Poster Design and Presentation: Medical Student Research Symposium

2026 Symposium

VoiceThread Recording Submission Deadline (for those accepted for Virtual and In-person Posters): Jan. 26, 2026 at 5 p.m. 

Symposium Day: Thursday, March 5, 2026

Poster Design

Upon abstract acceptance, all posters must be uploaded and recorded on VoiceThread by January 26, 2026 at 5 p.m. All posters that are narrated on VoiceThread by the deadline will be officially listed in the Symposium Compendium and can be included on your CV. Posters that are not uploaded on VoiceThread cannot be listed on your CV.

All virtual and in-person submissions will be required to upload their poster and a 5–10-minute narrative recording and on VoiceThread. 

During the in-person presentations on Symposium Day, the top scoring posters of the in-person presentations on Symposium Day will be awarded the Henry J.N. Taub Young Investigator Awards. Of note, the first author of the poster must be present during the symposium to present.  

In addition, all symposium participants will have the opportunity to select their favorite poster via live voting on Symposium Day. The winner (the poster with the highest number of votes) of each category will be awarded a monetary prize. 

General Poster Design Guidelines

  • Divide your poster presentation clearly into introduction, objective/hypothesis/goal, methods, results, conclusion/discussion, and acknowledgement sections
  • Do not include your abstract on the poster
  • Make sure your objective/hypothesis is clearly stated
  • Make sure you clearly define on poster and verbally in your presentation, what role you had in the research and how much you contributed to the presented data.  
  • The poster formatting size must be: 48 inches by 36 inches

VoiceThread Poster Design

For both Virtual and In Person poster acceptances, VoiceThread Poster submissions are required.  

  • Prepare your cover slide (one page) using appropriate software (e.g., Power Point): State the name and add a professional photo of the first author (if equal authorship: photos of all equally contributing authors), yet not of any co-authors or mentors. State your class year next to your name. State the title of your poster, yet no affiliations or names of co-authors. Make sure you clearly define on poster and verbally in your presentation, what role you had in the research and how much you contributed to the presented data.
  • Once the cover slide is ready for publication, upload the slide to VoiceThread as page one of your presentation
  • Once your poster slide (one page) is ready for publication, upload the slide to VoiceThread as page two of your presentation
  • Optional: upload your abstract as page three of your presentation
  • In VoiceThread, the first author will record a 5-10 minute summary of the project. If equal authorship, all “equally contributing authors” (but not other co-authors) must contribute verbally.
  • Detailed instructions of how to upload pages and record in VoiceThread, as well as how to submit your VoiceThread link to the symposium website will be provided by email once your poster has been accepted for presentation.

Poster Presentation

To qualify for the Henry J.N. Taub Young Investigator Award, all equally contributing authors must verbally present their work on Symposium Day. Medical students who fail to present their poster on Symposium Day without prior notification will not be considered for poster presentation at future symposiums. In addition to presenting in person, VoiceThread/recording must be submitted. Students who do not submit will not qualify for awards. 

Students will be notified by Dec. 8, 2025, if their poster has been selected for an in-person presentation. Students must have their posters uploaded to VoiceThread and emailed to Arlincia Howell by Jan. 26, 2026 at 5 p.m. for printing. Printing costs for all accepted posters may be covered by the organizers, provided ALL of the following criteria are met: 

  • The abstract was accepted by the organizers
  • The poster is printed by the Curriculum Office
  • The poster e-file (in pdf format) is submitted directly to Arlincia Howell by January 26, 2025 at 5 p.m. (any posters submitted after this date and time will NOT be covered and printing will be the medical student’s sole responsibility).
  • The poster needs to be formatted in size 48 inches by 36 inches
  • Posters printed anywhere else will NOT be covered at all
  • Medical student AND poster have to be present in person on Symposium Day, at minimum during the designated judging time (if either student or poster or both are missing, the student will be required to repay the poster printing and presentation board fee).

Any posters submitted after this date and time will NOT be covered and printing will be the medical student’s sole responsibility. Detailed instructions will be sent to in-person and virtual presenters via email. 

On Symposium Day (March 5, 2026)

  • Posters will be hung up by the curriculum office on Wednesday, March 4 and will stay until 2 p.m., Thursday, March 5, 2025.
  • Each presentation board will be labeled with a number and a category that matches your abstract number (abstract number will be given upon abstract acceptance); please use the board with your designated number.
  • Dress professionally (suit and tie are not required, but no scrubs or shorts)
  • Presentations will take place from 9 – 11:30 a.m.
  • A small breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Judging Criteria (Virtual Poster Presentations)

Virtual posters will be reviewed by judges to provide constructive feedback, as this may be the students’ first opportunity to present an abstract. However, presenting virtual posters via VoiceThread can be included on a professional CV. There is no monetary award for virtual posters. 

Judging Criteria (In-person Poster Presentations)

Judges will be scoring your poster presentation and will look for the following criteria:

  • Medical student’s appearance: Well-prepared, engaged, confident, professional, on time
  • Quality of oral presentation: Clear and concise project overview and able to answer questions adequately
  • Quality of poster: Appropriate, understandable, and informative overview of your project
  • Quality of research (objective/hypothesis-driven study)
    • Clear objective/hypothesis
    • Appropriate methods to address the objective/hypothesis
    • Conclusion(s) are supported by presented data and directly relate to the objective/hypothesis
  • Impact of research project: novelty (new concepts, new knowledge, new technology), validity of data
  • Medical student's involvement in the research (please clearly define what role you had in the research project)
  • Each poster will be rated on a scale of 1-5 (1=worst, 5=best)

Henry J.N. Taub Young Investigator Awards

On Symposium Day, judges will score each in-person poster presentation and points from all judges will be added together. In each category (basic and translational science, clinical, community based, educational, and quality improvement), the highest scoring posters will be awarded. The number of awards given for each category will be based on the number of abstract submissions per category. 

  • First Place: $300
  • Second Place: $200
  • Third Place: $100

Award winners will be announced during the award ceremony, right after the Keynote Speaker.

Additional Awards

Most Popular Poster Award: ($100)

This award will be given to the poster receiving the most votes by the audience/visitors on the Symposium Day. Voting will be electronic (QR code provided in Rayzor Lounge) and is non-criteria based. Each individual may only vote once.

Most innovative Poster Award: ($100)

This award will be given to the poster that receives the most votes from attendees on Symposium Day, recognizing the poster that presents a novel idea or innovative approach. Voting will be conducted electronically (via a QR code available in the Rayzor Lounge) and will be based on general appeal rather than specific criteria. Each individual may vote only once. 

Visually Outstanding Poster Award: ($100)

This award will be presented to the poster that receives the most votes from attendees on Symposium Day, recognizing the poster that is best organized and most visually appealing to the audience. A visually appealing poster may include elements such as clear layout, engaging graphics, effective use of color, readable text, and an overall aesthetic that draws attention and enhances understanding. Voting will be conducted electronically (via a QR code available in the Rayzor Lounge) and will not be based on specific criteria. Each person is allowed to vote only once.