2026 VA-ACS Bigger-Lehman Submission Form final

The 2026 Annual Meeting will take place May 29 & 30, 2026 at the Omni Richmond Hotel in vibrant downtown Richmond, Virginia. The VSS Research & Scholarship Committee invites you to submit a manuscript to be considered for presentation in the program. The deadline for the 2026 program is Monday, January 5, 2026.

BIGGER-LEHMAN SUBMISSIONS

Eligibility:

Surgical Residents or Fellows in an approved surgical program in Virginia.
The faculty co-author must be a member of both the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the Virginia Chapter (VA-ACS).

Submission Requirements:

A complete manuscript, either unpublished or published within the last calendar year of the VA-ACS meeting.
Must be submitted by January 5, 2026.

Awards:

1st Place: $500
2nd Place: $250

Presentation & Travel:

Winners are expected to present their papers at the 2026 Annual Meeting
The VSS Research & Scholarship Committee will cover reasonable travel expenses.

Note: In addition to full manuscript submissions, authors may also choose to submit an abstract for consideration for presentation at the Annual Meeting. See form for details.

Presenting Author Name:*

First NameLast Name

Degree:*

Level of Training: *

Institution:*

Presenting Author Email:*

example@example.com

Cell Number*

Is the Presenting Author a VA-ACS member? Join online at www.virginiaacs.org/va-acs-membership. Trainee membership is free.*

YesNo

A faculty member co-author of the study accepted for presentation must be a member of the ACS and the VA-ACS. Do you meet this criteria?*

YesNo

Has this paper already been submitted to the Chapter (either as an abstract for the Annual Meeting or as a COT or COC paper competition entry)?*

YesNo

In accordance with ACCME regulations (ACCME Standard 3), the American College of Surgeons must ensure that anyone who is able to control the content of the activity has disclosed all financial relationships with any ineligible companies in the 24 months prior to their involvement in the educational activity.

Ineligible Company: Companies that are ineligible to be accredited in the ACCME system (ineligible companies) are those whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, reselling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

Financial Relationships: Financial relationships are relevant if the following three conditions are met for the individual who will control content of the education: 1) a financial relationship, in any amount, exists between the person in control of content and an ineligible company; 2) the financial relationship existed in the last 24 months; 3) the content of the education is related to the products of an ineligible company with whom the person has a financial relationship.

All CME Planners and Speakers /Moderators/Discussants/Authors/Editors involved in the development and/or presentation of CME content must complete this form. This form must be updated whenever circumstances require. As relevant, all disclosure information for speakers must be revealed by a slide at the beginning of the presentation.

Please answer the following:

I am an owner or employee of an ineligible company. I am to be excluded from controlling content or participating as faculty in accredited education unless the planning chair determines that Imeet an ACCME exception on page 2 of the Mitigation Section.I am a stockholder of a privately held ineligible company (not through a mutual fund or pension plan). I am to be excluded from controlling content or participating as faculty in accredited education unless the planning chair determines that I meet an ACCME exception on page 2 of the Mitigation Section.I do not have personal financial relationships with any ineligible companies as defined above.I do have financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies as defined above. a. List below the names of companies that you have a financial relationship with currently or have had in the last 24 months. b. Specify your role (i.e., consultant, board member, etc.) c. Explain what you received (i.e., salary, honorarium etc.) d. If equity was received, designate if itis public or privately traded (only if applicable)

Company Name:

Example: American College of Surgeons

For What Role (the nature of the relationship)

Role: Employment, management position, independent contractor (including contracted research), consulting, speaking and teaching, membership on advisory committees or review panels, board membership, etc.

What I received:

What was received: Salary, royalty, intellectual property rights, consulting fee, honoraria, ownership interest (e.g. stocks, stock options, etc.), or other financial benefit.

If equity was received, designate if it is public or privately traded (only if applicable)

If a financial relationship is noted above, a designated official must complete a mitigation form after discussing ways to mitigate the conflict of interest with you. As relevant, this mitigation and the Mitigation Section must be completed prior to the start of the planning process.

Failure or refusal to disclose or the inability to mitigate an identified conflict will result in the withdrawal of the invitation to participate.

Please answer the following:*

I agree that I will not directly accept honoraria, travel expenses, in-kind contributions, or any other compensation from ineligible companies in connection with this activity (Support provided with a letter of agreement may be permissible).If any of the information reported above changes,I will notify ACS immediately and update this form accordingly.By checking this box, I certify that I haveidentified and disclosed all financial relationships with any ineligible companies (in the last 24 months) and that all information provided herein is true and correct.

Additional Author 1:

Degree:

Level of Training:

Institution:

Additional Author Email:

example@example.com

Cell Number

Add additional author

Additional Author 2:

Degree:

Level of Training:

Institution:

Additional Author Email:

example@example.com

Cell Number

Add additional author

Additional Author 3:

Degree:

Level of Training:

Institution:

Additional Author Email:

example@example.com

Cell Number

Add additional author

Additional Author 4:

Degree:

Level of Training:

Institution:

Additional Author Email:

example@example.com

Cell Number

Add additional author

Additional Author 5:

Degree:

Level of Training:

Institution:

Additional Author Email:

example@example.com

Cell Number

Add additional author

Additional Author 6:

Degree:

Level of Training:

Institution:

Additional Author Email:

example@example.com

Cell Number

Add additional author

Additional Author 7:

Degree:

Level of Training:

Institution:

Additional Author Email:

example@example.com

Cell Number

Add additional author

Additional Author 8:

Degree:

Level of Training:

Institution:

Additional Author Email:

example@example.com

Cell Number

Title:*

Upload a PDF of the manuscript (include title and all identifying information such as names of authors, degrees, and institution(s)). Name your file LastName_BLSubmission. (Example: Smith_BLSubmission). If you have more than one submission, number them 1,2, etc. (Example: Smith_BLSubmission)*

Upload a PDF of the manuscript without any identifying information (remove all contact information). Name your file exactly as follows: "VSSBLSubmission_NoID". Include all graphics in your PDF.*

Would you like your submission to be considered for oral or poster presentation at the 2026 Annual Meeting, in the event it does not win the Bigger-Lehman award?*

YesNo

Abstract: Complete this section only if you would like your submission to be considered for oral or poster presentation in the event it does not win the Bigger-Lehman award. 250 words max

0/260

Contact Chapter Administrator, Susan McConnell, at smcconnell@ramdocs.org or 804-622-8139.

2026 BIGGER-LEHMAN SUBMISSION FORM

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Disclosure of Financial Relationships

Additional Authors

MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION

OPTIONAL ABSTRACT SUBMISSION

QUESTIONS?