Press and Media
To support accurate coverage of neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic medicine, protect the integrity of scientific research, and respect the privacy of presenters, AANEM maintains clear standards for media credentialing, venue access, embargoes, and commercial activity at the meeting. Whether you are a professional journalist, an industry partner, or a scientific attendee, please review the policies below to understand access options, reporting guidelines, and expectations while onsite.
| Media registration | Aug. 1 – Oct. 2, 2026 |
| Media may request specific interviews | Sept. 1 – Oct. 2, 2026 |
| Media may request photo/video access to specific speakers, sessions, and/or workshops | Sept. 1 – Sept. 29, 2026 |
| 2026 AANEM Annual Meeting | Sept. 29 – Oct. 2, 2026 |
1. Press credentialing
Media credentialing standards
AANEM issues media passes to professional journalists whose primary role is news reporting rather than general influence or promotional activity. To obtain complimentary press registration, applicants must provide documentation demonstrating their status as professional journalists, such as:
- Print/online journalists: A recognized press card, an assignment letter from an editor on official letterhead, and recent bylined articles (past 6 months) related to medical or scientific topics.
- Broadcast media: Official press credentials issued by a government or media organization, along with a formal letter from a producer.
- Freelancers: Evidence of an active portfolio with relevant scientific articles/news coverage within the last year.
Media may submit credentials and/or proof of professional status by emailing them to communications@aanem.org.
Communications, PR, and marketing professionals from commercial companies, pharmaceutical firms, or medical device corporations are not eligible for complimentary media registration and should register as Industry Partners or Exhibitor Representatives.
2. Access and restricted zones
A media pass provides access to designated areas and activities within the meeting; it does not provide unrestricted access to all rooms and events ..
- Press Room / Media Center: A dedicated workspace reserved for badged media members, with workspace, high‑speed Wi‑Fi, and interview areas where journalists can meet with presenters or association leadership.
- Scientific sessions: Media may attend open scientific sessions and oral abstract presentations to listen and take notes; video and/or audio recording requires prior written approval.
- Poster Sessions: Photography or video recording of poster presentations is generally not permitted unless explicit written permission is granted by the presenting author to help protect unpublished data and intellectual property.
- Workshops: Photography or video recording of workshops is generally not permitted unless explicit written permission is granted by AANEM
3. Interview requests
- Media may request interviews with specific presenters, speakers, or AANEM members. Requests should be submitted in writing to <communications@aanem.org> and include the name of the intended interviewee, along with brief context on how the interview will be used in the news story. If you do not have a specific individual in mind but know the type of expert you need, please describe this in detail in your request.
- Submitting a request does not guarantee interview availability, and participation is at the discretion of the attendee and AANEM.
4. Photo and video access
Media may request access to specific presentations or sessions to capture photos and/or video. Requests should be submitted in writing to <communications@aanem.org> and include the session name, the type of media you are seeking (for example, photos only or short video clips), and how it will be incorporated into your reporting.
AANEM’s priority is to support scientific communication while protecting attendees’ intellectual property, so photo or video requests may be approved, modified, or declined based on these considerations.
5. AANEM suitcasing policy
Definition
“Suitcasing” refers to companies or individuals who are not official exhibitors or sponsors using the AANEM Annual Meeting for commercial purposes such as marketing, promotion, or business solicitation. This includes activities like distributing promotional materials, conducting sales conversations, or marketing products and services in public spaces such as aisles, session rooms, hallways, meeting areas, exhibit and poster halls, or hotel facilities associated with the meeting. It also includes soliciting business within another company’s exhibit space or using the meeting to gain commercial or competitive advantage without being an approved exhibitor or sponsor.
Prohibited attendance and activities
To support a scientific, educational focus and honor commitments made to exhibitors and sponsors, AANEM generally does not allow the following individuals to attend the meeting in any capacity (including as regular scientific attendees):
- Pharmaceutical or device company competitor investigators whose primary purpose is competitive intelligence gathering.
- Third‑party or in‑house competitive intelligence professionals attending on behalf of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, device, or related healthcare companies.
- Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, device, or healthcare marketing strategists, branding, or commercialization personnel whose primary purpose is to observe, analyze, or leverage the meeting for marketing, product positioning, or competitive assessment.
If an individual’s primary objective in attending the AANEM Annual Meeting is to collect competitive intelligence, assess competitors, monitor product positioning, or otherwise gather information for commercial advantage rather than for clinical, scientific, or educational purposes, their attendance is not permitted under this policy in any registration category.
Individuals who are not official exhibitors or sponsors and who are observed engaging in promotional, marketing, or solicitation activities, or acting in a competitive‑intelligence or marketing capacity, may:
- Be declined registration or badge pickup.
- Be asked to leave the meeting and related venues.
- Be restricted from attending future AANEM events.
Enforcement decisions are made at AANEM’s discretion to protect the meeting environment and its participants.
6. Embargo policies
To help coordinate fair and accurate news coverage, AANEM may share press releases and abstract details with registered journalists in advance under embargo. Embargoed information may not be published until the specified date and time.
- Standard abstracts: Embargoes are lifted when the abstract is published online or when the annual meeting begins.
- Violations: Material breaches of embargo terms may result in revocation of media credentials for current and future meetings and removal from AANEM’s press list
7. Digital and social media
AANEM’s guidelines distinguish between professional journalism and scientific communication by attending physicians, researchers, advanced practice providers, technicians, and other allied health care providers who share insights online.
- “Attendee Scientific Communication: AANEM encourages attending physicians, researchers, and other allied health care professionals to use official meeting hashtags to live‑tweet or share high‑level insights, which is viewed as public scientific communication rather than professional journalism.
- Slides/data capture: Registered attendees are not permitted to take direct photos of presentation slides, proprietary graphics, or raw clinical data tables unless the presenter clearly indicates “Open Access / Sharing Welcome” on their slides or the poster presenter approves it.
8. On-site and on-call media contacts:
Ian Roth – Marketing and Communications Manager, AANEM – 507-258-6575
Kati Poterucha – Marketing and Communications Director, AANEM – 507-258-6571
View the latest AANEM Achievement Award winners, the American Neuromuscular Foundation (ANF) Abstract Award winners, and the latest AANEM news articles on News Express.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When will be content of abstracts be viewable, as opposed to just the titles?
A: The abstract content will be available at the annual meeting during the Poster Hall hours. We do not provide abstract presenter information or slides ahead of time. All available information can be found in the AANEM Abstract Guide online when it becomes available.
Q: How do I reach out to abstract or session presenters for an interview?
A: We do not offer member contact information. To connect with abstract or session presenters, review the AANEM Annual Meeting Program when available. Find the topics of interest and connect with the presenter after their lecture or during their abstract poster session time. Currently there is no interview option for virtual attendees.
Q: When can I share information?
A: The embargo on the abstracts themselves is lifted when they have been published in Muscle & Nerve and online in the AANEM Abstract Guide. However, the additional information beyond what is in the abstract itself is still embargoed.
AANEM requires information that goes beyond that which is contained within the abstract, e.g., the release of data not included in the abstract, discussion of the abstract done as part of a scientific presentation, etc. to be embargoed until the start of the annual meeting. Please see the Abstract Embargo Policy.
Q: Will the Abstract Award Reception feature the best posters?
A: The Abstract Award Reception is a social hour in honor of the abstract award winners where all authors, including award winners, will be available to discuss research.
Q: Original research is ONLY presented as posters, correct?
A: Yes - the research is presented in the Poster Hall via abstract posters.
One Challenging Case, Many Perspectives: Clinical Collaboration on AANEM Connect
A challenging clinical case recently sparked a robust discussion on AANEM Connect, demonstrating the value of bringing neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic medicine professionals together to share their expertise, experience, and different approaches to complex patient presentations.
The discussion began when a physician who recently completed fellowship asked colleagues for help evaluating a patient whose clinical examination, electrodiagnostic testing, and imaging raised an important localization question: Were the patient's findings best explained by bilateral ulnar neuropathies, cervical radiculopathy, or potentially more than one coexisting lesion?
AANEM Connect members quickly joined the discussion, examining not only what the studies showed, but also how much weight should be given to each finding.
Several participants emphasized the importance of correlating cervical imaging with the clinical and electrodiagnostic findings rather than assuming that an abnormal MRI identified the source of the patient's symptoms.
Lawrence Robinson, MD, noted that several findings favored ulnar neuropathy, including absent ulnar sensory responses, temporal dispersion in ulnar motor responses, needle EMG abnormalities limited to ulnar-innervated muscles, and imaging demonstrating structural changes involving the ulnar nerve. Other participants similarly cautioned that cervical MRI abnormalities are common with increasing age and may not necessarily explain a patient's clinical presentation.
The conversation also explored the controversial concept of "double crush syndrome." Daniel Dumitru, MD, PhD, distinguished between the theory that one neural lesion predisposes another portion of the nerve to injury and the possibility that a patient can have two separate disorders involving related neural structures.
As the discussion continued, members suggested additional ways to distinguish an ulnar nerve lesion from C8 root or lower trunk pathology.
The dorsal ulnar cutaneous sensory response also generated considerable discussion. Because its anatomy can provide additional localization information in some patients, participants considered how it might contribute to distinguishing an ulnar lesion at the elbow from more distal or proximal pathology.
Other suggestions included high-resolution neuromuscular ultrasound to evaluate the ulnar nerve along its course, cervical paraspinal examination, and, when appropriate and technically feasible, evaluation of other muscles and sensory nerves that may help distinguish root, plexus, and peripheral nerve involvement.
Just as importantly, the discussion demonstrated that electrodiagnostic localization is not always reducible to a single finding. Participants explored anatomical variation, patterns of axonal loss and demyelination, the significance of temporal dispersion, and why particular muscles may be spared even in patients with substantial ulnar neuropathy.
The original poster returned throughout the discussion with additional clinical and electrodiagnostic information, allowing participants to continue refining their thinking. But the learning did not stop with the original case.
After Daniel Dumitru, MD, PhD, mentioned his preference for an orthodromic dorsal ulnar cutaneous (DUC) nerve study, another member asked him to explain his technique. Dr. Dumitru returned to the discussion with a detailed response, including example waveforms and references, explaining his preference for the orthodromic approach and raising questions about the physiologic origin of the routinely recorded antidromic response.
His observations raised a broader technical question about the routinely performed antidromic DUC study: To what extent might the recorded waveform include both near-field and far-field components, and what implications could that have for its diagnostic use? Rather than presenting his observations as definitive, Dr. Dumitru invited other members to consider the findings and contribute their perspectives.
That exchange captures one of the benefits of AANEM Connect. A question about one challenging patient developed into a broader conversation about anatomy, electrodiagnostic localization and technique—and then generated a new discussion about the interpretation and physiology underlying a commonly performed nerve conduction technique.
As one participant with more than three decades in neuromuscular neurophysiology observed during the discussion, learning remains a continuous process, and challenging cases provide opportunities for clinicians at every career stage to learn from one another.
Continue the Discussion on AANEM Connect
The summary above captures only part of the conversation. Read the original AANEM Connect thread to see the complete case, the different diagnostic approaches suggested by members, and Dr. Dumitru's follow-up discussion of the DUC study, including example waveforms and references.