National Comp 2025 Advisory Board Topic Suggestions

Application Deadline: March 12, 2025

Would You Like to Speak at National Comp 2025?

National Comp seeks presentations that offer practical solutions, thought-provoking conversations and real-world experience meeting the challenges we all face. The National Comp Advisory Committee gathered for broad-ranging discussions on the topics that are top-of-mind for their own programs, and what they’d like to see on the 2025 conference program.

This list below is far from exhaustive — any topic impacting workers’ comp professionals and employer programs or the industry as a whole will be given equal consideration.

Don't forget, we're also looking for the latest studies and research, employer success case studies, promising pilot programs and more. And because everything we do is ultimately about and for the injured worker, we welcome the injured worker perspective onstage – an opportunity to both educate and inspire the workers’ comp community.

  • Psychological First Aid in the Workplace: Strategies for Immediate Emotional and Psychological Support After an Incident
  • Advances in Prosthetics and Adaptive Technologies: Enhancing Return-to-Work Outcomes
  • The Role of Wearable Tech in Preventing Workplace Injuries: Real-world Applications and ROI
  • Navigating the Complex Landscape of Cannabis and Opioids in Pain Management
  • Climate Extremes in high-risk industries – what will it take to adapt?
  • Deficient Sleep: The Silent Recovery Barrier
  • Predictive Analytics in Claims Management: Leveraging Data for Better Outcomes
  • Ergonomic Innovations and Their Impact on Reducing Musculoskeletal Disorders
  • Addressing Mental Health Stigma in Construction and Heavy Industry: Effective Programs and Policies
  • Managing Workers' Comp Claims Across State Lines: Challenges and Solutions.
  • The Future of Workers' Comp Legislation: Emerging Trends and Predictions.
  • Combating Fraud with AI and Machine Learning: New Techniques and Technologies
  • Holistic Approaches to Worker Rehabilitation: Case Studies and Outcomes.
  • Cybersecurity Risks in Workers' Comp: Protecting Sensitive Data
  • Building Employee Engagement: Practical Steps and Useful Tools
  • From Reactive to Proactive: Building – or Rebuilding – a True Culture of Safety
  • Financial Literacy for Workers' Comp Professionals: Understanding the Numbers.
  • Legal Pitfalls in Workers' Comp Cases: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.
  • Innovative Job Modification and Accommodation Strategies to Facilitate RTW.
  • Impact of AI on Job Safety and Workers' Comp Claims: Leveraging Tech for Prevention
  • Cross-Industry Comparisons: Lessons Learned from Successful Injury Prevention Programs
  • The Role of Advanced Analytics in Predicting Workplace Injuries
  • Enhancing the Effectiveness of Safety Training Through Virtual Reality.
  • Chronic Pain Management: New Approaches Beyond Opioids
  • Building Resilience: Training Workers to Handle Stress and Uncertainty
  • Strategic Leadership in Workers' Comp: Cultivating the Next Generation of Leaders
  • Exceptional Employer-Driven Workers' Comp Programs: Case Studies
  • Cover letters to the medical-legal doctor. Unexplored opportunities to get better results.
  • The Use Of Medical Experts In Helping Prepare For Medical Depositions Or Testimony
  • Defense Attorney Churning – What It Is and How To Stop It
  • Ethical Challenges In The New World Of Claims
  • Working With Your Claims Examiner. How Employers Can Get Better Results From Their Claims Professionals
  • Social Determinants of Health: What to Watch for, How to Help
  • Top Trends in Diagnostic & Treatment Technology
  • The Very Real Risks of the Claims Adjustor Gap
  • Mythbusters: Debunking the Most Common Assumptions in Workers’ Comp
  • Food As Medicine: How Nutrition Impacts Injury Recovery and Overall Employee Resilience
  • Best Use Cases For Computer Vision In Comp And Safety
  • Pros And Cons of Group Captives for Workers' Comp Exposure
  • Insurtech In WC: Top 5 Misconceptions Explained
  • The Evolution of the Workplace and Worker Safety in the Gig Economy
  • Travel Claims: Common Pitfalls & Best Practices
  • Successful RTW And Vocational Rehab Strategies
  • Wearables: Let’s Hear the Employers’ Takeaways
  • Regenerative Medicine and Its Applications in Workers' Comp
  • Top 10 Most Recent Trends in Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Insurtech In WC: Top 5 Misconceptions Explained
  • Read And Interpret Actuarial Reports Like A Pro: Crash Course In What You Need To Know
  • Managing And Measuring Fatigue/Alertness in the Workplace
  • The Impact of Long COVID on Workers' Compensation Claims
  • Inflation and the Economy: Adjusting Compensation and Benefits
  • Telehealth Expansion and Its Long-Term Implications for Workers' Comp
  • Award-Winning Strategies to Enhance Your Program: We Invite Theo Award winners to share their lessons and successes

National Comp 2025 will take place Nov. 11-12 at Music City Center in Nashville. Deadline for proposals is March 12, 2025. Speakers will be notified by May 2, 2025. Visit the National Comp website to learn more about our program tracks and educational formats, and to view this year’s guidelines before you submit a proposal. &

What You Need to Know

about speaking at national comp 2025

If you like, download the guidelines on this page for easy reference.

DOWNLOAD PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

For more information on this year's updated educational tracks, return to the Program Information page.

Important Deadlines

Application Closes: March 12

Decision Notifications: May 2

If you have any questions or problems submitting this form, email [email protected].

More Ways to Help Your Proposal Stand Out

Proposal Creation Best Practices

  • Feel free to submit up to three proposals. We’re looking for diverse approaches across tracks. The more proposals we have to consider, the greater the chance we’ll find an ideal fit for your material on the session agenda.
  • Be passionate about your chosen topic.
  • Avoid using undue amounts of jargon. Draft your proposal in plain language.
  • Include specific strategies attendees can implement within their own workers’ comp and injury prevention programs. The best presentations give attendees a framework to envision how your ideas can be applied to the challenges they face.
  • Start with your goal in mind. Consider the key ideas you want attendees to walk away with and develop your proposal around how you’ll deliver those ideas and instill attendees with the urgency of your message.
  • Keep in mind that participants learn not only from successes, but also from the lessons taken away from failed efforts.

Think Ahead to Your Presentation

  • The most memorable session experiences are those that actively engage the audience in more than one way. If you’re presenting a session in a traditional lecture style, consider adding a poll or a guess-the-answer question, or questions that attendees can answer by a show of hands.
  • Tell a story.
  • Don’t pack your slides like your luggage. Slides should contain a minimum amount of information. Overloaded slides take the audience focus away from the presenter and are commonly known to be less effective at getting ideas across. You want your slides to help guide attendees through your presentation, rather than merely repeating what you’re telling them.
  • Please include “for more information” slides with additional resources for attendees, but don’t shortchange your presentation by spending time presenting that content. Refer to it briefly and let them know exactly where to access it.
  • Rehearse your presentation before your colleagues and review your abstract to ensure that your presentation aligns with the proposal you’ve submitted.
  • In addition to educational takeaways, we urge presenters to consider tangible resources or tools that attendees can use once they’ve returned to their employers. Examples include checklists, assessment forms, whitepapers, how-to’s, toolkits, templates, or worksheets.
  • Make ‘em laugh (but be cautious). Infusing humor can be an incredibly effective way to make your session and your content memorable. Just be certain not to overuse it and to keep it suitable for all audiences.

National Comp is presented by Risk & Insurance®, which covers the people, stories and risks that embody the essential functions of risk management and commercial insurance. Now an affiliate of The Institutes, R&I is dedicated to bringing the workers' compensation community together to share challenges and opportunities, and the latest solutions and innovations. Our mission is to provide a platform for industry leaders and executives to collaborate and build the solutions that will drive the workers' compensation industry forward.