WFOT - World Federation of Occupational Therapists

The call for papers is now closed. Thank you to all authors who submitted an abstract for consideration in the WFOT scientific programme. Notifications will be sent on or shortly after the 19 July 2021.

The WFOT Congress 2022 Programme Committee looks forward to welcoming you to Paris, France. The Congress theme ‘Occupational R-Evolution’ will explore the continuing advancements in occupational therapy.

The WFOT Congress Programme comprises of plenaries (symposia, WFOT dedicated sessions, panels) and concurrent sessions selected by the Congress Scientific Programme Committee in conjunction with the WFOT Executive. Abstracts selected through the call for papers process shall showcase our innovative, dynamic, inclusive and culturally diverse views on r-evolution of occupation and the Occupational Therapy profession.

The Congress Scientific Programme Committee invites submissions from occupational therapists, assistants, managers, researchers, educators, students as well as client/service users, in line with the Congress theme, for the below submission types.

Abstract Submission Types:

• Orals and posters
• Research Institute: 3 Minute Thesis (PhD students only)
• Pre-Congress Workshops

Presenting at WFOT Congress 2022 is a very exciting opportunity to share your knowledge, ideas, experience and more with colleagues. It is important that you spend time preparing and checking your abstract/s before submission for consideration by the reviewers and the Scientific Programme Committee.

Please read the below BEFORE submitting an abstract/s for the WFOT Congress 2022 to ensure that your submission meets the specified requirements.

Authors may save their submissions at any time, and come back to complete it before the call for papers closes in April 2021.

Hybrid congress

The Congress will be a hybrid event, enabling you to attend in-person or online.

We acknowledge that international travel is still uncertain at this time. Virtual attendance options offer choice and flexibility for delegates, and allow opportunities to engage with those who may not be able to travel.

We strongly encourage those that can travel to Paris to attend in-person, to take advantage of the collegiality, networking opportunities and atmosphere that is unique to the International Congress.

We have all missed the opportunity of in-person occupational therapy events in the past year and are looking forward to the opportunity to connect in 2022.

Key Dates

*Accepted presenters must register by this date

PROGRAMME CATEGORIES (excluding 3 Minute Thesis submissions)

Authors will be asked to select the top three categories that best describes the submission. This will be used by the Scientific Programme Committee to assign reviewers and to place abstracts in the programme.

• Ageing
• Infants, children, youth, and families
  
• Technology
  
• Revolutionising rehabilitation
  
• Inclusive workplaces
  
• Transformative occupational therapy education
• Professional development and capacity building
• Implementation science/knowledge translation
  
• Leadership, advocacy and agents of change
  
• Occupational justice/human rights/equity/ social inclusion
• Community development
  
• Health promotion, public health and health services
• Quality, effectiveness and outcome measures
• Disaster management, preparedness, response, and recovery
• Migration, human displacement and occupation
• Occupational therapy theory/models
  
• Mental health and wellbeing
• User perspectives and experiences
• History of occupation and occupational therapy
• Environmental sustainability

PRESENTATION TYPES

The Congress offers 3 types of abstract submissions: Oral / poster presentations, Research Institute: 3 Minute Thesis presentations (PhD students only) as well as Pre-Congress workshops.

Oral Presentations

Oral presentations provide an opportunity to report on original research, innovative programmes and professional practices, theoretical and conceptual advances, and professional issues relating to the Congress theme. The programme will include three main types of oral presentations:

Long – 15 minutes (12 minutes to present + 3 minutes for Q & A)
Short – 8 minutes (7 minutes to present + 1 minute for Q & A)
Lightning Talk – Refer to description under ‘Posters’ for more information

When you are submitting an abstract for the main scientific programme, you can choose to present an oral OR a poster. The Scientific Programme Committee will make the decision on the type of oral presentation or poster or lightning talk that will be offered.

Poster Presentations (printed or electronic)

Posters provide a visual display of new techniques, programmes, research or professional innovations. They are the ideal platform for the presentation of complex visual material. Both printed posters and electronic posters (e-posters) will be included in the programme, along with e-poster lightning talks (3 minutes to present).

Poster presentations are considered to be of equal standing and judged by the same criteria as oral presentations. Note that if an abstract is accepted for a poster, the author may choose to present either a printed poster or an e-poster.

Printed posters are displayed for one day of the Congress only and will be grouped by theme within the poster area in the exhibition hall. Posters will be displayed during exhibition hours, with presenters attending their poster during catering breaks or at a time as specified by the presenter for discussion with delegates.

E-posters are comprised of three slides. E-posters will be made available online, and delegates will be able to browse e-posters (by title, speaker name, etc.) either directly on their mobile device and at the interactive e-poster terminals located in the exhibition hall. Poster presenters can also opt to be contacted by delegates via email or social media.

E-poster Lightning Talks are 3-minute presentations. E-posters will be grouped by key interest areas into poster sessions that will take place in the Exhibition Hall and scheduled concurrently with other sessions, and facilitated by a Chairperson. Each e-poster presenter will have 3 slides and no more than 3 minutes to present the topic of the e-poster.

Pre – Congress Workshops

A limited number of workshops, of half day duration (3.5 hours, including a half hour break), will be selected to run on the day prior to the Congress. These workshops are additional to the Congress programme and registration fees. A minimum number of registered participants are required for Pre-Congress workshops to proceed. Pre-Congress workshops may be selected via a submission process and/or by invitation of the Congress Scientific Programme Committee and approval of the WFOT Congress Management Committee. Successful Pre-Congress workshops are those that are of interest to a global audience, provide skill development opportunities especially in relation to knowledge translation of evidence-based clinical practice/techniques/assessments/interventions, provide a guided session for exploring an issue of relevance to the profession globally and feature practical learning.

The Congress Organisers will contact successful workshop authors for their preferred time (morning or afternoon), associated costs and requirements.

Pre-Congress workshops submitted via the Call for Abstracts will go through a two-stage assessment process. The first stage involves an anonymous review of abstracts by two (or more) independent reviewers. In the second stage, further information will be sought to assure suitability, relevance and alignment with WFOT objectives along with financial viability of the workshop.

PRESENTATION CATEGORY (excluding 3 Minute Thesis submissions)

• Research
• Practice
• Education
• Leadership and Management

WITHDRAWING AN ABSTRACT

If you want to withdraw an abstract, please contact the WFOT Congress Office in writing via email to WFOTCongress@thinkbusinessevents.com.au.

Please note that withdrawals need to be communicated in writing by the author who originally submitted the abstract, and in doing so, the Congress Office assumes that all other authors/presenters have been informed of the withdrawal.

ABSTRACT REVIEWS

Each abstract will undergo an anonymous review by two (or more) peers drawn from an international list of reviewers.

Only a certain number of abstracts are selected for inclusion in the programme. While we understand that it can be disappointing to miss out, the aim is to provide the most comprehensive, innovative and diverse programme possible.

Decisions of the committee are final.

AUTHOR NOTIFICATION

Authors will be notified of the outcome of their submission on or shortly after the 23 June 2021.

ENQUIRIES

For any enquiries regarding abstract submissions, please contact us.

For easy reference, please always include the reference number and title of your submission in your email.