Parent & Family Resources

Children & Families at CIS Meetings Policy

Approved August 26, 2025

Motivation: The Clinical Immunology Society (CIS) acknowledges the challenges faced by attendees of the Annual Meeting who have caregiving responsibilities. These challenges can be onerous for junior CIS members who have young children. Missing the annual meeting would deprive them of key professional development and networking opportunities. This policy aims to mitigate the "baby penalty" and foster an inclusive environment at the Annual Meeting.

Policy statement

1. Children in meeting spaces

Attendees may bring children into meeting rooms and poster sessions, including while babywearing and breastfeeding, provided they do not disrupt the proceedings or other attendees. If a child's presence becomes disruptive, the attendee should remove themselves from the session. If they are asked to remove the child from the session, prompt adherence to such requests is expected.

2. Designated lactation facilities

CIS will aim to ensure that dedicated rooms for pumping and nursing are available at or near the meeting venue when possible.

3. Childcare resource listings

CIS will aim to provide resource listings for Annual Member registrants to facilitate access to childcare services. CIS does not endorse any resource listing provided or assume responsibility for the capabilities or quality of the childcare service. 

4. Support for accompanying caregivers

CIS encourages attendees to travel with caregiving partner (e.g., spouse) to the annual meeting when this will facilitate attendance by the CIS member. To facilitate breastfeeding and contact with their children, caregiver partners will be granted free, temporary access to the meeting hall.

5. Access to meeting content

To accommodate parents with newborns who may face travel limitations or miss specific sessions, CIS will offer video recordings of talks to anyone registered for the meeting for later viewing whenever feasible.