CDC Fiscal Year 2018 Report on Non-CDC-Hosted Scientific Meeting Spending

In compliance with the 21st Century Cures Act this report includes all non-CDC-hosted scientific meetings held in FY 2018 where the expenses associated with the scientific meeting exceeded $30,000. The descriptions include:

  • The date of the scientific meeting
  • The location of the scientific meeting
  • A brief explanation of how the scientific meeting advanced the mission of the agency
  • A description of exceptional circumstances for scientific meeting where expenses exceeded $150,000
  • The total scientific meeting expenses incurred by the agency for the scientific meeting and
  • The total number of individuals whose travel expenses or other scientific meeting expenses were paid by the agency
Fiscal Year 2017 Non-CDC-Hosted Scientific Meetings
OPDIV Total Number of Scientific Meetings Total Cost Total Number of Attendees Total Number of Federal Attendees
(travel paid by CDC)
Total Number of Non-Federal Attendees
(travel paid by CDC)
CDC 73 $7,108,858 3,852 3,444 408

Center for Global Health

48th Union World Conference on Lung Health: Accelerating Toward Elimination

Dates: October 11-15, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Guadalajara, Mexico

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The Union World Conference on Lung Health is the world’s largest gathering of clinicians and public health workers, health program managers, policymakers, researchers, and advocates working to end the suffering caused by lung disease, with a focus specifically on the challenges faced by the low- and middle-income countries. CDC participants are attending as presenters, panel participants, and critical leaders to represent CDC and discuss with partners TB prevention, control, and elimination activities and strategies on a global scale.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances: CDC participants are attending as presenters, panel participants, and critical leaders to represent CDC and discuss with partners TB prevention, control, and elimination activities and strategies on a global scale.

Total Estimated Cost: $163,192

Total Attendees: 30

Total Feds on Travel: 28

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 2


66th American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting ASTMH

Dates: November 5-9, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Baltimore, Maryland

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The ASTMH Annual Meeting is the largest gathering of its kind, bringing together world-class experts in clinical tropical medicine, global health, HIV and tropical co-infections, neglected tropical diseases, parasites, viruses, one health, diarrhea and bacterial illnesses, travel medicine, and WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene). The Annual Meeting is the pre-eminent event for reporting new developments, research findings and program progress to thousands of participants, which includes health care professionals, policy-makers, clinicians, government officials, medical doctors, researchers, community activists and students.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances: The ASTMH Annual Meeting remains a critical meeting for participation by many Centers, particularly in light of a new U.S. Presidential administration, and as yet unknown possible policy and funding shifts. There are and will be on-going discussion on redefining preparedness, response and recovery to global or regional pandemics such as Ebola and Zika, the moving target of malaria, and many other sessions focused on disease, environmental, clinical and cultural factors that are contributing to the morbidity and mortality from tropical diseases domestically and internationally.

Total Estimated Cost: $505,571

Total Attendees: 207

Total Feds on Travel: 207

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


26th International Workshop on HIV Drug Resistance and Treatment Strategies IWHDR

Dates: November 6-9, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Johannesburg, South Africa

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The International HIV Drug Resistance Workshop is the premier forum addressing the growing challenges of resistance to antiretroviral, especially in low and middle income countries (LMIC). Leading laboratory scientist, clinical investigators, epidemiologist, program directors and other stakeholders will present and discuss the latest findings on HIV drug resistance and its implications particularly for LMIC.

CDC participation in this conference is important for two major reasons:

  • The need to be up to date on the issue of HIV drug resistance and how it impacts CDC and PEPFAR’s ability to maximize viral suppressions
  • CDC’s mission to inform global strategy on HIVDR surveillance and research priorities

Total Estimated Cost: $34,367

Total Attendees: 8

Total Feds on Travel: 7

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 1


19th International Conference on AIDS & STIs in Africa ICASA

Dates: December 4 – 9, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Abidjan, Core d’Ivore

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Various CDC staff will lead a Satellite Symposium workshop together with the Ministry of Health while facilitating overall discussion, and presenting programmatic data/lessons learned.

Total Estimated Cost: $63,683

Total Attendees: 3

Total Feds on Travel: 3

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


7th Multilateral Initiative on Malaria Pan African Conference 7th MIM Pan African Conference

Dates: April 15-20, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Dakar, Senegal

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Attendees will participate in scientific sessions that address technical advances in malaria control implementation, monitoring, and evaluation in African countries. This meeting convenes malaria control experts from all African countries, including the 24 focus countries included within the President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). This unique scientific session only occurs every 5 years, so it is essential to have PMI team representation participate.

Total Estimated Cost: $58,887

Total Attendees: 13

Total Feds on Travel: 13

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


7th Infection Control Africa Network Congress ICAN

Dates: July 9-11, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Cape Town, South Africa

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: To provide technical expertise and share CDC’s experience in order to strengthen and improve infection prevention and control practices in Africa. CDC speakers will present on different topics, from architecture and engineering measures to how to prepare for outbreaks of emerging infections disease. CDC staff attending the conference will also meet with public health officials, collaborators, and partners to develop plans to build infection control capacity in Africa on implementing and sustaining the reduction of healthcare acquired infection from HIV, TB Malaria, Ebola and other diseases in healthcare settings.

Total Estimated Cost: $36,216

Total Attendees: 7

Total Feds on Travel: 6

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 1


22nd International AIDS Conference AIDS 2018

Dates: July 23-28, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Amsterdam, Netherlands

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: It is the largest conference on any global health issue in the world. This conference will be a unique opportunity for all those involved in the global response to HIV to meet and examine the latest scientific developments in HIV-related research, and explore how such developments can be realistically applied in CDC’s implementation programs. First convened during the peak of the AIDS epidemic in 1985, it continues to provide a unique forum for the intersection of scientific excellence and diplomacy. Each conference is an opportunity to strengthen policies and programs that ensure an evidence-based response to the epidemic.

The theme of AIDS 2018 is “Breaking Barriers Building Bridges” drawing attention to the need to more effectively reach women, girls, young people, and other priority and key populations. When HIV/AIDS first appeared as a public health threat in the 1980s, the Netherlands and the United States faced the challenge head on, embracing scientific evidence and working with populations that others often marginalized and stigmatized. Today, the host city of Amsterdam is a “Fast Track City” that has committed to accelerating action to ensure that the world can reach the ambitious target of ending AIDS by 2030. AIDS 2018 aims to promote evidence-informed HIV responses that are tailored to the needs of particularly vulnerable communities – including those disproportionately affected by HIV– and collaborate in fighting the disease beyond country borders.

In full support of CDC’s vision of saving lives and protecting people, the purposes of this conference include:

  • Convening the world’s experts to advance knowledge about HIV, present new research findings, and promote and enhance global scientific and community collaborations in synergy with other health and development sectors.
  • Promoting evidence-informed HIV responses that are tailored to the needs of particularly vulnerable communities, including women, girls, young people, and other priority and key populations.
  • Activating and galvanizing political commitment and accountability among governments, donors, private sector and civil society for an inclusive, sustainable and adequately financed, multi-sectoral, integrated response to HIV and associated coinfections and comorbidities.
  • Addressing gaps in and highlight the critical role of HIV prevention, in particular among young people in all their diversity and its integration in a range of health care settings.
  • Spotlighting the state of the epidemic and the HIV response in Eastern Europe and Central Asia with a focus on investments, structural determinants and services.

The AIDS 2018 meeting is in alignment with the 2016 meeting in which the State Department’s Office of the US Global AIDS Coordinator (S/GAC)—the entity responsible for overseeing all PEPFAR activities—adjoined the PEPFAR Annual Meeting to the International AIDS Conference, making the PEPFAR Annual Meeting a pre-meeting. This has proven to facilitate an enhanced cross-learning and collaboration between USG PEPFAR implementing agencies, PEPFAR implementing partners, and HIV scientific leaders.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances: It is essential that all invited staff attend, as they will meet and collaborate with colleagues that are working with them in the fight against HIV. This collaboration will facilitate coordination with scientists and other scholars from around the world standing together to share what is working and what still needs to be done to take action against the greatest public health threat of our time. The United States has made an unwavering commitment to work with partners, governments, and other stakeholders toward achieving epidemic control. CDC’s presence at this meeting will signify our continued dedication to this goal.

Total Estimated Cost: $607,287

Total Attendees: 131

Total Feds on Travel: 131

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


Center for Preparedness and Response

2018 Preparedness Summit

Dates: April 17-20, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Atlanta, GA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Joining discussions to identify current priority areas in public health and healthcare preparedness; to discuss emerging practices and theories that can be applied to improve community preparedness and community resilience, and to identify opportunities to engage with national stakeholders on federal guidance and policy issues that will impact state and local preparedness.

Total Estimated Cost: $44,507

Total Attendees: 134

Total Feds on Travel: 134

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services

American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) 2017 Annual Symposium

Dates: November 4-8, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Washington, DC

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: AMIA is the world’s premier scientific meeting for biomedical and health informatics using information to improve individual health, health care, public health, and biomedical research.  The 2017 symposium will build on 40 years of sharing pioneering research and insights for leveraging information to improve human health. Topics of interest span the spectrum from deciphering the underpinning phenomena of disease, to managing information and communications for improving patient care, to tracking the health of populations.  CDC is the lead agency on public health domestically and internationally, and would benefit from attending this conference by engaging with leaders in this industry and providing input in the field from the federal level.

Total Estimated Cost: $72,876

Total Attendees: 23

Total Feds on Travel: 23

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 International Society for Disease Surveillance Conference

Dates: January 30-February 2, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Orlando, FL

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: It is an important time to be working in the field of disease surveillance. To build skills, learn the latest in research, and share best practices and innovative approaches. (ISDS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 2005 and dedicated to the improvement of population health by advancing the science and practice of disease surveillance. ISDS represents professional and academic subject matter experts in the fields of public health surveillance, clinical practice, health informatics, health policy, and other areas related to national and global health surveillance. ISDS works toward a vision of timely, effective, and coordinated disease prevention and response among a skilled public health workforce through programs that position us at the vanguard of the disease surveillance field. Ongoing ISDS activities include: Building and sustaining a surveillance Community of Practice (CoP). Fostering innovations in surveillance research and practice. Increasing public health capacity by providing support and technical expertise to local, regional, and federal public health practitioners in the United States and around the world. Developing targeted resources to inform and expand the dialogue on timely topics of interest to the surveillance community. Hosting surveillance education and training activities that build workforce competencies.

Total Estimated Cost: $52,570

Total Attendees: 29

Total Feds on Travel: 29

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 HiMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition

Dates: March 4-9, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Las Vegas, NV

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: To explore and learn current and emerging health science, policy and practice issues to share experiences, enhance knowledge, and generate new ideas for improved healthcare through educational topics like interoperability, meaningful use, patient engagement, and value of Health IT which advance the science and practice of public health surveillance and informatics. As the nation’s prevention agency, CDC has always developed, endorsed, and disseminated guidance to improve preventive health care programs and exercising leadership in public health policy development and implementation. Our participants will have access to educational sessions and the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in health care technology to transform patient care; experience cutting-edge healthcare IT products that transform health information exchange at the Interoperability Showcase; network with thousands of physicians, nurses, HIT executives, payors, clinical engineers, public Health professionals, pharmacists, and others; register for one of the many targeted symposia like Nursing Informatics, Physicians IT, Clinical Engineering and IT Leadership, Payors, Pharmacy IT, Supply Chain Technology, and other relevant sessions on the healthcare IT solutions and issues.

Total Estimated Cost: $107,387

Total Attendees: 26

Total Feds on Travel: 23

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 3


American College of Preventive Medicine Preventive Medicine Annual Meeting

Dates: May 23-26, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Chicago, IL

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: ACPM and CDC share similar missions in addressing the areas of population health practice, clinical preventive medicine and lifestyle medicine practice, informatics, and quality medical care.  The annual conference consists of a full range of clinical practice areas within population medicine, and provides practitioners with opportunities to increase public health and policy skills and relevant clinical knowledge.  CDC sets many standards for general clinical care, leadership, and core preventive medicine to measure epidemiological impact and cost-effectiveness, assess and respond to occupational and environmental health disorders, and collaboration between state and local public health partners.  Having CDC attendees at this conference will allow the agency to connect with others within these practices, and increase our knowledge in these areas to allow the agency to put out the best guidelines and standards.

Total Estimated Cost: $36,188

Total Attendees: 16

Total Feds on Travel: 16

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 APHL Annual Meeting and 12th Government Environmental Laboratory Conference

Dates: June 2-5, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Pasadena, CA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This governmental health system partner organization directly supports CDC and HHS’s public health vision and mission with evolving issues that affect health laboratories, environmental issues, emerging infectious diseases and informatics.  Several CDC staff are subject matter experts and provide recommendations to state, local, clinical and public health laboratorians on best practices.  CDC has an active leadership role at the conference’s sub-committees and inter-agency meetings.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances: APHL is a partner organization that directly supports CDC and HHS’s public health mission with evolving issues that affect health laboratories, environmental health, emerging infectious diseases and informatics.  Several CDC staff are subject matter experts and provide recommendations to state, local, clinical and public health laboratorians on best practices.  CDC has an active leadership role at the conference’s sub-committees and inter-agency meetings.

APHL is also a CDC grantee through the CDC/APHL Partnership: Strengthening Public Health Laboratories Cooperative Agreement. This agreement contains over 70 projects that are overseen by CDC subject matter experts and technical monitors.  CDC participation at this conference allows CDC to continue efforts to oversee the work done with APHL, support the Cooperative Agreement, and the partner relationship.  These projects promote quality public health laboratory practice, improve public health laboratory infrastructure, and strengthen the public health laboratory workforce domestically and globally. As a result, it is imperative that we increase SME attendance and participation at the annual APHL conference as it will allow CDC attendees the opportunity to address public health lab systems and practices with a wide audience.

Total Estimated Cost: $189,308

Total Attendees: 80

Total Feds on Travel: 80

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Annual Conference

Dates: June 10-14, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: West Palm Beach, FL

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: CDC and CSTE work together in partnership to improve the public’s health by supporting the efforts of epidemiologists working at the state and local level and by promoting the effective use of epidemiologic data to guide public health practice and improve health.  Public health surveillance and epidemiologic practice remains a high priority of HHS and CDC.  Non-federal attendees include state, county, and city epidemiologists specializing in the areas of chronic disease, environmental health, infectious disease, injury, maternal and child health, and occupational health.  Other attendees include veterinarians and other public health professionals interested in epidemiology and surveillance issues.  In order to continue to encourage the CDC and CSTE partnership, the work with state, county  and city public health departments, and achieve the HHS and CDC epidemiological priorities it is necessary for CDC staff to attend the 2017 CSTE conference.  These staff will either present on various epidemiological topics or are key leaders from the agency who will attend to foster the CDC and CSTE partnership.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances: CDC and CSTE work together in partnership to improve the public’s health by supporting the efforts of epidemiologists working at the state and local level and by promoting the effective use of epidemiologic data to guide public health practice and improve health.  Public health surveillance and epidemiologic practice remains a high priority of HHS and CDC.  In order to continue to encourage the CDC and CSTE partnership, the work with state, county  and city public health departments, and achieve the HHS and CDC epidemiological priorities it is necessary for CDC staff to attend the 2017 CSTE conference.  These staff will either present on various epidemiological topics or are key leaders from the agency who will attend to foster the CDC and CSTE partnership.

Total Estimated Cost: $559,373

Total Attendees: 264

Total Feds on Travel: 248

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 16


HL7 FHIR Dev Days

Dates: June 19-21, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Boston/Cambridge, MA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Health Level Seven International (HL7) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) Developer Days (DevDays) is an event for IT professionals in healthcare – whether new to FHIR or with previous experience – to learn about FHIR in a collaborative environment. FHIR DevDays offers a chance to work with the specification surrounded by others doing the same thing, side by side with experts to answer any questions. The three pillars for DevDays are: education, sharing of ideas and networking. This conference relates to the agency’s strategic priority initiative of the Surveillance Strategy. Ultimately, attendance to this conference will strengthen the CDC program.

Total Estimated Cost: $59,742

Total Attendees: 18

Total Feds on Travel: 18

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 Public Health Informatics Conference

Dates: August 20-23, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Atlanta, GA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The Public Health Informatics (PHI) Conference provides a shared learning and planning opportunity for advancing informatics to support public health. This venue allows public health experts and health informatics communities to gather, network, and invest in the future of public health informatics and every discipline that it may touch. Held bi-annually, the Public Health Informatics Conference serves as the single most important venue to convene all levels of governmental public health providers, researchers, vendors and national public health and healthcare organizations to address public health informatics and information technology workforce capacity and infrastructure needs.

One of the focuses of the 2018 conference is the implementation and use of health information technology, specifically electronic health records (EHRs), for healthcare organizations, private practices and public health systems. The conference will highlight the need to improve the capacity of public health to use and exchange information electronically by promoting the use of standards, providing technical specifications, defining basic public health priority functions, identifying workforce competencies, facilitating collaborative development of policies for data sharing and strengthening routine use and exchange to be robust and flexible enough to accommodate an emergency. Additional conference topics and/or sessions will be early event detection and situation awareness, connecting laboratory systems, partner communication and alerting, outbreak management, countermeasure response and administration.

The 2018 PHI Conference will have several workshops, breakout and plenary sessions. Attendees will have the option of submitting abstracts. Abstracts can be submitted as a poster, oral or scientific presentation.

Total Estimated Cost: $137,360

Total Attendees: 208

Total Feds on Travel: 208

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


Deputy Director for Infectious Diseases

20th International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases

Dates: August 26-29, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Atlanta, GA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The conference brings together public health professionals to encourage the exchange of scientific information on global emerging infectious disease issues in the United States and abroad.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances: The 2018 International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases (ICEID) was held August 26-29 at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center.  A total of 1553 individuals from more than 70 countries registered for the conference.  The meeting included 24 invited plenary sessions; 24 invited panel sessions (~3 speakers per panel); 3 lunchtime panel sessions; 12 oral abstract sessions (6 speakers per session); and approximately 540 poster presentations.  The ICEID is a flagship CDC conference which has been held in Atlanta annually, bi annually, and now triennially for the past 20 years.  Five-hundred fifty CDC scientists, including the CDC Director and Principal Deputy Director, attended and presented scientific data concerning infectious disease research and epidemiology. Given the nature of the information presented, it would be impractical to conduct such an event by any means other than an in-person conference.  The most cost-effective means of conducting this conference was determined by staging it in Atlanta, given the heavy CDC attendance.  Conference planners also decided to conduct this conference triennially in an attempt to keep costs down.  The previous event (2015) was indeed more expensive than 2018.  It is important to note that substantive grantee business is conducted as a result of this meeting, newer research and scientific endeavors is contemplated, and the overall infectious diseases agenda is advanced as a result of ICEID.  These attributes would certainly be lost should the conference be discontinued.

Total Estimated Cost: $386,143

Total Attendees: 721

Total Feds on Travel: 550

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 171


National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

8th International Conference on Birth Defects and Disabilities in the Developing World

Dates: November 8-11, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Bogota, Columbia

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This event served as the primary conference for international birth defects and disability surveillance, research and prevention in the developing world. The primary theme of the 2017 conference was Birth Defects Prevention and Care: Think Globally, Act Locally and it included topics addressing the continuum of care, including preconception, prenatal, newborn, child, adolescent and adult care, and birth defects prevention and surveillance programs. The conference was titled “8th International Conference on Prevention of Birth Defects and Disability in the Developing World (ICBD 2017).” Core conference topics areas were:

  • Birth defects Surveillance and registration
  • Zika virus: risks, transmission and birth outcomes
  • Infectious causes of birth defects
  • Advances in preterm birth prevention research and prevention
  • Preconception health, prevention before pregnancy; lifestyles factors, nutrition, environmental exposures
  • Surveillance of birth defects in Latin America
  • Improving data systems for birth defects to address emerging risk factors
  • Newborn screening challenges and opportunities
  • The role of civil society, including parent organizations and voluntary health organizations

Total Estimated Cost: $76,150

Total Attendees: 20

Total Feds on Travel: 3

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 17


21st Annual Meeting of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network

Dates: March 11-14, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Atlanta, GA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: As the only national conference for all population-based birth defects surveillance programs in the United States, participants were given opportunities to learn current advances and opportunities for birth defects surveillance, research, intervention, and prevention through sharing of best practices at state and national levels. The conference allowed participants to network and collaborate on shared national projects, such as standard development for birth defects surveillance and multi-state data collaborations to understand risk factors and prevention strategies; as well as partnership planning and engagement toward shared goals.

The topic areas were:

  • National standards development for birth defects surveillance – data quality and data utilization
  • Leveraging existing infrastructure to develop and advance electronic health information exchange for birth defects surveillance
  • National data repository to advance multi-state data collaborative projects
  • Advancing partnership engagement and collaboration
  • Trend analysis to advance the use of birth defect surveillance data
  • Using social media and communication activities to increase the saturation of birth defects prevention messaging
  • Clinical session on disorders of sexual development (DSD): embryology, etiology, epidemiology, and coding

This meeting supported CDC’s mission by furthering the goals of national and international leadership for birth defects research, surveillance, intervention, and prevention activities. It was designed to bring public health staff, scientists, researchers and representatives of various organizations with an interest in birth defects together to discuss current issues in birth defects research, surveillance, intervention and prevention, and enhance the birth defects programs and activities of NCBDDD. A variety of topics was featured, including: electronic health records, congenital heart defects, standards for birth defects surveillance, and public health program collaborations for critical congenital heart defect screening, health services research, communication science, research projects, multi-program research collaborations, and transitions to ICD-10 coding. This meeting covered many significant components of collaborative birth defects surveillance. Participation by CDC staff was important for coordinating activities across the birth defects surveillance networks in the United States and internationally. This meeting helped further HHS’s mission because of it’s structured to enable grantee and non-grantee states meet with each other, partners, and HHS staff shared information on birth defects surveillance, research, and prevention activities, develop ideas, plans, strategies, and timelines for the initiation and enhancement of new and continuing partnerships and collaborations. This meeting provided proper forum to further the HHS Healthy People 2020 goals related to birth defects; NCBDDD and the Division of Congenital and Developmental Disorders (DCDD) strategic plans; and OMB PART measures. Additionally, it allowed CDC to accomplish the Congressional mandate established in Public Law 105-168 dated April 21, 1998. In which, Congress directed CDC to: 1) collect, analyze, and make available data on birth defects, including data on the causes of such defects and the incidence and prevalence of such defects; 2) operate regional centers for the conduct of applied epidemiological research on the prevention of such defects; and 3) provide information and education to the public on the prevention of birth defects.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances: This meeting supported CDC’s mission by furthering the goals of national and international leadership for birth defects research, surveillance, intervention, and prevention activities. It was designed to bring public health staff, scientists, researchers and representatives of various organizations with an interest in birth defects together to discuss current issues in birth defects research, surveillance, intervention and prevention, and enhance the birth defects programs and activities of NCBDDD. A variety of topics was featured, including: electronic health records, congenital heart defects, standards for birth defects surveillance, and public health program collaborations for critical congenital heart defect screening, health services research, communication science, research projects, multi-program research collaborations, and transitions to ICD-10 coding. This meeting covered many significant components of collaborative birth defects surveillance. Participation by CDC staff was important for coordinating activities across the birth defects surveillance networks in the United States and internationally. This meeting helped further HHS’s mission because of it’s structured to enable grantee and non-grantee states meet with each other, partners, and HHS staff shared information on birth defects surveillance, research, and prevention activities, develop ideas, plans, strategies, and timelines for the initiation and enhancement of new and continuing partnerships and collaborations. This meeting provided proper forum to further the HHS Healthy People 2020 goals related to birth defects; NCBDDD and the Division of Congenital and Developmental Disorders (DCDD) strategic plans; and OMB PART measures. This was the only national conference for all population-based birth defects surveillance programs in the United States.

Total Estimated Cost: $158,966

Total Attendees: 109

Total Feds on Travel: 47

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 62


National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s State of the Science Workshop: Factor VIII Inhibitors: Generating a National Blueprint for Future Research. (State of the Science Workshop on Factor VIII Immunogenicity and Alloant

Dates: May 15-16, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Bethesda, MD

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The NHLBI State of the Science (SOS) Workshop was held on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland.   The goal of this workshop was to solicit input from all constituencies within the U.S. hemophilia community, as well as international collaborators, into the development of a coordinated and collaborative national blueprint for future, basic, translational, and clinical research focused on factor VIII (FVIII) immunogenicity and FVIII inhibitor prevention and eradication.

Meeting objectives/goals were:

  • To solicit hemophilia community stakeholder input into a coordinated US- based strategy for future basic, translational, and clinical research focused on Factor VIII immunogenicity and Factor VIII alloantibody (inhibitor) prevention and eradication.
  • To convene key international investigators within the hemophilia community to input into the US strategy and to recommend priority areas for international collaboration.
  • To create a blueprint for public-private cooperation in the implementation and facilitation of research in Factor VIII immunogenicity and Factor VIII alloantibody (inhibitor) prevention and eradication.

Total Estimated Cost: $37,468

Total Attendees: 6

Total Feds on Travel: 5

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 1


2018 American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry Annual Conference

Dates: June 29-July 1, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Seattle, WA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: AADMD teamed up with the Golisano Foundation and Special Olympics with One Voice to reverse the healthcare disparity for people with IDD.  The One Voice conference brought business leaders and IDD professionals together with opportunities to ignite change – and it marked the beginning of the USA Special Olympics National Games.  During this 3-day conference, held in Seattle, Washington, attendees were able to hear from top keynote speakers, met with company CEOs who paved the way for inclusive health, participated in topical panel discussions, breakout sessions and networked with top medical professionals who were dedicated to inclusive healthcare.

Total Estimated Cost: $37,707

Total Attendees: 17

Total Feds on Travel: 3

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 14


National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

2018 Agents of Change Summit

Dates: February 12-13, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: San Diego, CA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The Agents of Change Summit unified and expanded the community of professionals using marketing and technology to change people’s health behaviors for social good. In 2018, the Agents of Change Summit returned to San Diego with new research, case studies, technologies, and insights to help change health behaviors in your community.

AOCS18 equipped professionals with evidence-based strategies proven to cause change and the technological tools to effectively drive health behaviors. Every attendee participated in an environment of innovation intended to bring change agents together to learn and collaborate towards more effective behavior change practices.

Total Estimated Cost: $33,215

Total Attendees: 15

Total Feds on Travel: 15

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


24th Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco Annual Meeting

Dates: February 21-24, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Baltimore City, MD

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This event was extremely important to CDC’s missions as SRNT is the only professional association dedicated exclusively to the support of researchers, academics, treatment professionals, government employees, and the many others working across disciplines in the field of nicotine and tobacco research.  This opportunity afforded early career professionals to meet subject matter experts and their peers in their specific areas of research.  EPI especially benefited from participating in the sessions entitled, Introduction to the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) for Building more effective, and Scalable Behavioral and Bio behavioral Interventions and PATH Study Data and Resources.  OSH’s Global Branch and Office of the Associate Director of Science attendees benefited from the sessions that focused on Adolescent & Young Adult Nicotine Dependence in the Contemporary Tobacco Landscape, Innovations in Tobacco Treatment Research: New Treatments and Methodologies, Engaging Indigenous Communities in Tobacco Control Research and Today’s Smokers – New Challenges in a Changing Population.

Total Estimated Cost: $51,319

Total Attendees: 28

Total Feds on Travel: 28

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


National Oral Health Conference

Dates: April 16-18, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Louisville, KY

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: As the national leader for dental public health, Division of Oral Health staff were invited presenters at the National Oral Health Conference, discussing current findings on topics such as surveillance, program interventions, evaluation, translational research and health communications.  Division of Oral Health staff were presenters on three out of four pre-conference workshops, six roundtables and three oral presentations. In addition, DOH staff met with our grantees and partners to discuss and evaluate program  activities funded by CDC, attended the ASTDD board meeting to provide updates and participated in working sessions of national oral health-focused committees associated with partners such as ASTDD, ADA, CDHP, AADPH, and others. DOH held an open house with drop in hours with our subject matter experts with high attendance by conference participants.

Total Estimated Cost: $39,575

Total Attendees: 21

Total Feds on Travel: 19

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 2


National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

International Conference on Bacillus anthracis, B. cereus, and B. thuringiensis  Bacillus ACT

Dates: October 1-5, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Victoria, Canada

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The biannual conference brings together scientists performing basic and translational research related to the Bacillus cereus group species. Areas to be addressed at the conference include: Bacillomics; Bacteria-Host Interactions; Ecology/Epidemiology; Cell Wall & Spore Structure and Function; and Bacterial Development/Physiology and Gene Regulation Decontamination Toxins Vaccines, Diagnostics, and Therapy

Total Estimated Cost: $73,998

Total Attendees: 22

Total Feds on Travel: 20

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 2


Infectious Diseases Society of America / IDWeek 2017

Dates: October 4-8, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: San Diego, CA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: ID Week is the combined annual meeting of the IDSA, SHEA, HIVMA, and PIDS, where infectious diseases professionals can meet, share experiences, and develop collaborations. With so many common issues and challenges cutting across four disciplines, ID Week provides an opportunity to learn from each other’s knowledge, experience and expertise, for the improvement of patient care and public health.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances: ID Week is the combined annual meeting of 4 key organizations: the IDSA (Infectious Disease Society of America), SHEA (Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America), HIVMA (HIV Medicine Association), and PIDS (Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society), where infectious diseases professionals can meet, share experiences, and develop collaborations. With so many common issues and challenges cutting across four disciplines, ID Week provides an opportunity to learn from each other’s knowledge, experience and expertise, for the improvement of patient care and public health.

IDWeek serves as the major interaction with the ID clinical community of thought leaders and providers and serves as a major venue for:

  • Communicating new and relevant information supporting policies and guidance for infectious diseases control and prevention
  • Learn of new scientific developments directly related to ID programs across CDC.
  • Convene with multiple CDC funded partners to review and plan activities
  • Convening with multiple organizations (i.e., academic centers, professional associations, etc) to develop relationships, explore and exchange ideas

Total Estimated Cost: $374,743

Total Attendees: 114

Total Feds on Travel: 114

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


121st United States Animal Health Association Annual Meeting

Dates: October 12-18, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: San Diego, CA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Attendance at this meeting would be beneficial by having a presence and representation at the annual meeting of the United States Animal Health Association which holds its annual meeting in conjunction with the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians.  This meeting brings together State Animal Health Officials as well as veterinary laboratory representatives.

Total Estimated Cost: $36,712

Total Attendees: 13

Total Feds on Travel: 13

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


60th Annual Biological Safety Conference

Dates: October 13-18, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Albuquerque, NM

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Intensive preconference courses to educate and inspire and state-of-the-art keynotes, papers, and panels highlighting best practices and hands-on skills crucial for today’s biosafety and biosecurity professionals.  Exhibits showcasing the latest in laboratory biosafety and biosecurity products and services.  Invaluable networking opportunities to share and learn from other biosafety and biosecurity professionals

Total Estimated Cost: $39,864

Total Attendees: 17

Total Feds on Travel: 17

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


Rabies in the Americas XXVIII Conference RITA

Dates: October 22-27, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Calgary, Canada

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The meeting provides an opportunity for researchers, health professionals, international, national and local managers of rabies programs, wildlife biologists, laboratory personnel and other people interested in advancing knowledge of rabies surveillance, prevention and control, to meet each other, to share their successes and also to discuss the challenges to be met.

Total Estimated Cost: $47,108

Total Attendees: 10

Total Feds on Travel: 10

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 ASM Biothreats

Dates: February 12-14, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Baltimore City, MD

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Share information with other public health agencies related to biological threats to the public.

Total Estimated Cost: $47,430

Total Attendees: 23

Total Feds on Travel: 23

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 Intergovernmental Panel Physician Training Summit IIRHWG  IPPA

Dates: March 12-16, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The primary goal of this Summit is to provide training to Panel Physicians who perform medical exams on immigrants and refugees, a function that CDC regulates. Besides panel physicians,

Department of State Consular Officers, and Canadian and Australian immigration health officials will also be attending and have contributed to the development of the Summit. The Summit is an intergovernmental summit, falling under the Intergovernmental Immigrant and Refugee Health Working Group (IIRHWG), which falls under the five Countries Conference (5CC) umbrella. Intergovernmental partners and IPPA have asked CDC to give certain presentations and facilitate some of the breakout sessions where CDC has unique subject matter expertise.

Total Estimated Cost: $39,240

Total Attendees: 11

Total Feds on Travel: 8

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 3


European Melioidosis Congress

Dates: March 19-21, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Oxford, United Kingdom

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This congress will bring together researchers to discuss the latest developments in the microbiology, diagnosis and treatment of the pathogen Burkholderia pseudomallei and aims to continue the progress made at the earlier European congresses.

Total Estimated Cost: $30,954

Total Attendees: 9

Total Feds on Travel: 7

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 2


11th International Annual Symposium on Pneumococci and Pneumococc​al Diseases ISPPD

Dates: April 15-19, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Melbourne, Australia

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: ISPPD provides an unparalleled international forum to bring together scientific, clinical and public health experts, practitioners, and students to present, discuss, challenge and learn from the latest work and advancements on pneumococcal disease.

Total Estimated Cost: $74,565

Total Attendees: 18

Total Feds on Travel: 17

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 1


Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America

Dates: April 18-20, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Portland, OR

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Preventing healthcare associated infections and combatting antibiotic resistance are top CDC priorities and are also high priorities for the federal government.  The SHEA meeting focuses exclusively on the latest science in these two critical important areas.  CDC benefits from participation in this conference by disseminating the latest epidemiologic and laboratory science and promoting the latest CDC recommendations and guidelines for prevention of healthcare associated infections and antimicrobial resistance.  The SHEA meeting offers an unmatched opportunity for CDC experts to interact with the nation’s leading healthcare epidemiology practitioners and researchers to share priority information and learn of new strategies that could accelerate CDC’s mission. The mission of the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion is to ensure safe medical care in all settings, with a key focus on preventing infections and combatting resistance.  The SHEA meeting provides the nation’s pre-imminent forum for CDC experts to interact with the nation’s leading experts in these areas.   The sessions at SHEA will encourage the exchange of ideas, collaboration, networking which will be valuable to furthering CDC’s efforts to protect patients and healthcare personnel.  The scientific content of the SHEA meeting touches on the core work of every member of the DHQP staff since the meeting is focused exclusively on healthcare epidemiology and infection control

Total Estimated Cost: $55,798

Total Attendees: 29

Total Feds on Travel: 26

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 3


10th International Symposium on Shiga Toxin Producing Escherichia coli Infections 2018

Dates: May 6-9, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Florence, Italy

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The VTEC meeting is the recurring conference for all STEC experts in the world. As world leaders in STEC surveillance and control this is critical meeting for us to catch up on the latest science on the subject. This time, it is even more important since we are in the process of implementing whole genome sequencing (WGS) throughout our lab surveillance of STEC. This technology is replacing most of the traditional methods we are using in the lab but it is critically important that we synchronize what we do with what other leading labs in the world are doing to make sure we will be able to compare results generated in different labs. If we don’t do that, the global STEC surveillance will be severely adversely impacted, i.e., it will become difficult/impossible to detect and control outbreaks involving more countries efficiently and in a timely fashion.  All participants will present, either orally or posters. Everyone will participate in meetings within the conference coordinating our WGS activities with international colleagues. This is the only opportunity that we will get this year to meet face-face with our international STEC collaborators.

Total Estimated Cost: $37,182

Total Attendees: 8

Total Feds on Travel: 8

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 Public Health Forum on Culture Independent Diagnostics

Dates: May 8-9, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Washington, DC

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The two day meeting is critical to identify gaps in current knowledge of Culture Independent Diagnostic Tests (CIDTs) and identify solutions through various stakeholder input.

Goals of the meeting:

  • Increase stakeholder understanding about the opportunities and challenges associated with the adoption of CIDT adoption for foodborne diseases
  • Determine what critical public health information is being lost and what new information is gained due to the implementation of CIDTs.
  • Generate new ideas and short-term / long-term strategies to fill gaps and address health data needs

Total Estimated Cost: $146,898

Total Attendees: 84

Total Feds on Travel: 40

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 44


2018 XXII International Poxvirus, Asfarvirus and Iridovirus Conference

Dates: May 25-31, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Taipei, Taiwan

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: It’s important for the identified Poxvirus and Rabies Branch staff to attend this conference because it is the premier event in the dissemination of scientific information that relates to poxviruses, including smallpox virus and vaccinia virus (smallpox vaccine).  The event happens every two years and typically draws many of the best pox virologists from throughout the world.  In addition, novel concepts for new generation smallpox vaccines and antiviral therapeutic agents will be discussed.  This will be the most important meeting of its kind until the next conference in 2020.

Total Estimated Cost: $63,921

Total Attendees: 10

Total Feds on Travel: 9

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 1


MICROBE 2018 ASM / ICAAC

Dates: June 7-11, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Atlanta, GA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Integrating ASM’s two most popular events, ASM General Meeting and ICAAC, the  MICROBE 2018, showcases the best microbial sciences in the world and provides a one-of-a-kind forum to explore the complete spectrum of microbiology from basic science to translation and application. Combatting antibiotic resistance is a top CDC priority and the focus of a recent Executive Order.  Improving antibiotic prescribing and use (i.e., stewardship) is a core strategy to address this issue.  This conference will have a special track on “Antimicrobial Stewardship and Quality of Care” that will focus on measure and optimize antimicrobial consumption and usage.   CDC benefits from participation in this conference by disseminating the latest epidemiologic and laboratory science and promoting the latest CDC recommendations and guidelines for prevention of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Topics included in this conference include the latest findings in the epidemiology, surveillance, microbiology, and prevention of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. ICAAC is offering unmatched opportunity for discussion, cross collaboration, and advancement, this joint meeting will bring together a rich history of debuting major advances in drug development and infectious disease research with a focus on examining antibiotic resistance, new antibiotic development and antibiotic stewardship. This will be 2018’s principal meeting for clinical microbiologists, infectious disease physicians, researchers, and pharmacists to attend to better improve the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of infectious diseases around the globe.

Total Estimated Cost: $118,794

Total Attendees: 152

Total Feds on Travel: 119

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 33


United States Africa Command & United States European Command

Dates: June 11-16, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Stuttgart, Germany

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: To introduce Senior CDC leaders from the Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response, the Center for Global Health, the Office of Infectious Disease, and the Public Health Intelligence Office with senior leadership at USAFRICOM and USEUCOM. This meeting is for NCEZID Leadership to meet with DOD Africom and EUcom leadership and DOD liaison to CDC to discuss areas for collaboration on zoonotic and emerging infections in these two areas of responsibility.

Total Estimated Cost: $40,906

Total Attendees: 8

Total Feds on Travel: 8

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


Association for Professionals in Infection Control Annual Conference 2018 

Dates: June 13-15, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: APIC Conference will join nearly 5,000 attendees dedicated to creating a safer world through the prevention of infection. Attendees will hear from leading experts of government agencies, international organizations, research facilities, and other healthcare settings who are working on the front lines of the profession. Preventing healthcare associated infectious diseases is CDC’s top priority along with combatting antibiotic resistances.  Travelers will have the opportunity to network with colleagues from across the US about the latest science in healthcare infectious diseases.  Some CDC participants will also earn continuing education credits from a number of professional credentials and organization.

Total Estimated Cost: $45,916

Total Attendees: 37

Total Feds on Travel: 29

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 8


17th Negative Strand RNA Virus Meeting

Dates: June 17-22, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Verona, Italy

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: These updates are important to present a global meeting on respiratory viruses as the assays are included in the CDC Flu rRT-PCR panel reagent kits that are shared globally and utilized routinely among World Health Organization National Influenza Centers for influenza surveillance and diagnosis.

Total Estimated Cost: $58,656

Total Attendees: 14

Total Feds on Travel: 14

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


5th International One Health Congress

Dates: June22-25, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: To capture the multifaceted One Health paradigm, the Congress will have distinct program tracks on One Health Science (zoonosis, climate change, food and water safety), antimicrobial resistance and translational science.

Total Estimated Cost: $36,661

Total Attendees: 8

Total Feds on Travel: 8

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


International Association for Food Protection Annual Meeting

Dates: July 8-11, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Salt Lake City, UT

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Each year, the International Association for Food Protection hosts an Annual Meeting, providing attendees with information on current and emerging food safety issues, the latest science, innovative solutions to new and recurring problems, and the opportunity to network with thousands of food safety professionals from around the globe. Held in various locations throughout North America, this meeting has grown over the years to become the leading food safety conference worldwide.

The IAFP Annual Meeting is attended by more than 2,800 of the top industry, academic and governmental food safety professionals from six continents. This renowned event owes its reputation and success to the quantity, quality and diversity of each year’s program; the quality and relevance of exhibits sharing the latest in available technologies; leading experts speaking on a variety of timely topics; and special recognition of outstanding professionals and students for their contributions in the food safety field.

Foodborne diseases affect tens of millions of people and kill thousands in the United States each year. They also cause billions of dollars in healthcare-related and industry costs annually.  CDC has identified reducing foodborne diseases as a winnable battle. With additional effort and support for evidence-based, cost-effective strategies that we can implement now, we will have a significant impact on our nation’s health.  CDC is working to meet national goals to decrease the burden of bacterial and diarrheal illness by the year 2020.  We are also working to meet CDC’s responsibilities under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), which was largely driven by CDC data and investigative findings.

Total Estimated Cost: $36,952

Total Attendees: 15

Total Feds on Travel: 12

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 3


American Veterinary Medical Association Convention 2018

Dates: July 13-17, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Denver/Aurora, CO

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: CDC travelers are required to stay aware of best practices in applied epidemiology and public health including veterinary public health. In addition, they are required to participate in presenting, planning, developing, implementing, analyzing, and evaluating public health surveillance systems for communicable diseases and other illnesses, including those which are zoonotic.

Total Estimated Cost: $34,894

Total Attendees: 14

Total Feds on Travel: 14

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


National Center for Health Statistics

National Association of Medical Examiners 51st Annual Meeting

Dates: October 13-17, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Phoenix/Scottsdale, AZ

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: To celebrate the history of forensic pathology and medicolegal death investigation, and to consider future directions in these professions.

Total Estimated Cost: $34,052

Total Attendees: 14

Total Feds on Travel: 14

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


HL7 Working Group Meeting

Dates: January 27-February 2, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: New Orleans, LA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: To attend the Health Level Seven (HL7() International 2018 Working Group Meeting to work with the community of experts on HL7, interoperability, clinical decision support, and electronic health records.

Total Estimated Cost: $39,152

Total Attendees: 15

Total Feds on Travel: 11

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 4


National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention

American Association for the Study of Liver Disease: The Liver Meeting® 2017

Dates: October 20-24, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Washington, DC

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Identify advances in the treatment of liver disease to advance and broaden your research and apply knowledge that will positively impact the outcomes of your post-transplant patients.

Total Estimated Cost: $42,161

Total Attendees: 14

Total Feds on Travel: 14

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


National Coalition of STD Directors Annual Meeting

Dates: November 14-17, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Washington, DC

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The National Coalition of STD Directors annual Meeting is the only meeting in the U.S. that is held for STD Prevention and sexual health professionals.  This meeting provides an opportunity to meet and network with key decision makers and staff of STD programs nationwide with strong training, education and policy components.   This annual meeting will focus on sharing the latest information on STDs and other sexual health topics.

Total Estimated Cost: $57,906

Total Attendees: 38

Total Feds on Travel: 38

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


22nd Annual Conference of the Union – North America Region

Dates: February 28-March 3, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Chicago, IL

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The 22nd Union Conference -North America Region is a three day scientific meeting that brings together experts to focus on topics of importance to TB control and lung health in North America.  Participants include researchers working on TB and lung diseases, health care professionals (doctors, public health nurses, clinical nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technologists, public administrators, and pharmaceutical companies, among others.

Total Estimated Cost: $43,854

Total Attendees: 25

Total Feds on Travel: 25

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections 2018

Dates: March 4-7, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Boston/Cambridge, MA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The 2018 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections is a scientifically focused meeting of the world’s leading researchers working to understand, prevent, and treat HIV/AIDS and its complications. CROI is one of the leading biomedical conferences on HIV in the world, and particularly for the United States. The participants are select leading researchers and clinicians working in laboratory and clinical research as well as epidemiology and surveillance. Topic areas of specific interest to CROI participants and presenters include:

  • studies of antiretroviral therapy
  • complications of HIV infection
  • AIDS-related malignancies in pediatrics/adolescents
  • mother to child transmission
  • HIV in women/women’s health
  • HIV clinical diagnostics
  • epidemiology of HIV infection
  • prevention studies

CDC researchers are among the leading scientists in these areas and CDC benefits greatly from the opportunity for them to present and discuss their work in this scientifically focused forum. The conference is kept to a relatively small size conducive to formal and informal scientific and collaborative exchange; this allows attendees better access to senior level, innovative, and internationally-known researchers and provide an excellent means to build and maintain collaborations. This level of interaction benefits CDC’s attendees and strengthens CDC’s future efforts. At recent conferences, ground-breaking data have been presented on pre-exposure prophylaxis, HIV diagnostics (including home HIV testing), methods for and findings from HIV surveillance (including behavioral and clinical surveillance). In addition, CROI provides a forum for up-to-date information on emerging prevention strategies such as vaccines and other biomedical interventions.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances:  Attendance at CROI allows CDC clinical staff important opportunities for career development, as they are able to learn the latest in HIV diagnostics, explore alternative or cutting edge prevention or clinical research, and can interact with scientists working on similar issues. The participants are select leading researchers and clinicians working in laboratory and clinical research as well as epidemiology and surveillance. CDC researchers are among the leading scientists in these areas and CDC benefits greatly from the opportunity for them to present and discuss their work in this scientifically focused forum. The conference is kept to a relatively small size conducive to formal and informal scientific and collaborative exchange; this allows attendees better access to senior level, innovative, and internationally-known researchers and provide an excellent means to build and maintain collaborations. This level of interaction benefits CDC’s attendees and strengthens CDC’s future efforts. CROI has strong support for young investigators—including scholarships, workshops on topics such as clinical trials design and implementation of PrEP, and informal mentoring opportunities towards career advancement in public health relevant research. Over 70% of proposed attendees submitted oral or poster abstracts for presentation at the conference. Reducing the approved funding amount below $150,000 would limit CDC’s ability to advance its scientific mission of disseminating cutting edge HIV research and surveillance information to the larger scientific community at one of the premier conferences focused on HIV.

Total Estimated Cost: $159,744

Total Attendees: 73

Total Feds on Travel: 73

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine 2018 Annual Meeting

Dates: March 14-17, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Seattle, WA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The purpose for attending the meeting is to send CDC/ATSDR scientific and health professionals to the premier, multidisciplinary, educational event in adolescent medicine and health.  The meeting offers innovative research, clinical workshops, and discussion forums for participants of diverse disciplines and from around the world.  The meeting will explore the important role that transition plays in health and well-being from adolescence to young adulthood and how adolescent health professionals can capitalize on the strengths of adolescents and young adults to support them through these changes.

Total Estimated Cost: $42,908

Total Attendees: 14

Total Feds on Travel: 13

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 1


2018 National TB Conference

Dates: May 21-25, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Palm Springs, CA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This conference recognizes that our day-to-day work in the US is influenced by, and challenged by, the global TB rates and cultural beliefs about the disease that influence our ability to identify and effectively treat the disease.  It also acknowledges the diversity of ethnic backgrounds among US residents, visitors, and those here illegally and how this diversity impacts the work that we do.  Successfully managing TB in the US requires those with the disease and those infected with the disease, their contacts, their beliefs and treatment, and the work we do to protect the public’s health with this recognition.

Total Estimated Cost: $52,018

Total Attendees: 27

Total Feds on Travel: 27

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 Annual AIDS Clinical Trial Group Network Meeting

Dates: June 20-24, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Washington, DC

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: CDC participants will benefit from attending this annual conference by networking & participating in training sessions, listing to major findings from Annual Aids Clinical Trial Group (ACTG) studies to be presented, future directions of the network to be discussed, and the various administrative, scientific, and resources committees meeting to discuss the status of developing, ongoing, and completed protocols and/or other network activities.

Total Estimated Cost: $30,665

Total Attendees: 10

Total Feds on Travel: 10

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


IUSTI 2018 World European Congress

Dates: June 27-30, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Dublin, Ireland

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Conference tackles newly emerging issues in the STI field, including the rise of Syphilis and other STIs in the context of HIV Biomedical Interventions, practical implications of research, and how STI practice can be improved through program science.

Total Estimated Cost: $46,483

Total Attendees: 10

Total Feds on Travel: 10

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention Conference

Dates: August 27-30, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Washington, DC

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: To provide a venue for the presentation of the most recent sound scientific information as well as for the discussion and evaluation of existing science in public health.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances:  This meeting supports the mission of the Division of STD Prevention by promoting high quality health care to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and their complications using current program science, enabling people to live safer and healthier lives.  This conference occurs every two years at which valuable and innovative STD prevention research is presented to a national audience.  This conference, which provides a forum to present this information to public health professionals from a variety of disciplines, is necessary to ensure that quality care is provided to citizens of the United States and around the world.  Reducing the size of the conference below $150,000 would impact greatly on public health professionals around the U.S. from being able to benefit from its synergy.  STD prevention and control in the U.S. is complex. It involves many diseases, populations, intervention strategies, and stakeholders. The 2018 theme ” Intersecting Epidemics, Integrated Solutions”, highlighted the ways that the epidemiology of different STDs intersect with one another, and also with HIV, reproductive health, maternal-child health, and substance use. Through a program-science lens, the 2018 STD Prevention Conference featured the value of integration and partnerships for effective public health responses to STDs.

Total Estimated Cost: $235,584

Total Attendees: 118

Total Feds on Travel: 112

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 6


2018 United States Conference on AIDS

Dates: September 6-9, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Orlando, FL

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: USCA is the largest AIDS-related gathering in the U.S., bringing together thousands of workers from all fronts of the HIV/AIDS epidemic—from case managers and physicians, to public health workers and advocates, people living with HIV/AIDS and policy-makers—to build national support networks, exchange the latest information and learn cutting-edge tools to address the challenges of HIV/AIDS. Attendees will play different roles during the conference such as: presenters, workshops/presentations facilitators, networking with grantees and other individuals attending the conference to exchange information on trends and changes in the HIV/AIDS Prevention field. The USCA sessions provide attendees with the latest information and tools to help prevent the spread of HIV, as well as better serve clients who live with and are affected by the virus.  USCA is also known for its networking opportunities, and provides an unmatched opportunity to build relationships and gain visibility in the AIDS community. Through attendance, CDC employees can provide instruction to local providers, meet with grantees to discuss project progress, learn lessons from the field, and build networks that will ultimately strengthen CDC’s domestic HIV portfolio of programs.

Total Estimated Cost: $88,593

Total Attendees: 49

Total Feds on Travel: 49

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


Pacific Islands Tuberculosis Controllers Association Conference

Dates: September 10-13, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The Pacific Islands Tuberculosis Controllers Association (PITCA) Conference provides a venue for clinicians, nurses, outreach workers, laboratorians, public health officials, and partner agencies from the United States (U.S.)-affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) and across the Pacific to share their cross-cutting and disease-specific expertise in tuberculosis (TB).  CDC attends this conference to provide training on new TB guidelines and recommendations, provide training on a variety of other TB topics to build local capacity, and to foster partnerships needed to carry out CDC’s public health mission.  CDC attendees will be oral presenters, facilitate breakout sessions, and provide technical assistance.  CDC attendance at this conference is the most efficient, cost-effective, and impactful method for CDC to deliver training and technical assistance to the USAPI.  The USAPI consists of a total of six jurisdictions (three Flag Territories and three Freely Associated States).  The Flag Territories include American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.  The Freely Associated States include the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.

Total Estimated Cost: $68,913

Total Attendees: 14

Total Feds on Travel: 12

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 2


National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

2nd American Society for Microbiology Conference on Rapid Applied Microbial Next-Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatic Pipeline

Dates: October 8-11, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Washington, DC

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: NGS is revolutionizing the science behind epidemiology and of microbial pathogens in the traceability and clustering associated with food safety, clinical infection, environmental contamination, and other potential sources of disease outbreaks. Never before have we had access to, and been able to, analyze and compare thousands of complete genomic sequences of bacteria, parasites, and viruses to gain comprehensive guidance with up-to-date examples in the use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology for applied results. This vast amount of genomic data permits a better understanding of virulence traits, adaptability to food manufacturing environments, geographical traceability and transmission to humans, along with a host of other valuable information.

Total Estimated Cost: $70,067

Total Attendees: 26

Total Feds on Travel: 26

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


Vaccines for Enteric Diseases VED 2017

Dates: October 9-11, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Albufeira, Portugal

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Vaccines for Enteric Diseases (VED 2017) will address the diverse aspects of vaccines to counter human enteric diseases. With regard to global public health issues, enteric diseases probably represent the first cause of infectious morbidity and second cause of infectious mortality worldwide. The added complications surrounding the increasing resistance to bacterial enteric pathogens to antibiotics are creating a worldwide trend that will require enhanced enteric vaccine strategies. Taking into consideration the major difficulties faced in drastically improving the sanitary conditions in large areas of the developing world which accounts for more than 95% of enteric infections, enteric vaccine strategies may become the prime preventative approach. Enteric infections also present problems in the industrialized world where the food chain continues to be compromised by enteric pathogens.

Total Estimated Cost: $38,235

Total Attendees: 13

Total Feds on Travel: 13

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2018 37th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Virology

Dates: July 14-18 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: College Park, MD

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: ASV was founded in 1981 to provide a forum for investigators of human, animal, plant, fungal, insect, archaeal and bacterial viruses, whether the research involves the use of clinical, ecological, biological, or biochemical approaches. The Society sponsors an annual meeting, designed to promote discussion and collaboration among scientists active in all aspects of virology. ASV offers the opportunity to learn about cutting edge research and discoveries in virology and applications. Influenza is one of the major focuses at ASV. We as CDC researchers could take this opportunity to inform the broad scientific community about recent advances made at Influenza Division of CDC and how new assays will improve influenza virus characterization and monitoring. Furthermore, through attending this meeting we would be able to convey the CDC’s mission in development of influenza candidate vaccine virus (CVV) for pandemic preparedness, newly developed surveillance assays, as well as progress made in technology to improve the yield of vaccine viruses. ASV is also an important meeting to aid in building and expanding collaborations with members of academia and industry to develop tools and assays to improve influenza surveillance and vaccine developments to meet public health challenges.

Total Estimated Cost: $62,969

Total Attendees: 22

Total Feds on Travel: 22

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


13th International Rotavirus Symposium 2018

Dates: August 29-September 1, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Minsk, Belarus

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The Symposium will bring together interested stakeholders to provide an update on new data and relevant research that will inform public health agendas related to prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis.  Rotavirus and norovirus are among the most common cause of diarrheal hospitalizations and deaths among children worldwide.  Development of interventions to control these pathogens has been a global health priority and the CDC viral gastroenteritis program has been a leader of global public health efforts for prevention and control of these illnesses.  At the symposium, cutting edge data on research into control of viral gastroenteritis will be presented for the first time and the implications of this work will be discussed by the scientific and public health community.  Planned sessions include:

  • Global Burden of Rotavirus Disease
  • Global Impact & Safety of Rotavirus Vaccines
  • Advances in Rotavirus Immunology & Virology
  • Current Rotavirus Vaccines in Routine Immunization

Total Estimated Cost: $130,596

Total Attendees: 17

Total Feds on Travel: 17

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


International Pathogenic Neisseria Conference

Dates: September 23-28, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Asilomar, CA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The IPNC offers an ideal forum for scientific exchange among researchers, physicians, individuals from pharmaceutical companies and policy makers who are interested in pathogenic Neisseria. Topics covered will include pathogenesis, prevention, epidemiology and drug resistance in these important human pathogens.

Attendance at International Pathogenic Neisseria Conferences aid to increase knowledge of pathogen biology and present research and new data on Neisseria species, including Neisseria meningitides. Presenting this data at the IPNC will help the government maintain the collaborative partnerships and help promote the benefits of public-ordinate partnerships with the CDC. To also advance knowledge of bacterial meningitis and meet with partners to discuss the collaborative projects and plan for next steps.

Total Estimated Cost: $64,015

Total Attendees: 22

Total Feds on Travel: 19

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 3


American Society for Microbiology Conference on Rapid Applied Microbial Next-Generation Sequencing and Bioinformatic Pipelines

Dates: September 23-26, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Tysons Corner, VA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms play an increasingly prominent role in viral surveillance. This conference will provide the most up to date information on the use of NGS technology and data analysis. Laboratory, bioinformatics and epidemiology-focused sessions are included and essential to successful programs are partnerships across academia, government institutions and the private sector. Attendance will provide an opportunity to increase awareness of how next generation sequencing can be used to provide data for detecting and characterizing and identifying new pathogen.

Total Estimated Cost: $60,739

Total Attendees: 24

Total Feds on Travel: 24

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

2018 Safe States Annual Meeting

Dates: September 5-7, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Charleston, SC

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The Safe States Annual conference brings together leading international, national, and state injury and violence prevention experts and practitioners including CDC’s cooperative agreement recipients. The conference will provide project officers an opportunity to provide programmatic technical assistance and administrative updates on CDC priorities. In addition, the conference will provide an opportunity for advancing best practices, programs, policies, and innovations to support NCIPC’s mission to prevent injuries and violence through science and action.

Total Estimated Cost: $63,714

Total Attendees: 28

Total Feds on Travel: 28

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

2018 Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration Annual Meeting and Exhibit (SME)

Dates: February 25-28, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The SME Annual Meeting is the preeminent mining conference of the year and the one with a program most closely tied to the NIOSH Mining Program’s mission of improving mine safety and health through research and education. This is one of the key meetings of people who influence areas related to mine worker health and safety. As such, CDC employees’ participation is directly related to our mission.

Total Estimated Cost: $94,587

Total Attendees: 40

Total Feds on Travel: 40

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


The Society of Toxicology 57th Annual Meeting and ToxExpo

Dates: March 11-15, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: San Antonio, TX

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: Attendees shared, learned, and updated information/methods with/from scientists/researchers in the field, which will improved both individual and team research at NIOSH/CDC.   Presentations were on current research that the divisions are doing which allowed the findings/information to reach others in the same field as well as the public.  This is in line with mission of the Agency.

Total Estimated Cost: $51,734

Total Attendees: 35

Total Feds on Travel: 34

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 1


The 32nd International Congress on Occupational Health ICOH 2018

Dates: April 29-May 4, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Dublin, Ireland

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This conference allowed participants to collaborate with the ICOH Scientific Committees, Board Members & Regional/National Secretaries to offer an exciting and challenging program and to cover a wide range of occupational, safety and health topics demonstrating how research translates into excellence in practice.

Total Estimated Cost: $47,501

Total Attendees: 9

Total Feds on Travel: 9

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


2nd International Symposium to Advance Total Worker Health

Dates: May 8-11, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Bethesda, MD

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: NIOSH is the Federal agency mandated to provide national and international leadership to prevent workplace injury and illness through programs, policy and research. This symposium explored research and practical application of total worker health defined as policies, programs, and practices that integrate protection from work-related safety and health hazards with promotion of injury and illness prevention efforts to advance worker well-being.

Total Estimated Cost: $42,564

Total Attendees: 26

Total Feds on Travel: 26

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


American Thoracic Society 2018 International Conference

Dates: May 19-23, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: San Diego, CA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The American Thoracic Society is one of the most influential academic organizations in the U.S.A. and globally on matters relevant to preventing respiratory disease.  Thus, it is a very important venue for disseminating CDC findings related to respiratory disease and for building partnerships needed to carry out CDC’s public health mission.  Participating in ATS groups generating authoritative recommendations for the nation and other high profile engagement in this conference is necessary for many parts of CDC to optimize their public heath impact.

Total Estimated Cost: $30,400

Total Attendees: 19

Total Feds on Travel: 19

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo 2018

Dates: May 19-24, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Philadelphia, PA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo provided an important source of information on occupational safety and health covered a wide variety of topic areas, including those representing the specific programmatic categories in the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) Program Portfolio for agriculture, construction, trade, transportation, public and private services, healthcare and manufacturing. NIOSH staff obtained important feedback from public and private sector workplace manager, and occupational safety and health professionals about safety health issues impacting their workers.  This information is used to shape the NIOSH occupational and safety health research agenda as well as the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) which NIOSH administers.

Total Estimated Cost: $64,112

Total Attendees: 43

Total Feds on Travel: 43

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


19th International Society for Respiratory Protection Conference 2018

Dates: September 16-20, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Denver/Aurora, CO

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The International Society for Respiratory Protection Biennial Conference is the premier respiratory conference in the world. As leaders in the field of respiratory research, standards development and conformity/performance assessment, it is important for the National Personal Protective Laboratory (NPPTL) to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders, both nationally and internationally.  NIOSH experts planned and participated in roundtable sessions focusing on timely topics within the Healthcare and Public Safety Sectors: Innovations in Respiratory Protection for Healthcare and Emergency Response and Respiratory Protection Use by Wildland Firefighters and Impacted Community Members.  Additionally, in celebration of one hundred years of respiratory protection in the United States, a planned roundtable to explore the History of Respiratory Protection was held.  This biennial conference also included platform presentations about respirator design and fit testing, international standards, and human factors related to respiratory use. ISRP attendance will further the mission of CDC/NIOSH by connecting NIOSH respiratory researchers with product developers, manufacturers, users, and others to advance respiratory protection in the workplace and in response to natural disasters or man-made events.

Total Estimated Cost: $34,969

Total Attendees: 16

Total Feds on Travel: 15

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 1


Office of the Chief of Staff

American Public Health Association 2017 Annual Meeting & Expo

Dates: November 4-8, 2017

Venue, City, State, or Country: Atlanta, GA

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The purpose for attending this conference is for CDC/ATSDR Scientific, Health and Technical  professionals to attend the largest working meeting of public health professionals in the nation with participants from state and local health departments, tribal organizations, private and community based institutions.  The majority of the participants are presenting scientific papers/findings and conducting panel discussions and coordinating exhibits.

Description of Exceptional Circumstances:  There were over 800 presenters that submitted their names for submission to attend.  Because the conference was held in Atlanta, we were trying to maximize the number of attendees.  There were a total of 316 approved presenters/attendees for this conference.  Due to the cost of registration (set by APHA), this conference will continue to exceed the $150,000 threshold.

Total Estimated Cost: $263,733

Total Attendees: 316

Total Feds on Travel: 316

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


Office of Science

American Association of Clinical Chemists 2018

Dates: July 29-August 2, 2018

Venue, City, State, or Country: Chicago, IL

How the Meeting Advanced the Mission of the Agency: By attending the American Association of Clinical Chemists (AACC) conference we will connect with global leaders in clinical chemistry, molecular diagnostics, mass spectrometry, translational medicine, lab management, and other areas of breaking science in laboratory medicine. The Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) will learn about cutting edge technology, hear vital research and learn about important changes in the field.  With more than 200 educational and scientific sessions, we can design an educational experience that meets CDC needs to stay ahead of changes in the field.

Total Estimated Cost: $56,646

Total Attendees: 25

Total Feds on Travel: 25

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 0


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