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Policy on STS Educational Activities Other Than the Annual Meeting for Presenters and Moderators

    Presenters/moderators for STS stand-alone activities are provided with time limits for their presentations and must comply with these limits. Each presenter is required to check in at the audio/visual desk at least one (1) hour prior to his or her presentation time to load and test the presentation slides and/or other material. To ensure that every presentation is fair and balanced, as well as free of commercial bias, the Workforce on Clinical Education’s Task Force on Conflict of Interest will review presentation materials (slides and handouts). For this reason presenters must submit presentation materials to the Society at least 2 weeks prior to the actual activity. 

Slide Presentation

  • All presentations must be submitted in English.
  • If slides are used, the first slide (after title slide) must reflect the required disclosure information.
  • The names of commercial products cannot be used unless the failure to do so would present a patient safety issue.
  • Corporate logos, clinical trial logos and logos of other meetings cannot be used.
  • Slides, handouts and other materials utilized as part of an educational activity cannot contain any advertising, trade name, or product group message.
  • No patient identification information can be visible within presentation materials (e.g., names in echo scans, CT scans, or photos of patients).


Additional Presenter/Moderator Responsibilities

  • Presenters/Moderators are responsible for ensuring that the content being presented at the educational activity is consistent with and does not violate another organization’s publication guidelines and conditions.
  • Presenters/Moderators are responsible for ensuring accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar prior to submission.
  • Presentations must be based upon the best available evidence and should not promote any health care device, drug, or other product or service.  Presenters/moderators found by the Society not to have attempted to utilize the best available evidence, or found to have provided content that is biased or promotional in nature, will not be allowed to take part in the planning or provision of any other STS educational program or product for two years.

 STS reserves the right to withdraw a presentation at any time and for any reason.

    Required Disclosure Information
  • Conflict of Interest and FDA disclosures are required before any presenter/moderator will be allowed to present.
  • Each presenter/moderator must submit to STS his/her individual disclosure.
  • If the presenter/moderator has any relationship posing a conflict or potential conflict relevant to his or her session, he or she may not make any recommendations regarding relevant products or services as part of that session. Any presenter/moderator found to have made a recommendation based upon relevant products or services in the presence of a relationship that poses an actual or potential conflict of interest will not be allowed to take part in the planning or provision of any other STS educational program or product for two years.


Adopted:  August 15, 2012 (STS Executive Committee)