Event Endorsement Policy

Submit an Application

ISHLT encourages collaboration with other organizations with the primary goal of advancing research and improving care of patients with advanced heart and lung diseases around the world. Scientific and educational meetings conducted by other organizations may be “Endorsed by the ISHLT”.

ISHLT may endorse educational programs presented by other organizations that meet the criteria in this policy. Endorsement allows the requesting organization to use the ISHLT name and logo to support the content of the meeting or educational activity and to inform potential participants that the meeting or activity is supported by the ISHLT.

Program Goals

ISHLT’s primary goals for granting Endorsement to other organization’s educational activities or participating in joint activities are to:

1. Raise awareness of the available of ISHLT resources within a particular specialty or geographic location.
2. Maintain or promote ISHLT’s affiliation within particular specialty areas or geographic locations.
3. Foster collaboration between ISHLT and professional societies around the world, particularly those in countries with emerging economies, limited access to care, or limited professional training opportunities; promote attendance and enhance value to their meetings.
4. Promote professional development congruent to the mission of the ISHLT, including application of best practices and implementation of ISHLT standards and guidelines.
5. Promote benefits of ISHLT membership to new prospective members.
6. Partner with organizations that have expertise that does not exist within ISHLT.

Eligible Program Partners

Programs must comply with ISHLT’s mission to: 1) to improve the care of patients with advanced heart or lung disease through transplantation, mechanical support and innovative therapies or 2) improve access to advanced therapies for end-stage lung or heart disease.

ISHLT Endorsement or joint activities are available for qualifying activities conducted by:

• Nonprofit professional medical societies
• Governmental agencies/regulatory authorities, national and international NGOs
• Non-profit, disease/therapy-oriented membership organizations, including patient organizations.
• ISHLT does not endorse or conduct joint activities that are presented by or affiliated with any commercial entity or healthcare provider or organization or a single institution program.

Program Requirements

1. No conflict with ISHLT events: Meetings that are scheduled to take place within 4 weeks of an ISHLT meeting that offers the same or similar content or that draws from the same or similar audience or faculty are not eligible for ISHLT Endorsement.
2. Program Formats:
   • Workshops, courses, and other similar educational activities
   • Regular meetings and congresses (annual, bi-annual) of an organization’s membership may be eligible for ISHLT Endorsement upon individual consideration.
   • For endorsed web-based activities and joint activities, program duration and accessibility will be mutually agreed upon.
   • Individual sessions within a larger meeting are not eligible for ISHLT Endorsement.
3. Intended audience: Eligible programs are intended for healthcare professionals, patients, policymakers or regulators.
4. Open events/access: Meetings and program access must be open for all interested/qualified individuals to participate. ISHLT may, upon request, consider endorsement of invitation-only events on a case-by-case basis, depending upon the justification for such audience limitation.
5. Relevant, unbiased, noncommercial content: Educational content must be affirmed by the sponsoring organization and by the ISHLT to be evidence-based, free of commercial bias. Industry employees may not be directly involved with the development of educational content, objectives, or in the selection of speakers. All commercial sources for the event must be disclosed.
6. Balanced content presentation: The content of all presentations, including those by industry, must be non-promotional and free of commercial bias Policies for mitigation of potential bias and conflicts of interests of speakers and program development committee members, must accompany the Application for Endorsement.
7. Presentation of therapies and devices: Meetings with content that is limited to a single device, pharmaceutical, or therapy are generally not eligible for ISHLT Endorsement. Exceptions may be made in countries where only one device, pharmaceutical, or therapy is available/approved. When educational content regarding therapeutics or devices is presented, an explanation of how a balanced view of the available therapeutics/devices has been provided to the audience must be included in the Application for Endorsement.
8. Ethical practice compliance required: Program content must be in compliance with the Declarations of Helsinki and Istanbul and with ISHLT’s Ethics Statements.
9. Faculty: Industry employees may present educational content if their unique qualifications for presenting that information have been explained and justified to ISHLT’s satisfaction in the Application for Endorsement
10. Continuing Education Accreditation: Continuing Education Accreditation of the meeting to be endorsed is required in countries where such accreditation is the norm for medical and/or allied health professional education, including the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. If such accreditation is not in place, an explanation must be provided. For other countries, Continuing Education Accreditation is strongly encouraged.
11. Post-meeting report: ISHLT requests that organizations provide a post-meeting report to include the following:
    1. Results of post-meeting evaluation by delegates to provide feedback and enhance future collaborations
    2. List of industry sponsors/supporters
    3. List of other organizations that endorsed the meeting
12. ISHLT Recognition and Promotion: The organizer of the educational activity agrees to display promotional materials provided by ISHLT in the public areas of the meeting, to distribute such materials to delegates, and to include @ISHLT on any tweets regarding the meeting.
13. ISHLT Promotion of Endorsed Programs: ISHLT will promote the event or activity to the ISHLT membership via ISHLTconnect, social media channels, and other methods as appropriate for the specific event.

Endorsed Program Materials, Acknowledgement, and Recognition

1. All print or digital materials on which the ISHLT name appears must be pre-approved by ISHLT prior to printing/distribution.
2. Approved meeting materials must be labeled "Endorsed by the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation"
3. Only the official ISHLT Endorsement logo provided by ISHLT may be used on materials.
4. All print and digital publicity materials that carry the official ISHLT Endorsement logo must also include the following statement:

   This educational activity has been Endorsed by the ISHLT following a review of the scientific program, including curriculum outline and course design. This Endorsement does not apply to specific speakers and/or specific statements/content presented at this meeting, all of which are the sole responsibility of the organizers and the presenters. The views of the organizers and the presenters are not necessarily those of the ISHLT