The Public Health Science: A National Conference Dedicated to New Research in UK Public Health, will be held in Glasgow, UK, on Nov 25, 2022, and we are delighted to invite abstract submissions. This year marks a decade since the inaugural conference, which celebrated the talent and creativity of the public health research community in the UK and Ireland. This vision remains at the heart of the conference, which provides a platform to highlight excellence in public health science and enable discussion of important public health issues; the latest public health perspectives and science; and their implications for public health practice, policy, health services, and research.
COVID-19 has brought new challenges for those working in public health to design, deliver, commission, or evaluate public health services. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have amplified many of the inequalities that are pervasive in our communities. However, in the pandemic’s long shadow, the public health community can re-lay the foundations for a fairer society that focuses not only on health outcomes, but also on wellbeing, equity, inclusiveness, and sustainability.
In this tenth anniversary year of the public health conference, we intend to provide a focus on the achievements, strengths, and exceptional talent of public health science over the past 10 years in the UK and Ireland. We therefore welcome submissions from all disciplines that affect public health, and we particularly seek interdisciplinary abstracts that look forward at how best to rebuild and strengthen our public health systems to improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities after COVID-19 in an evidence-based way, whether such evidence is drawn directly from pandemic learning or from broader contexts. We welcome perspectives from those working across all sectors and disciplines, including but not limited to the UK National Health Service, local authorities and commissioned services, charities and advocacy organisations, universities, and government bodies.
The conference will consist of oral paper presen- tations, chaired poster sessions, and keynote speeches. Submissions are now open for oral and poster presentations. Abstracts can be submitted under any of the three core themes: creativity in public health science; new methodological approaches to public health science; or impact and implementation of public health science in policy and practice. Research described in the abstracts can have been undertaken anywhere in the world, but must be relevant to public health science, practice, and policy in the UK and Ireland. We encourage submissions from individuals in the early stages of their careers.
Abstracts should be a maximum of 300 words, be written in English, and contain no references, tables, or figures. Submissions should include the following sections: background (including context and aim); methods; findings; and interpretation. Please also include a non-declaratory title (including a study descriptor—eg, retrospective cohort study, randomised controlled trial); names, titles, highest degrees, and affiliations of authors; postal and email address for the corresponding author; any funding received (please also state if none); and a brief summary of each author’s contributions and competing interests. Abstract guidelines are available on The Lancet’s website. Any abstracts that are not correctly formatted will be rejected without peer review. Reports of randomised controlled trials should follow the CONSORT extension for abstracts guidance. Abstracts should not have been previously published elsewhere and must include some results (results of ongoing analyses are acceptable). The abstracts that are accepted after peer review will be published online by The Lancet.
Submit your abstract as a Microsoft Word document through The Lancet’s online submission system, stating in your covering letter that the submission is for the UK Public Health Science Conference 2022. All abstracts will be considered for oral and poster presentations. The deadline for abstract submission is May 16, 2022. After The Lancet’s peer review process, successful applicants will be informed of acceptance of their abstract for oral or poster presentation by Sept 16, 2022.
In recognition of the contribution that early career researchers make to public health, we will again be awarding prizes for the best oral and poster presentations by early career researchers. These prizes are sponsored by the NIHR School for Public Health Research, a partnership of UK academic centres with excellence in public health. If you wish to be entered into this competition, please indicate in your covering letter whether you are a pre- PhD researcher (eg, MSc student, foundation year trainee, research assistant, public health trainee, or academic clinical fellow), PhD student, or postdoctoral trainee (eg, clinical lecturers, clinician scientist fellows, early career postdoctoral, or equivalent posts). In addition, the conference will be preceded by an early career researcher event and networking conference dinner on Nov 24, 2022.
In line with our commitment to work towards delivering a net-zero conference, details of the conference carbon reduction plans and carbon offsetting will be published on the website in due course.