Submission Portal 2: Symposium/Topical Workshops and Practical Workshops
This portal is for 90-minute sessions. There are two oral presentation submission formats:
- Symposium (ISPP) / Topical Workshops (APS)
- Practical Workshops (skills-based learning)
These sessions are intended to foster meaningful discussion, collaboration, innovation, skills development, and knowledge exchange across the pain community.
The APS–ISPP 2027 program strongly values multidisciplinary collaboration across institutions and/or countries, audience engagement, and the inclusion of diverse perspectives, including lived experience where appropriate.
Symposium/Topical Workshops
Symposium & Topical Workshops consist of a series of linked presentations organised around a common theme relevant to pain across the lifespan. These sessions should bring together multiple perspectives, disciplines, projects, or approaches to address important topics in pain research, clinical care, education, policy, lived experience, service delivery, or implementation.
Symposia and topical workshops are suited to:
- Data-driven presentations
- Emerging evidence
- Clinical innovation
- Translational research
- Policy or service development
- Debate or discussion of important issues
- Coordinated thematic discussion
- Cross-disciplinary or lifespan perspectives
Sessions may include a variety of formats, including traditional thematic presentations, panel discussions, debate-style sessions, case-based discussions, or integrated audience interaction.
Each symposium or topical workshop will be 90 minutes in duration and will typically include:
- 3–5 presenters
- Short individual presentations
- A nominated Chair
- A chaired discussion component
Audience interaction and discussion
Practical Workshops (skills based learning)
Practical workshops are skills-based learning sessions designed to actively engage participants in developing and applying specific skills, techniques, tools, or methodologies that can be translated directly into clinical practice, research, education, service delivery, or implementation.
Examples may include demonstrating a new device or technology, teaching a therapeutic approach, practising communication techniques, applying implementation strategies, or providing hands-on training in research or clinical methods.
The primary purpose of a practical workshop is skills development. Workshops should focus on what participants will be able to do, apply, practise, or implement following the session, rather than simply what they will learn.
Practical workshops should prioritise active participation over lecture-style delivery and provide opportunities for attendees to engage in practical exercises, demonstrations, case discussions, role plays, small-group activities, problem-solving tasks, or supervised skills practice.
While workshops may include brief didactic content to provide context, the emphasis should be on experiential learning and building participant capability. Proposals should clearly describe the practical skills participants will gain and how the workshop format will facilitate active engagement and skill acquisition.
Examples may include:
- Case-based discussion
- Hands-on demonstrations
- Simulation or role play
- Behavioural coding or assessment approaches
- Digital health or technology applications
- Communication or implementation strategies
- Patient, family, or lived experience engagement activities
- Clinical skills training
- Research methods training
- Implementation or service redesign activities
Each practical workshop will be 90 minutes in duration and should include:
- A maximum of 2–3 facilitators
- At least 40–45 minutes of active participant engagement
Registration
If your submission is accepted, all presenters will be expected to register for a minimum of one day of the conference by the Earlybird Deadline of Friday 29 January 2027. Please note, there is no funding, discounted or complimentary registrations available for submitted presenters. However, there are APS Member only grants available for conferences through the following link: https://australianpainsociety.org/opportunity/.