A department-wide, trainee poster contest will take place on Friday, June 12, 2026 during the cocktail reception from 6:00-7:30 PM at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel. This is an opportunity to discover and discuss developing research in all areas of ophthalmology from Harvard Ophthalmology's research labs.

Deadlines:

• Sunday, May 17, 2026 - Contest Sign-Up Ends
• Friday, May 22, 2026 - Accepted Contestants Notified
• Friday, May 29, 2026 - Poster Artwork Due

ELIGIBILITY & PRIZES

All current residents, research fellows, clinical fellows, and other students at Harvard Medical School Department of Ophthalmology are eligible to participate.

Eligibility Terms:

• Work presented at other meetings (including ARVO) is welcome
• Attendance is required for the entire meeting (Thursday and Friday)
• Trainees must be at their poster the entire contest (6:00-7:30 PM)
• Trainees must be present at the dinner starting at 7:30 PM

Prize Details:
Posters will be grouped into categories by subspecialty area of interest with a cash prize awarded for the top poster in each category. Please note, the final categories will be determined by the number of submissions.

The winners in the final categories will be announced during dinner and each winner will be awarded $100.

POSTER DESIGN

We will be using easels to display trainee posters this year. Because easels require a rigid backing, posters must be mounted on form board. To simplify this process, we are offering free printing, mounting, and delivery to The Mandarin Oriental (see POSTER PRINTING below).

Posters must be designed in landscape format. All content (including the title) must fit within these dimensions:

• 36 inches wide (100 cm)
• 24 inches tall (60.96 cm)

Before designing your poster, set your slide or canvas size. (For PowerPoint: Design → Slide Size → Custom Slide Size → enter 36" width × 24" height)

Guidelines & Tips:

• Keep text clear, concise, and focused on your main message
• Include all relevant disclosures (see DISCLOSURES below)
• Ensure all content is legible from at least three feet away
• Use large fonts (minimum 28 pt recommended)
• Avoid exceeding 600 total words
• Maintain at least 0.5-inch margins, especially if self-printing
• Organize supporting content using standard scientific headings (e.g., Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusion)
• Do not include industry logos, trademarks, trade names, or product messages
• Include your email address to facilitate follow up conversations

Try the “Better Poster” Approach (Optional):
This year, we are adding the option of the “Better Poster” approach to improve clarity, visibility, and engagement.

The updated format emphasizes:

• A single, central message that viewers can grasp quickly
• A clean layout with minimal text and clear visual hierarchy
• Dedicated space for supporting figures, methods, and details
• A sidebar or section for QR codes, contact information, or full data

Core principles include:

• Prioritizing the main takeaway
• Reducing dense text
• Using visuals to communicate results
• Ensuring accessibility with clear contrast and readable font

Learn more about this new format: "Better Poster" video.

DISCLOSURES

Full disclosure must be listed on the poster. Presenting authors must fully disclose to the session participants all commercial relationships with ineligible companies that existed within the past 24 months and non-remunerative positions that may create a conflict of interest.

Complete disclosure will include the name(s) of the commercial interest and the nature of the relationship(s). Indicate “None” if no relationships exist.

POSTER PRINTING

Poster printing and delivery is available free of charge to contestants who email their artwork in advance. Trainees may also choose to print and mount their posters at their own expense.

Free Option
Trainees who wish to take advantage of this opportunity must:

• Follow poster design guidelines (see POSTER DESIGN above)
• Send their final artwork by May 29, 2026 to Ophthalmology_Events@meei.harvard.edu
  
• Arrive by 6:00 PM the day of the contest at The Mandarin Oriental and proceed to their poster location

Self-pay Option
Trainees who choose to print and mount their posters at their own expense must:

• Notify the meeting organizers by May 29, 2026 that they will be self-printing
• Follow poster design guidelines (see POSTER DESIGN above)
• Ensure their final poster dimensions are 36 inches wide x 24 inches tall
• Mount their poster on foam core board (since the easels do not have backing)
• Understand that printing and mounting can cost $75-$100 per poster
• Bring their poster to The Mandarin Oriental by 5:40 PM the day of the contest and proceed to their poster location

PRESENTATION

The presenting author is expected to present and prepared to discuss their poster with attendees and the poster contest judges throughout the cocktail reception on Friday, June 12, 2026 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM.

All presenters are expected to:

• Present the same work described in the abstract, with the same title and content.
• Design a presentation that is independent, objective, scientifically rigorous, balanced, and free of bias.
• Assure that scientific studies utilized or referenced in their presentation are from sources acceptable to the scientific and medical community.
• Disclose commercial relationships (see DISCLOSURES above).
• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires disclosures to be made to session participants of unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices contained in presentations. You must disclose any such uses when discussing unlabeled or unapproved uses of drugs or devices.

When speaking with the judges, you will need to keep your conversation to 5 minutes only. You will be judged by your ability to present your work in a clear and concise manner within the allotted time frame.

QUESTIONS

If you have questions, please email Ophthalmology_Events@meei.harvard.edu.

In support of improving patient care, Boston Children’s Hospital is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. The activity number is 132945.

Ophthalmologists: Boston Children’s Hospital designates this live activity for a maximum of 12.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in this activity.

Optometrists: Boston Children’s Hospital designates this live activity for a maximum of 12.0 COPE credit hours. Optometrists should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. The COPE course number is 104604-GO.

COURSE OVERVIEW

The Harvard Department of Ophthalmology Annual Meeting and Alumni Reunion is a two-day course aimed at updating ophthalmologists (including ophthalmology residents and fellows), optometrists, and vision researchers about the latest advances in ophthalmology clinical care and research. New research advances and therapies are changing the practice of ophthalmology. The pace of these advances leads to gaps in knowledge, as practicing clinicians face the challenge of keeping up-to date on new information; and competence, as physicians often lack strategies for incorporating these advances into their practice.

This course is designed to address a wide range of gaps in knowledge and competence regarding ophthalmic clinical practice and ophthalmic research. Our program is designed to proportionally cover advances in understanding and managing disease of the anterior and posterior segments of the eye. In addition, the impact of emerging technologies and their utilization in ophthalmology will be discussed.  The main goal is to familiarize the audience with new research and updates on emerging clinical practices in the field of ophthalmology. 

The format consists of short didactic lectures each followed by discussion and an interactive question session with the audience. The lectures will feature Harvard faculty members and distinguished alumni discussing their areas of clinical and/or research expertise.

TARGET AUDIENCE

Ophthalmologists and Optometrists 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this course participants will be able to:  

1. Be better able to describe advances in the diagnosis and management of ophthalmic disease;
2. Be able to discuss clinical innovations and updated treatment paradigms in areas outside the scope of their own practice;
3. Understand how studying ophthalmic disease at a molecular level can improve the understanding of pathophysiology and guide new therapies;
4. Understand the process by which new therapies are developed and assessed as well as potential new drugs resulting from that process; and
5. Describe opportunities within ophthalmology to use big data and digital technologies to advance knowledge and patient care.

Fees associated with AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ have been provided by the HMS Department of Ophthalmology. Fees associated with COPE credit hours have been provided by the HMS Department of Ophthalmology.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY

CME should be developed free from the control of commercial interests and be balanced, objective, and scientifically rigorous. BCH is committed to providing lifelong learning opportunities to providers of medical care, medical education, and medical research and has an obligation to lead high quality, evidence-based CME.

BCH recognizes that to ensure transparency of financial relationships and eliminate commercial bias in CME activities, anyone who is in a position to control CME content (e.g. planners, instructors, reviewers, etc.) must disclose to their BCH course director any financial relationships with a commercial interest that are relevant to the proposed CME activity in order for BCH, through its course directors and DCME staff, to use the mechanisms described below to identify and resolve all conflicts of interests prior to the CME activity taking place.

If any individual who is in a position to control content of CME refuses to disclose relevant financial relationships to BCH, he/she will be automatically disqualified.

The intent of this policy is not to prevent a speaker with a potential conflict of interest from making a presentation. It is intended that any potential conflict should be identified openly so that the potential conflicts are resolved to the satisfaction of the accrediting body early in the planning process. In addition, program participants will have full disclosure of the facts to make an informed judgment.  

Co-chair Disclosures:

• Rishi Singh, MD – Disclosure pending
• Joseph R. Rizzo II, MD – Disclosure pending
• Joseph Ciolino, MD – Disclosure pending
• Rachel Huckfeldt, MD, PhD – Disclosure pending
• Eric Gaier, MD, PhD – Disclosure pending

Continuing Education Reviewer/Approver Disclosures:

• Lesley Niccolini (CME) – No relevant financial relationships to disclose
• Greg Durkin (Nursing) – No relevant financial relationships to disclose
• Crystal Tom (Pharmacy) – No relevant financial relationships to disclose
• Pamela Chamorro (Social Work) – No relevant financial relationships to disclose
• Eugene D’Angelo (Psychology) – No relevant financial relationships to disclose
• Stephen Shusterman (Dentistry) – No relevant financial relationships to disclose

RECORDING ATTENDANCE

The HMS Department of Ophthalmology will provide sign-in sheets at registration to record attendance. These lists will be shared with the Boston Children’s Continuing Education Department for proof of attendance.

In addition, Boston Children’s Continuing Education Department has provided a phone number to allow participants use a text-in-attendance feature during the session. Participants can text course CloudCME activity ID number (132945) to 844-998-2674. 

CME/CE ACTIVITY EVALUATION AND CERTIFICATES

After the meeting, the Boston Children’s Continuing Education Department will distribute a course evaluation form via an online system. Course participants will receive their CE certificates once they have completed their evaluation form in the online system. Each participant is asked to attest to the hours that they participated in the activity.

QUESTIONS

If you have questions, please email Ophthalmology_Events@meei.harvard.edu.