NIH Planning Committee:
Jessica Gowda, M.S., OBSSR, NIH—Co-Chair
Sydney O’Connor, Ph.D., OBSSR, NIH—Co-Chair
Toccara Chamberlain, M.A., National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH
Theresa Cruz, Ph.D., National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research/Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH
Cynthia Dwyer, M.A., Office of Extramural Research, NIH
Carlos Garrido, Ph.D., M.S., M.P.H., National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, NIH
Kara Hall, Ph.D., National Cancer Institute, NIH
Beth Jaworski, Ph.D., All of Us Research Program, NIH
Amit Mistry, Ph.D., Fogarty International Center, NIH
Dana Greene-Schloesser, Ph.D., OBSSR, NIH
Jean Shin, Ph.D., Office of the Director, Chief Officer for Scientific Workforce Diversity, NIH
Erica Spotts, Ph.D., OBSSR, NIH
This virtual workshop will bring together diverse perspectives from multiple disciplines to explore advantages, barriers, gaps, and opportunities in the future of scientific conferencing for the behavioral and social sciences. Areas of particular focus will include technological innovations that enable virtual and hybrid approaches, and the impact of these approaches on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging (DEIAB) of participants and attendees as well as environmental sustainability. The workshop will incorporate innovative evidence-informed approaches to showcase the potential of a virtual platform for learning, networking, and participant engagement. Overarching aims are to facilitate interdisciplinary communication and networking, to identify cross-cutting scientific gaps regarding the role of behavioral and social science factors in scientific convenings, and to inform practical strategies for designing effective, engaging, and sustainable scientific conferences and meetings.
This workshop is open to all interested individuals, including individuals from outside the NIH.
Day 1 (June 6) of the workshop will focus on DEIAB and environmental sustainability of scientific conferences. In between the two workshop days, the Engagement Day (June 7) will feature virtual poster presentations, small group discussions, and networking opportunities. Day 2 (June 11) of the workshop will focus on connection, engagement, and innovation in scientific conferencing.
Individuals who are interested in submitting an abstract for the virtual poster hall should visit this link for submission and eligibility criteria and to submit (deadline: May 19): https://www.labroots.com/ms/virtual-event/future-scientific-conferencing/abstracts.
Closed captioning will be available for the event. Individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations to participate in this event will have the opportunity to provide this information during the event registration process. Requests for reasonable accommodations should be submitted at least five business days before the event.
OBSSR values your attendance at our events as part of an open, professional exchange of ideas in a safe environment. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. When you register for an OBSSR event, you are agreeing to the guidelines outlined below. Thank you for maintaining a positive and respectful experience for everyone.
Participants Are Required To:
The comments shared during OBSSR events reflect those of the person who wrote them and may not represent the views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), or the federal government.
Reporting an Incident
If you see, overhear, or experience a violation of these guidelines, please email OBSSR at OBSSRNews@nih.gov. Participants who engage in inappropriate behavior will be removed from the event.
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Event participants and OBSSR staff cannot answer personal health questions. The information provided during OBSSR-led events is for informational purposes only. We do not allow comments that contain personally identifying information or private health information, either about yourself or a third party.
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The OBSSR website and OBSSR-led events include resources developed by our event speakers. Including these resources and information does not constitute an endorsement by HHS, NIH, or the federal government.
Media Questions
Reporters and other members of the media should send press inquiries to OBSSRNews@nih.gov or the relevant NIH media contact. Media inquiries submitted to the chat or Q&A box during events will not be answered.
