2022 Future Directions Forum Update

2022 Future Directions Forum Update

By Andres De Los Reyes, PhD
Program Chair, Future Directions Forum

By Andres De Los Reyes, PhD
Program Chair, Future Directions Forum

We have an update to our programming schedule for the 2022 Future Directions Forum. Although we find ourselves in a place where parts of our social environments are beginning to return to some semblance of “normal,” local social distancing guidelines in Washington, DC, coupled with trends in local infection rates, continue to create uncertainties with holding an in-person meeting in the area during the regularly scheduled dates (June 9-11). Thus, after careful consideration, we decided to revise our programming format for 2022. We hope to return to in-person programming in 2023.

In revising our programming schedule for 2022, our team thought carefully about how attendees to the Forum might react to a third year of virtual programming. We are scientists to the core, and so we arrived at the following hypothesis: People are done with cramming three days’ worth of a conference into their daily lives! We hope we are right, because we want Forum attendees to still have access to all of the awesome programming we have in store for them, even if we have to go another year without seeing you all face-to-face.

With that said, we wanted to outline some key changes to programming, with additional details to follow in the coming months. Stay tuned to our website (www.jccapfuturedirectionsforum.com) and our social media accounts (@JCCAP_Editor on Twitter, @JCCAPFDF on Instagram) for details to come:

• All of our 2022 programming will be free to access!
• Our 2022 programming will occur on a monthly basis as a rolling webinar series, starting in July
• Our programming will include addresses and workshops as originally detailed on our 2022 programming page (https://jccapfuturedirectionsforum.weebly.com/2022-programming.html)
• Our programming will also include a poster session as well as ceremonies for our awards programs (Future Directions Launch Award, Future Directions Fellows)
• We intend to record our 2022 programming and archive it on our Forum On Demand page (https://jccapfuturedirectionsforum.weebly.com/forum-on-demand.html)

We very much hope to see you at the 2022 Future Directions Forum!