More and more, physicians and scientific researchers are using Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2003 to present information to patients and colleagues. One such example is by using PowerPoint to create a poster for a poster session at a medical or scientific conference. Posters are an important method for communicating research data because poster sessions can be used by physicians and scientific researchers to gain a quick overview of the research that is being conducted in their fields.

A medical poster that is created by using PowerPoint is typically a single slide that comprises titles, text boxes, and graphic elements. The fastest way to create a poster is by using a PowerPoint template and then customizing it for your specific research.

At the Washington University of School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, doctors who are looking for help with PowerPoint turn to Sarah Boslaugh, a Ph.D. and senior statistical data analyst in the Department of Pediatrics. In this practice, Sarah describes, demonstrates, and outlines the guidelines and techniques that she has developed for using PowerPoint to create medical posters.

Additionally, Dr. Colin Purrington, an associate professor in the Department of Biology at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, gives practical advice on how to design and create posters that effectively present scientific research.

Use the following tools and information to create posters that will communicate your research clearly and effectively.

• Create effective posters for medical presentations (Article)
  Learn the tips and tricks that Sarah Boslaugh developed for creating effective medical posters.
• Advice on designing scientific posters (Article)
  Get advice from Professor Colin Purrington on creating effective scientific posters.
• Medical poster (Template)
  Use this PowerPoint 2003 template to create a medical poster that comprises mostly text.
• Medical poster with graphics (Template)
  Use this PowerPoint 2003 template to create a medical poster that comprises text and graphical elements.