first (primary) author on the submitted abstract in Clinical PBM sciences*
4. Must attend annual conference and present work in person
5. Can be affiliated from academic or industry
6. Work must be original, novel and recent (unpublished in journals)

*Clinical PBM sciences: includes studies directly involving large or companion animal and human subjects 

Selection Procedure: This award is meant for a young investigator based on both scientific merit as well as ability to communicate their science to the audience effectively. One award will be given each year. Abstracts are reviewed by at least three independent reviewers and scored for originality, content and novelty-innovation. The best three eligible abstracts will be invited to present their work in a special session at the Annual meeting which will be judged by 6 to 10 members compromising of the SEC and NAALT board but must include at least 2 members from the general membership. The nominee will be judged on a standardized scoring sheet provided by SEC chair on scientific merit, presentation skills and addressing audience and/or judges’ questions. A majority decision will be used to select the awardee. Any ties will be resolved by majority vote from the NAALT President, Vice-President and SEC Chair. All the assessment forms including a final report from the SEC chair outlining how the awardee was chosen must be on record and submitted to the NAALT secretary within a month after the annual conference for future references. The award must be announced during the dinner gala and will be preceded by a brief description of Dr. Dyson’s seminal contributions to our understanding of laser clinical sciences.

Poster and Travel Awards

Most meritorious abstracts submitted will be considered for Travel awards and the best poster presentations will be recognized with poster awards. More details and number of these awards will be announced based on funding availability.

Contact

All questions about submissions should be emailed to (sciencecommittee@naalt.org.)