The American Society of Human Genetics is committed to fostering a welcoming environment that is safe, collaborative, and productive for supporting dialogue and discovery for all attendees at ASHG-sponsored events and values the participation of all attendees and participants in its events. All who register to participate, attend, speak at, or exhibit at an ASHG event or meeting agree to comply with this Policy. ASHG has partnered with an organization dedicated to confidential intake for allegations of misconduct. If you have such a report, please submit through ASHG’s dedicated reporting website or by calling the toll-free 24/7 reporting line at 866-517-3532.

ASHG expects that all attendees, media, speakers, organizers, staff, and exhibitors associated with any official ASHG-sponsored event will adhere to the following principles:

• Respect common-sense rules for public behavior, personal interaction, courtesy, and respect for private property.
• Be considerate and respectful of differing perspectives during the meeting.
• Respect the rules and policies of the Society.

ASHG prohibits any form of harassment, sexual or otherwise. Accordingly, some behaviors are specifically prohibited, whether directed at other attendees, ASHG staff, speakers, exhibitors, or event venue staff:

• Intimidation, stalking, harassment, inappropriate physical contact, unwelcome sexual attention, or discrimination towards fellow attendees, Society staff, and others.
• Abusive, harassing, or threatening behavior towards any other attendee, volunteer, or staff. This behavior will not be tolerated and may result in expulsion from the event.
• Yelling at, threatening, or personally insulting participants or presenters (verbally or physically).

Participants asked to stop engaging in hostile or harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. The conduct rules apply to the entire ASHG Annual meeting, including official ASHG-sponsored events and related ASHG-sponsored social events, as well as the annual meeting and Society online presence (i.e., ASHG Society and meeting hashtags, Facebook pages, and other social media). All participants are expected to treat others with respect and consideration, follow appropriate rules, and alert staff of any dangerous situations, violations of this Conduct Policy, or of anyone in distress.

Violations of this Conduct Policy should be reported immediately. If you feel physically unsafe or believe a crime has been committed, you should report it to the police immediately.

To report a violation to ASHG:

• At any time (during or after the Annual Meeting), you can make a report through ASHG’s dedicated website, which will collect and promptly relay information in a secure and sensitive manner. Policies and procedures for ASHG’s management of allegations are available below. As needed, staff may involve venue security or direct you to local law enforcement as appropriate based on the specific circumstances.

Event attendees and participants are expected to cooperate with any ASHG investigation into reports of a violation of this Conduct Policy by providing information requested by ASHG that is relevant to ASHG’s investigation.

At ASHG meetings and other events, participants often combine professional activities with social interaction with other participants, venue staff, and other attendees. While ASHG encourages such networking and strengthening of connections between participants, ASHG reserves the right to remove any participant whose social attentions become unwelcome to another and who persists in such attentions after their unwelcome nature has been communicated. ASHG also reserves the right to remove any participant or attendee who appears inebriated and who engages in conduct that interferes with the ability of other attendees to participate in and enjoy the meeting. ASHG may remove any individual from attendance or other participation in any ASHG-sponsored event without prior warning or refund. If ASHG, in its reasonable judgment, determines that an individual has violated this Conduct Policy, ASHG may also prohibit the individual from attending or participating in future ASHG events, in-person or virtually. ASHG will also report on the outcome of any investigation to individuals who have reported a violation of this Conduct Policy.

Procedures: After an Incident is Reported

Allegations regarding misconduct by anyone attending or participating in the ASHG Annual Meeting are taken very seriously. These include but are not limited to all ASHG registrants, exhibitors, authors, and vendors participating at the meeting. ASHG encourages prompt reporting of violations so immediate action can be taken to address the concern. Complaints may also be raised after the ASHG event has concluded, according to the following procedures.

• ASHG has partnered with an organization dedicated to confidential intake for allegations of misconduct. If you have such a report, please contact NAVEX Global Ethics Point by phone (via the toll-free hotline at 844-519-9731) or through ASHG’s dedicated reporting website. They will ensure full information is received in a considerate fashion and that ASHG has information necessary to take any further action. It will also ensure you have a record of the information you provided. Reports may not be submitted anonymously as that would preclude an adequate investigation. Depending on the nature of complaint, complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, but all complaints will be handled with discretion and with the aim of preserving confidentiality to the extent compatible with conducting an appropriate investigation.
• Once an allegation is received, the incident will be reviewed promptly by the ASHG Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and members of ASHG’s Working Group on Professional Conduct, a subset of Board members. Note: if any of the above individuals were to be named in an allegation, they would be excluded from seeing the information.
• Based on this initial information, the complainant will be interviewed by telephone for support. The complainant will be asked to provide their views on what they would like to have happen next. Based on the sole assessment of the ASHG advisory group, the Society may determine a range of next steps.
• If the allegation is pursued, two ASHG representatives will raise the complaint with the alleged offender, who will be given a chance to respond. If facts are not in dispute, action will be taken by the ASHG Board based on its assessment of the level of misconduct.
  • In many cases, we hope that a conversation—including a request to understand the negative impact of the behavior and to cease the inappropriate behavior—will be sufficient. However, the Society reserves the right to take additional steps.
  • If the severity of the allegation is high, it is a possible repeat offense, or it is determined that the case is beyond ASHG’s capacity to assess claims and views on either side, ASHG may refer the case to the alleged offender’s home institution (Office of Research Integrity or similar), employer, licensing board, or law enforcement for their investigation and decision.
• If the conduct violates ASHG’s Policy, ASHG may expel the individual from membership in the Society.

• • By registering for and attending the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting and related meetings (the “Event”), I acknowledge that I will be voluntarily participating in the following activities sponsored by the American Society of Human Genetics (“ASHG”), held on November 5-9, 2024, in the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado (collectively, the “Activities”):
  • WAIVER OF LAWSUIT/LIABILITY:  As consideration for being permitted by ASHG to participate in the Activities and attend the Event, I forever release ASHG and its board members, employees, volunteers, agents, attorneys, contractors, and representatives (collectively “Releasees”) from any and all liabilities, causes of action, lawsuits, claims, demands, or damages of any kind whatsoever that I, my assignees, heirs, guardians, next of kin, spouse and legal representatives now have, or may have in the future, for bodily injury, death, or property damage, related to (i) my participation in the Activities or presence at the Event, (ii) the negligence or other acts of any Releasee, whether directly connected to the Activities or not, and however caused, and (iii) the condition of the Event understand that this waiver means I give up my right to bring any claims including but not limited for personal injuries, death, disease or property losses, or any other loss, including but not limited to claims of negligence and give up any claim I may have to seek damages, whether known or unknown, foreseen, or unforeseen.
  • I AM VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATING IN THESE ACTIVITIES WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE DANGER INVOLVED AND AGREE TO ASSUME ANY AND ALL RISKS OF BODILY INJURY, DEATH, OR PROPERTY DAMAGE WHETHER THOSE RISKS ARE KNOWN OR UNKNOWN. I HAVE CAREFULLY READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND ALL PROVISIONS OF THIS RELEASE, AND FREELY AND KNOWINGLY ASSUME THE RISK AND WAIVE MY RIGHTS CONCERNING LIABILITY AS DESCRIBED ABOVE.

Cancellation requests must be received by email to meetings@ashg.org no later than October 1, 2024 by 5pm ET, for a full refund minus an $80 administrative processing fee. No refunds will be processed after this date. Please include the badge number or email address used for registration in your cancellation request. ASHG will not provide a refund if an attendee is unable to attend due to travel carrier cancellations or other unforeseen incidents beyond ASHG’s control. Registrations cannot be transferred to future ASHG Annual Meetings.

Add-ons (ticketed events, CEUs, and any other items at an additional cost) will be refundable only if cancelling meeting registration by the above date. Add-ons are non-refundable if not cancelling meeting registration.

Purchases made using incorrect payment/credit cards will be charged the $80 administrative processing fee to change payment and must be completed no later than October 1, 2024 at 5pm ET. New payments will not be taken until refunds have fully been processed.

Refunds may take up to 15 business days, with longer wait times during busy periods such as the early bird deadline and advance/cancellation deadline.

Registration substitutions may be made until October 1, 2024 at 5pm ET by emailing ASHG@xpressreg.net. Equal registration categories (Ex: trainee member to trainee member) will not have an additional charge. If a substitution has a registration category that has a higher cost (Ex: member to nonmember) the difference in price must be paid when processing the change.

The following are not eligible for refunds:

• You must be a current ASHG member prior to purchasing registration to receive discounted registration rates. Refunds will not be provided if ASHG membership is purchased after. Please pay for membership then open the registration portal. Correct pricing will not populate if you pay for membership if you have already opened the registration portal.
• Government employees who purchase an item that is not permitted by the government will not be refunded for the item.
• Guest passes are non-refundable.

Badge Reprint Fee

For security purposes, ASHG charges $50 to reprint lost badges. *Note: this does not include badges that need to be reprinted due to errors. For errors, please return your incorrect badge to receive an updated one. To have your badge reprinted, please visit registration located in Lobby A of the Colorado Convention Center.

For all abstract rules and policies, please view our abstracts page.

Submission Fee Pricing: There is a nonrefundable processing fee for each abstract submitted. However, current 2024 ASHG members can submit their abstract at no cost.

• ASHG Member Abstract Fee: $0
• Nonmember Abstract Fee: $50 USD (Become a Member)
• Resource-Limited Countries Abstract Fee: $0 with discount code (please check the eligible countries list for your country)

Cancellation/Refund Policy: The abstract submission fee is nonrefundable. Refunds will not be provided if an abstract is rejected, deleted, or withdrawn or for any other reason, including visa denial. The fee will not be reimbursed or refunded if you become an ASHG member after you’ve submitted an abstract.

Please see ASHG’s accessibility policy and information here.

Please see ASHG’s child policy and childcare information here.

The American Society of Human Genetics name and acronym, logo, meeting name, and meeting logo are the property of the Society and may not be used without prior written permission. For more information, please contact meetings@ashg.org.

Exhibitors: The use of the ASHG 2024 Annual Meeting logo, the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) name, the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) name, , and the standard ASHG logo may be requested for use by exhibitors for mailers or other meeting-related literature, subject to approval. Please note that use of the logo does not imply endorsement of your company, publication, event, etc. The ASHG Annual Meeting logo may be used in exhibitors’ promotional material by requesting permission from ASHG at exhibits@ashg.org. Please be prepared to share a sample of the material for which you are requesting the logo. Companies approved to use the ASHG Annual Meeting logo are expected to adhere to the ASHG Brand Guidelines regarding its use and placement.

Attendees are strictly prohibited from taking photos, videos, or audio recordings of speakers presenting their slides. ASHG aims to encourage presentation of the latest findings by protecting researchers sharing unpublished information and protecting patient privacy, as well as prevent disruption in the session rooms. In addition, authors presenting are encouraged to indicate on their slides that photos or recordings should not be taken, using an image file supplied by ASHG. Attendees, including journalists and members of the media, may not share or republish slides, unpublished data, or presentation materials (including poster information) from press conferences or scientific presentations without explicit written permission from the presenter. All attendees are expected and required to abide by any recording or photography requests made by a presenter in a scientific session. When registering, you are required to agree that you will adhere to this policy.*

Poster authors who do not want their posters to be photographed will have to indicate as such on their posters, using an image file supplied by ASHG. Official screenshots, photographs, and session recordings will be taken at the ASHG Annual Meeting. You also agree to appearing in any subsequent release by ASHG of recorded sessions. Attendees, including journalists and members of the media, may not share or republish slides, unpublished data, or presentation materials (including poster information) from press conferences or scientific presentations without explicit written permission from the presenter. All attendees are expected and required to abide by any recording or photography requests made by a presenter in a scientific session.