SOMA 2024

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Call for Labs, Presentations, Clinical Vignettes, and Research

• The call for Lab, Presentations & Clinical Vignette submissions will open on September 8th. The deadline for submission for Labs is December 1, 2023. The deadline for submission of Presentations & Clinical Vignettes is December 15, 2023.
• The call for Research will open on October 2. The deadline for submission is December 15, 2023.
• Our guidelines on how to submit a lab proposal, podium presentation, or clinical vignette will be posted soon.

The SOMA Program Committee is seeking high-quality submissions for podium presentations, clinical vignettes, and labs in a variety of areas that address important medical challenges and issues, increase the knowledge and skills of SOF and civilian prehospital providers, and promote the development of new best practices and technologies for the following session types:

Labs:  SOMA is seeking high-quality lab submissions (educational and training programs) that enhance the skills and knowledge of SOF medics and those working in austere environments.  Submissions can be for skill levels that range from basic to advanced.  Please indicate your intended audience and recommended skill level for participation to maximize course participant experiences. 

Labs are educational/training programs that enhance the skills or provide certifications to a wide array of SOMA participants. This may include students that come from DoD, SOF, civilian, tactical, or international agencies with skill levels ranging from the medic to senior surgeons. Labs offer either a certification or CME/CE/CAPCE as specified in the published program.  Programs can also be designed and hosted by specific units for additional offsite training opportunities (for example Non-Trauma Module requirements and specialized certifications such as Advanced Burn Life Support or Advanced Hazmat Life Support). 

Presentation proposals: Podium Presentations or Clinical Vignette

Podium presentations are categorized into the following educational tracks:

• Austere Resuscitative Surgical Care: The ARSC track is seeking high-quality submissions about emergency resuscitative care within the austere environment. These presentations can include but are not limited to novel methods of surgical team implementation and integration, novel techniques adapted for austere environments, after-action reports related to high-profile events, new projects or developments in your ARSC unit, and strategic level overview of the ARSC units.  This is open to military and civilians working in this unique environment.  Submissions of relevant presentations accepted at other national meetings with our partners are also encouraged.
• Human Performance and Resiliency: The HP track is seeking high-quality submissions that provide real-life examples and/or evidence-based reviews of technology, data, and best practices to optimize performance, reduce injuries, speed recovery times, and foster physical, mental, and emotional wellness.
• International: The international track is seeking high-quality submissions pertaining to SOF medicine at all levels of care. Proposals are welcome from tactical/support medics (e.g. NSOCM/NSOMT, etc), physicians, and other personnel working in the SOF medicine environment.
• Military Special Operations Forces: The MilSOF track is seeking high-quality submissions about military special operations medic forces both within US military and the international community. Submissions are encouraged from both active SOF medics and leaders in the field.  Submissions from the Operators and/or the battlefield end users, from across the Combatant Commands are highly encouraged.
• Tactical Emergency Medical Services: The TEMS track is seeking high-quality submissions about emergency medical care within the civilian tactical environment. These presentations can include but are not limited to novel methods of TEMS delivery in the civilian world, after-action reports related to high-profile events, new projects or developments in your TEMS unit, an overview of the TEMS unit at your department including the command structure, one or two high profile “saves”, strengths, weaknesses, and overall design and delivery. Submissions of relevant presentations accepted at other national meetings with our partners are also encouraged.
• Medical Support to Irregular Warfare (MSIW): The MSIW track is seeking high quality submissions about Medical Support to Irregular Warfare efforts both within the US military and international community at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels.  Irregular warfare is defined as a form of warfare in which states and non-state actors campaign to assure or coerce other groups through indirect, non-attributable, or asymmetric activities (from Joint Publication 1, Vol 1, signed August 2023). IW activities, such as resistance operations, pose unique challenges to providing medical support that the joint force has not encountered in recent history.  This track is intended to help shift focus from the last two decades of counterterrorism operations and toward future conflict scenarios.  Areas of focus for this year are analysis, concept and strategy development, and  medical support to IW activities vignettes, although submissions outside this focus will be considered.  Relevant submissions from individuals and organizations with applicable experience(s) are highly encouraged.

Sub Tracks include:

Call for Research

The SOMA Research Committee is seeking high-quality research with a near-term impact on our ability to provide forward medical care in future operating environments for SOMA 2024 beginning on October 2, 2023.

Our guidelines on how to submit a research abstract will be posted soon.

Questions? Please contact SOMA Staff at [email protected] .