Call For Proposals & Posters

Infant Massage USA’s third annual Conference will include opportunities for speakers and posters, and we invite you to submit a proposal.

Please submit your proposal for Speaking or posters using the form below.

Deadline for receipt of proposals: December 1st, 2024, 11:59 pm Eastern Standard Time


Conference Date:
June 5 and 6, 2025

Audience: Includes Infant Massage USA Members and others interested in Infant Massage

If your proposal is accepted, you will receive a notification from Infant Massage USA with the following steps by the second week of January, 2025. Accepted speaker presentations will receive an honorarium and be discussed with the executive director.


Proposal Requirements & Details

Speaker Presentations

These live speaking sessions are opportunities to share educational information, lessons learned, foresight, or evidence of impact related to the research and application of infant massage. Presenters should be comfortable with presenting virtually and include ways to actively engage the audience in the session (for example, through questions, polls etc. - presentations that are solely lectures or reading directly from slides are not encouraged).

Presentation Proposal Requirements & Details (upload a file or use the text field in the form below):

  • Title & Brief Abstract Summary (approximately 150 words)

  • Name and brief background of Presenter and Co-Host (if applicable)

  • Statement of 3 Learning Objectives and Goals of your presentation

  • Conference Track (see examples of the four conference tracks we are offering)

  • Outline of presentation content, including preliminary ideas for audience engagement and information on how your session incorporates diverse perspectives as appropriate and applicable to your topic (approximately 400-700 words is suggested)

  • Proposal Deadline: December 1st, 2024

Completed Presentation Requirements & Details (For approved speakers):

Once your proposal outline is approved, the full presentation should be completed by May 10th.

  • Approximately 30-45 minutes in length with relevant slides

  • Must be available to present live once between June 5 or 6, 2025 (exact times TBD)

  • A photo will be requested but not required, for use in our promotion of the event

  • Completed Presentation Deadline: May 10th

Poster Presentations

Posters are documents (Google Slide or Powerpoint format) or pre-recorded videos (less than 10 minutes) that focus on research and practice of infant massage education. These will be displayed in a gallery-type format for conference attendees.

Resource: Free Research Poster PowerPoint Templates

  • Google Slide / Powerpoint or video format

  • If video, approximately 5 - 10 minutes long (must be less than 10 minutes)

  • Topics should relate to the research or practice of infant massage and nurturing touch


Presentation Selection

Proposals will be reviewed by the Research and Education Committee (A combination group of Infant Massage USA Staff and Members) using the following guidelines:

  • Relevance of Information: Is the information complete and of relevance, importance and/or interest to the topic?

  • Session Outcomes/Goals: Are there 3 stated session outcomes in the proposal? Are they appropriate for the topic?

  • Presenter Knowledge: Does the presenter or presenters demonstrate sufficient knowledge or expertise to address this topic based on evidence provided in the proposal and/or prior experience with or knowledge of the presenter?

  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Does the proposal show how the session will reflect or incorporate subject matter that considers diverse, equitable and inclusive perspectives?

Rubric for Speaker Proposals