AHSC Events policy

1. Introduction

1.1 Imperial College AHSC is a partnership organisation hosted by Imperial College London. This events policy relates to AHSC branded events organised by the AHSC Directorate, including the Clinical Academic Training Office, and is based on Imperial College London guidance and best practice.

1.2 Conferences, meetings, seminars, and workshops (hereafter referred to primarily as events) are important elements of the work of the AHSC. They are valuable to academics, clinicians, professional staff and students. Events provide opportunities to find out about the latest research, to learn new skills, and to share best practice. They are also venues for formal and informal networking that can be crucial for job enrichment and career development.

1.3 For AHSC events organised by the AHSC Directorate, we expect the same adherence to standards of professional conduct and the same commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion as for Imperial College London events. All members of the College are expected to be familiar with the university policy on Bullying and Harassment, which provides guidance on how to deal with incidents of unacceptable behaviour and how to prevent them from occurring in the first place.

1.4 At the AHSC we recognise that there are many groups who are still under-represented among students and staff, particularly, in the latter case, at more senior academic and professional levels. One of the ways we can try to address this issue is to take active steps to promote equality, diversity and inclusion at AHSC events. We believe this aspiration is fully consistent with the desire of organisers to invite the highest quality speakers and discussants in order to offer the richest possible experience to attendees.

1.5 These twin goals, to enforce conduct that respects the dignity of the individual and to be proactive in enabling the full participation of everyone in our activities, reflect our institutional values and are fully aligned with Imperial’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

1.6 To that end we have produced this policy document to guide the AHSC in our events management and speaker engagement.

1.7 The document is divided into two parts:

  • A) a code of conduct;
  • B) guidance on how to incorporate considerations of equality, diversity and inclusion in conference planning and participation, including our policy on speakers, how to gather equalities data, and our accessibility notice

A) AHSC Events Code of Conduct

The organisers are committed to making AHSC events productive and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, physical appearance, ethnicity, nationality or religion. The AHSC will not tolerate harassment of participants in any form. As part of the registration process, attendees are required to agree to adhere to this code of conduct.

Code of conduct:

  • Behave professionally. Harassment and sexist, racist, or exclusionary comments or jokes are not appropriate. Harassment includes sustained disruption of talks or other events, inappropriate physical contact, sexual attention or innuendo, deliberate intimidation, stalking, and photography or recording of an individual without consent. It also includes offensive or belittling comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, physical appearance, body size, ethnicity or religion.
  • All communication should be appropriate for a professional audience including people of many different backgrounds. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate.
  • Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down other attendees.
  • The AHSC reserves the right to remove any person who does not adhere to the code of conduct, regardless of where the event is held.

Incident Reporting and Resolution:

If you observe someone making you or anyone else feel unsafe or unwelcome, please tell them so, and remind them of the Code of Conduct.

If you are hesitant about addressing the person yourself, report it as soon as possible to an event organiser. The AHSC is committed to addressing and resolving incidents to the best of their abilities.

Please use the following contact information and explain what happened and who was involved so that we can investigate: ahsc.news@imperial.ac.uk.

Thank you for your participation in the AHSC community, and your efforts to keep our conference welcoming, respectful, and friendly for all participants!

Sanctions:

When someone is asked to stop any behaviour that makes others uncomfortable, they are expected to comply immediately. In response to inappropriate behaviour (e.g. sexual content, rudeness, unprofessional behaviour) organisers may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the person in question, asking them to leave the event, or removing them from a mailing list.

Specific actions may include but are not limited to:

  • asking the person to cease the inappropriate behaviour, and warning them that any further reports will result in other sanctions
  • requiring that the person avoid any interaction with, and physical proximity to, another person for the remainder of the event
  • early termination of a talk that violates the policy
  • not publishing the video or slides of a talk that violates the policy
  • not allowing a speaker who violated the policy to give (further) talks at the event
  • immediately ending any event responsibilities or privileges held
  • requiring that the person immediately leave the event and not return
  • blocking the person on social media platforms (for a defined time period)
  • banning the person from future events (for a defined time period)
  • publishing an anonymous account of the harassment
  • reporting the incident to the person’s employer

B) Guidance on How to Incorporate Considerations of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in AHSC Events Planning and Participation

The size and range of formats of conferences, seminars and meetings can vary enormously, as can the resources available to organisers and the practical constraints (e.g. available facilities) under which they operate. The particular challenges of promoting equality, diversity and inclusion can also differ depending on the disciplinary coverage of the meeting.

The guidance below offers examples of good practice which we expect to be considered by the AHSC Directorate who are involved in seminar organisation.

Speaker Policy

  • It is the policy of the AHSC to host a variety of diverse speakers across our events. Due to the specific nature of some of our topics, it can be difficult to find appropriate speakers. It is our aim to host speakers that reflect the diversity of the UK population, and to monitor this across all the events of the year, rather one on an event-by-event basis.
  • For all events, the AHSC shall consider the need for speakers from diverse backgrounds, with acknowledgement of the difficulties of finding suitable experts within academia.
  • Where a panel is formed (more than two speakers) to discuss an event, the AHSC shall strive to avoid all male panels.
  • Staff members of the AHSC that organise events will undergo unconscious bias training, and this shall be reviewed annually.
  • The AHSC will utilise resources, databases, and networks, to find a wide variety of speakers across our institutional partners.
  • The AHSC will offer support and guidance to first time speakers, and to those who need additional support.
  • The AHSC will host events and panels at a variety of times to be inclusive towards the needs of various groups.
  • Where possible, the AHSC will livestream seminars so that those that cannot attend can still participate.

Attendee Participation

  • AHSC seminars are the AHSC’s main vehicle for public engagement, with its other workshops and events mostly by invitation events. The AHSC member organisations work at the forefront of research and patient care serving a diverse population across West London and beyond. We are committed to attracting attendees from diverse communities to our seminars. These AHSC events are open to everyone and free of charge. Seminars should be promoted through a wide range of channels to reach different audiences.
  • The CATO events programme, which includes conferences, training courses and masterclasses is aimed specifically at clinicians who are involved or interested in undertaking clinical research.  CATO is committed to engaging and involving clinicians from all backgrounds.  All events are delivered free of charge to members of AHSC organisations and promoted through a wide range of channels.

Gathering Equalities Data

It is recommended that the AHSC begin tracking the EDI information of event attendees. To do this in line with current data protection guidelines, additional optional custom questions can be added to Eventbrite, Teams or Zoom registrations, including but not limited to:

  • Race and ethnicity
  • Age
  • Gender identity
  • Disability
  • Sexual orientation

The data gathered should be reviewed annually, at a minimum.

Accessibility Notice

When planning events, organisers should follow either the AHSC Accessible Events Checklist (In-person Events) or AHSC Accessible Events (Virtual Events).