Conference Policies

GSA is committed to creating a safe and productive environment for all conference attendees. This page contains conference policies and attendee guidelines to ensure all participants have an enriching and positive experience.

Please read GSA’s Vision for Inclusive Conferences created by the Equity and Inclusion Committee for details about how GSA strives to ensure full representation of the breadth and diversity of the discipline, from selecting speakers and session chairs to planning scientific, education, and professional development content, and more.

Cancellation and Refunds

Children, Caregivers, and Aides

Code of Conduct

Health and Safety

Other Policies

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Attendee FAQs

Presenter FAQs

Cancellation and Refunds

Conference Registration Cancellations and Refunds

Cancellation requests received by January 13, 2025, are fully refundable and will not incur a cancellation fee. All cancellations received between January 14, 2025 and February 13, 2025, will incur a $50 cancellation fee. Cancellations received on or after February 13, 2025 will not be eligible for a refund. 

To receive a refund, please submit a copy of your cancellation request to gsaconferences@genetics-gsa.org with the word “Refund” in the subject line. 

Canceling your meeting registration does not cancel your hotel or other travel plans. Please see below for additional information.

Hotel Cancellation

Hotel cancellations should be made directly with the hotel. 

Airline and Train Cancellations

We highly encourage you to check directly with your airline and/or rail carrier for information on cancellations.

Presentation Cancellation

If you are scheduled to present in an oral or poster session, please email gsaconferences@genetics-gsa.org with the subject “Presenter Cancellation” in addition to sending in your conference registration cancellation notice. 

For questions, please contact gsaconferences@genetics-gsa.org. 

Children, Caregivers, and Aides

Children, caregivers, and aides are allowed in plenary, concurrent, and poster sessions; this includes babywearing of young children. Those who are attending in a caregiver or aide role, and are not registered for the conference, must first stop by the registration desk on-site to obtain a special badge to gain access to these areas. 

To ensure the safety of all children in attendance and to create a productive and fulfilling meeting atmosphere for all attendees, we ask all parents, caregivers, and aides to abide by the following guidelines: 

• Children age 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult in all meeting areas, at all times.
• Parents and caregivers should do their best to ensure that children are not disruptive to any sessions they attend (including poster sessions). Large sessions will have seating available in the back of the room reserved for attendees with children, to allow for easy access in and out of the room. These seats will be clearly marked.
• For safety reasons, children are not allowed in the Exhibit/Poster Hall during set-up or break-down times.

Code of Conduct

This Code of Conduct covers in-person conferences, online conferences, and other online events hosted by GSA. GSA conferences include keynote presentations, concurrent sessions, live poster Q&A, workshops, and Q&A via Zoom chat.

The Genetics Society of America Conferences foster an international community of geneticists and provide an opportunity to discuss scientific advances and form new collaborations.

GSA values your attendance and wants to make your experience productive and inspiring by fostering an open exchange of ideas in a professional setting. Our Code of Conduct was established to communicate a transparent set of standards and guidelines for acceptable behavior at GSA Conferences and to provide a positive, safe, and welcoming environment for all attendees, vendors, volunteers, and staff.

All conference participants (regardless of their role) are expected to follow the Code of Conduct while attending any portion of the conference, including but not limited to keynote presentations, concurrent sessions, live poster Q&A sessions, and workshops. Because there is also a virtual nature to the conference, our Code of Conduct extends to communications related to the meeting and its attendees, presenters, exhibitors, sponsors, staff, and vendors. These types of communications include Zoom chat, Zoom Q&A window, live poster Q&A, email, social media, and texts.

Unacceptable Behaviors

Unacceptable behaviors include, but are not limited to:

• Intimidating, harassing, abusive, discriminatory, derogatory, or demeaning speech or actions by any participant and at all related events
• Harmful or prejudicial verbal or written comments or visual images related to gender, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, race, religion, political orientation, socioeconomic, disability or ability status, or other personal characteristics, including those protected by law
• Inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images (including presentation slides, posters, Slack channels, or Zoom chat)
• Deliberate intimidation or stalking
• Violating the rules and regulations of the online provider, Zoom
• Sustained disruption of scientific sessions or other events
• Unwelcome and uninvited attention or contact
• Real or implied threat of physical harm
• Real or implied threat of professional or financial damage or harm
• Photographing or reproducing slides of oral presentations and posters without permission
• Recording of scientific and other sessions without permission

Taking action or making a report

To confidentially report a Code of Conduct violation or to file a complaint, including a complaint about a GSA volunteer or GSA staff member, please visit genetics-gsa.ethicspoint.com. To contact our Ethics Committee directly, please email E. Jane Hubbard, Chair, at jane.hubbard@nyulangone.org. GSA staff is available to assist participants in making a report. Please email Tracey DePellegrin, GSA Executive Director, at tracey.depellegrin@genetics-gsa.org.

Consequences of non-compliance

Anyone asked by GSA staff, Organizer, Session Chair, Workshop Leader, Moderator, Presenter, or Zoom representative to stop unacceptable behavior is expected to comply immediately. Retaliation toward GSA or toward someone reporting an incident or after experiencing any of the following consequences will not be tolerated and may result in additional sanctions.

The consequences of non-compliance with GSA’s Code of Conduct may include:

• Immediate removal from in-person meeting
• Immediate removal from accessing the online meeting
• Immediate removal from Slack channels and meeting app without warning
• Restrictions from future GSA meeting attendance
• Termination of GSA membership or positions on GSA Boards or Committees
• Incidents may be reported to the proper authorities

Health and Safety

GSA asks all attendees to act with caution to protect their own health and that of other attendees. Please refer to the CDC website for the latest health guidance. GSA may implement safety measures as needed to meet local and federal government health policies and venue requirements. If needed, we will share additional updates via this webpage and conference emails.

Other Policies

Social Media/Photo/Video Policy

Attendees are permitted to live post during presentations unless the speaker explicitly opts out by stating so at the start of their talk. Taking or sharing photos, videos, or reproductions of posters is not permitted unless you have the presenter’s consent. 

By attending a GSA conference, you grant GSA the right to use your name and likeness in GSA educational, news, or promotional materials. 

Posters

When you view poster materials at the conference, whether in person or via the Conference App, remember that posters are typically works in progress. Please do not cite or reproduce any part of the posters without the presenter’s permission.