Dear CPDD Community,
CPDD continues to follow the current situation of the US government shutdown. This has left some NIH staff and other federal government employees hesitant about participating in the upcoming Annual Meeting due to current circumstances. To ensure full participation from all members of our community, CPDD is implementing accommodations for NIH and other federal government speakers.
Summary of Accommodations
All federal government speakers will automatically receive an extension to submit their presentation materials. Please review the following guidance to ensure consistent handling of these submissions:
If a federal government speaker is part of a session:
Session chairs should include the NIH or federal government speaker in the session and continue collecting materials from other speakers as usual. After the submission deadline, CPDD staff will temporarily insert placeholder (“Lorem Ipsum”) text indicating that the federal speaker’s materials will be updated later.
If the session chair is a federal government employee (but the session is not predominantly federal):
CPDD staff can initiate the submission process, allowing other speakers to complete their portions. Placeholder text will again be used for the Chair’s section until their materials can be submitted.
If the session is predominantly composed of federal government speakers:
The submission deadline will be extended to a reasonable period following the conclusion of the government shutdown. These speakers will not need to begin the submission process until the extension period begins.
CPDD remains committed to making every reasonable accommodation to ensure our federal government colleagues can fully participate in the 2026 Annual Meeting.
Please note: This only applies to circumstances where you have verbal confirmation from a federal employee of their interest in participating. You may not submit without their permission.
If you have any questions or need assistance initiating a submission, please contact the Executive Office at info@cpdd.org.
Thank you for your understanding, flexibility, and continued support as we work together.
Warm regards,
Cassandra Gipson-Reichardt, PhD
CPDD Program Chair