Fiscal Year 2016: CDC-Hosted Conferences Spending Report

About this report

In compliance with OMB Memorandum M-12-12 ("Promoting Efficient Spending to Support Agency Operations") this report includes all CDC-hosted conferences held in fiscal year (FY) 2016 where expenses associated with the conference exceeded $100,000. The conference descriptions include:

• The date of the conference.
• The location of the conference.
• A brief explanation of how the conference advanced the mission of the agency.
• A description of exceptional circumstances for conferences where expenses exceeded $500,000.
• The total conference expenses incurred by the agency for the conference.
• The total number of individuals whose travel expenses or other conference expenses were paid by the agency.

Center for Global Health

Stop Transmission of Polio Trainings 47 and 48

Dates: January 4–22, 2016; June 6–24, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: Emory Conference Center/CDC Tom Harkin Global Communications Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: This is a biannual conference held twice in 2016 (one in January and one in June). The Stop Transmission of Polio (STOP) program is a joint WHO, UNICEF, and CDC initiative to eradicate polio and provide field support for polio eradication, measles control, and routine immunizations. The STOP pre-deployment training provided volunteers from the United States and other countries with an in-depth understanding of immunization programs, surveillance, and polio eradication activities. STOP participants are deployed primarily to strengthen acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance, support national immunization days, and conduct polio case investigation and follow-up.
Description of exceptional circumstances: The purpose of CDC's STOP conference is to train public health officials for global deployment to improve polio surveillance and to help plan, implement, and evaluate vaccination campaigns. Polio has been declared a global public health emergency, and this training was conducted to ensure capacity-building skills and technical assistance abilities based on in-country immunization program needs. STOP team members are on the front lines of the polio eradication effort. The large number of training attendees was in direct correlation with the number of STOP team members requested for deployment to the field. The cost was due in large part to the travel costs incurred. However, in order to ensure that all team members received in-depth, up-to-date training on polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases before their deployment to the field, it was most cost-effective to bring all team members to Atlanta to receive training simultaneously. The interactive nature of the training and the participation of numerous subject matter experts ensured an optimal learning environment.
Total estimated cost: $1,134,970 and $1,209,201, respectively
Total attendees: 121 (each conference)
Total feds on travel: 0
Total non-feds on travel: 101 (each conference)

Workforce and Institute Development Branch and Field Epidemiology Training Program retreat

Dates: May 6–10, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: CDC Tom Harkin Global Communications Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: The Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) trains and develops cadres of in-country field epidemiologists ("disease detectives") to collect and use health data to identify and respond to disease outbreaks and other public health threats, provide an evidence base to control well-known and emerging diseases, and to link regionally and globally to promote global health security.
Total estimated cost: $126,567
Total attendees: 22
Total feds on travel: 18
Total non-feds on travel: 4

2016 Center for Global Health Americas Regional Training – Week 1

Dates: May 31–June 3, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: CDC Tom Harkin Global Communications Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: This conference provided critical training to our global public health workforce to ensure CDC continues to protect the public from both foreign and domestic health, safety, and security threats. The regional training was for CDC overseas staff in the Americas (direct hires as well as locally employed staff) to ensure they meet mandatory CDC training requirements that cannot be accessed online. Other training was provided to staff for professional development needs as identified by the Center for Global Health (CGH) Overseas Operations Office and staff in the region.
Total estimated cost: $108,860
Total attendees: 175
Total feds on travel: 130
Total non-feds on travel: 0

2016 Division of Global HIV/TB Annual Meeting

Dates: June 5–10, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: This meeting builds the expertise of lead technical and management personnel (not only U.S. direct hires, but also locally employed staff) to further CDC's mission of working with partners throughout the world to monitor threats, detect and investigate health problems, conduct research to address prevention, develop and advocate sound public health policies, implement prevention strategies, promote healthy behaviors, foster safe and healthful environments, and provide leadership and training. Ensuring alignment with the five key agendas of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), this meeting focused on strategies for achieving the three guiding pillars of accountability, transparency, and impact. It facilitated communication between the leadership of CDC headquarters and more than 40 CDC Division of Global HIV & Tuberculosis (DGHT) offices overseas and afforded a rare occurrence for personnel to all be in the same time zone and hear the same information and policy updates.
Description of exceptional circumstances: This conference supported the agency's mission by meeting four of the ten essential functions of public health. This conference allowed DGHT, which leads the prevention and control of global HIV/AIDS and TB, to review and assess progress on meeting public health objectives that translated into lives saved. The meeting was needed to review and assess one-year progress of integration of TB into the former Division of Global HIV/AIDS. It would not be prudent to wait an additional year to assess and review progress because the important objectives of realizing an AIDS-free generation require annual review and assessment.

This annual meeting entailed staff from over 40 overseas offices. The technical capability of many of the offices in resource-poor settings is such that teleconferencing and video would be unacceptable. The total number of estimated participants for this meeting was 700. Given the division's presence in more than 40 country offices abroad, attendance was restricted to approximately four participants per country office. The remaining participants included DGHT headquarters staff as well as participants from other divisions working in global health at CDC.
Total estimated cost: $793,043
Total attendees: 700
Total feds on travel: 225
Total non-feds on travel: 0

Global Disease Detection Scientific Meeting

Dates: June 8–10, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: Marriott Century Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: The Global Disease Detection program (GDD) promotes scientific discovery by partnering with host countries to identify new health threats and reduce the burden of infectious diseases. GDD is CDC's principal program for advancing the science behind global health security. The Global Disease Detection scientific meeting brought together GDD field staff with program staff and subject matter experts for a 10-year program review and further refinement of GDD's scientific strategy.
Total estimated cost: $319,972
Total attendees: 85
Total feds on travel: 35
Total non-feds on travel: 50

2016 Center for Global Health Americas Regional Training – Week 2

Dates: June 13–17, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: CDC Tom Harkin Global Communications Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: This conference provided critical training to our global public health workforce to ensure CDC continues to protect the public from both foreign and domestic health, safety, and security threats. The regional training was for CDC overseas staff in the Americas (direct hires as well as locally employed staff) to ensure they meet mandatory CDC training requirements that cannot be accessed online. Other training was provided to staff for professional development needs as identified by the CGH Overseas Operations Office and staff in the region.
Total estimated cost: $171,028
Total attendees: 175
Total feds on travel: 155
Total non-feds on travel: 0

Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services

65th Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service Conference

Dates: May 2–5, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: The primary mission for the Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS) is to provide scientific service, expertise, skills, and tools in support of CDC's national efforts to promote health; prevent disease, injury and disability; and prepare for emerging health threats. CSELS's Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development (DSEPD) has a strategic priority to prepare the public health workforce for 21st-century public health challenges. DSEPD's Epidemiology Work Force Branch (EWB) is responsible for implementing a major part of that strategic goal by annually training a class of about 80 Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) officers who provide service to CDC and state and local health agencies as part of their two-year training program. The EIS officer training program consists of a number of Core Activities of Learning (CALS) that officers must complete in the course of their two years to successfully graduate from the program. The EIS Conference is a public forum for current officers to give scientific presentations, increase their knowledge of recent investigations, and increase their skills in determining appropriateness of epidemiologic methods. The conference also provides opportunities for scientific exchange regarding the most current epidemiologic topics and highlights epidemiologic activities at CDC.
Description of exceptional circumstances: This annually required conference brought first- and second-year EIS officers the opportunity to present epidemiological findings to a national audience as part of their professional development and fellowship requirement. Additionally, it presented the opportunity for scientific exchange regarding current epidemiological topics, highlighted the breadth of epidemiological activities at CDC, strengthened the EIS professional network, and provided a forum for CDC programs to recruit new EIS officers. The conference is one of the most recognized CDC fellowship conferences, with a long-standing history of national and international public health interest. This event also served the broader public health scientific community by highlighting research conducted by CDC while providing a forum for communication and collaboration.
Total estimated cost: $638,511
Total attendees: 1,979
Total feds on travel: 1,078
Total non-feds on travel: 78

2016 Epidemic Intelligence Service and Laboratory Leadership Service Summer Course

Dates: July 1–29, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: Emory Conference Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: The EIS Summer Course directly corresponds to the mission of CDC as an agency and specifically to that of DSEPD and EWB. Annually, the EIS Summer Course provides the incoming EIS class with a training of the basic skills necessary to begin the two-year training through service in applied epidemiology. The information provided a foundation to apply epidemiology successfully to a wide variety of public health issues during the officers' first two years and beyond.
Total estimated cost: $256,284
Total attendees: 98
Total feds on travel: 31
Total non-feds on travel: 0

Human Resources Office

Leaderfest 2016 – Discovering Differences...Embracing the Possibilities

Dates: August 3–4, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: CDC Tom Harkin Global Communications Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: CDC University (CDCU) provides continuous learning and professional development opportunities to develop and sustain a capable, competent workforce in support of CDC's mission. CDCU remains committed to working with employees to provide high-quality, economical training courses and programs. Leaderfest offered a variety of impactful workshops that addressed challenges leaders and non-leaders face in their daily roles. The training focused on communication, managing conflict, interpersonal skills, leading and managing change, and resiliency.
Total estimated cost: $118,053
Total attendees: 219
Total feds on travel: 0
Total non-feds on travel: 0

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

2015 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System National Meeting

Dates: October 19–23, 2015

Venue, city, state, or country: W Hotel, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) is a surveillance project of CDC and state health departments. PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy. The goal of PRAMS is to improve the health of mothers and infants by reducing adverse outcomes such as low birth weight, infant mortality and morbidity, and maternal morbidity. PRAMS provides state-specific data for planning and assessing health programs and for describing maternal experiences that may contribute to maternal and infant health. The conference directly supported the mission of the Division of Reproductive Health (DRH) and CDC by providing training and technical assistance to PRAMS grantees.
Total estimated cost: $170,142
Total attendees: 175
Total feds on travel: 40
Total non-feds on travel: 135

National Center for Environmental Health/Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry

Summit on Environmental Hazards and Health Effects

Dates: January 26–29, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: Georgia Tech Conference Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: The Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects (EHHE) has three state-based grant programs: the National Asthma Control Program, the Environmental Public Health Tracking Program, and the Climate-Ready States and Cities Initiative. This meeting supported EHHE's goals for improving collaboration among programs and partners. Additionally, it supported funding opportunity announcements in the Environmental Public Health Tracking Branch and the Air Pollution and Respiratory Health Branch.
Total estimated cost: $350,000
Total attendees: 333
Total feds on travel: 0
Total non-feds on travel: 0

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

2015 National HIV Prevention Conference

Dates: December 6–9, 2015

Venue, city, state, or country: Hyatt/Marriott Hotels, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: The mission of the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention's (NCHHSTP) Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention (DHAP) is to prevent HIV infection and reduce the incidence of HIV-related illness and death, which is achieved in collaboration with community, state, national, and international partners. Despite remarkable advances in HIV detection, prevention, and treatment, HIV remains a severe and ongoing health problem in the United States. The National HIV Prevention Conference is the only U.S. national conference that allows in-person collaboration between scientists and program personnel planning and implementing HIV prevention programs. This conference provided a rigorous scientific, programmatic, and technology information exchange of HIV prevention strategies guided by the National HIV Prevention Strategy. The training provided and knowledge gained by attendance at the conference was critical to refine, improve, and strengthen our nation's response to the HIV epidemic. The meeting helped advance CDC's HIV prevention programs and their work to improve treatment, care, and support for persons living with HIV/AIDS, and it helped build capacity and infrastructure to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the United States and around the world.
Description of exceptional circumstances: Despite remarkable advances in HIV detection, prevention, and treatment, HIV remains a severe and ongoing health problem in the United States. The National HIV Prevention Conference (NHPC) brings together more than 3,000 individuals who are working to stop the spread of HIV in the United States. It provides an opportunity to continue refining, improving, and strengthening our nation's urgent need to respond to the HIV epidemic.

NHPC is unique in structure in that it is the only U.S. national conference that allows for face-to-face collaboration between scientists and program personnel who plan and implement HIV prevention programs. The multi-layered speakers and participants are comprised of scientific researchers, leaders in the field of public health, federal- and state-funded community-based organizations, national capacity building and technical assistance providers, state and local HIV health department staff, academia, clinicians, care and treatment providers, and grantees and staff of other federal agencies charged with decreasing HIV/AIDS. During the course of the conference these partners address new programmatic approaches, share training techniques and new technologies, and share best practices and the latest scientific findings. The 4-day comprehensive conference hosts 5 plenary sessions, 102 workshops, 58 roundtables, and 208 oral poster presentations and is a platform for more than 400 speakers and presenters who participate in a rigorous scientific, programmatic, and technological information exchange. The alternative approaches to bringing these groups together in this manner—multiple smaller meetings or one-on-one consultations—are considerably less cost-effective.
Total estimated cost: $1,906,217
Total attendees: 3,034
Total feds on travel: 511
Total non-feds on travel: 33

Comprehensive High-Impact HIV Prevention Projects for Community-Based Organization, Grantee Orientation Meeting

Dates: September 20–23, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: Omni Hotel, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: NCHHSTP is the Department of Health and Human Services' lead in HIV/AIDS prevention. Conducting a grantee orientation meeting for the recently awarded grant is a critical component of overall project monitoring and oversight provided by CDC. The meeting advanced the mission of the agency by providing grantees with a comprehensive range of information, tools, and technical resources necessary to begin development and implementation of effective HIV prevention programs, and it reinforced CDC and grantee roles and responsibilities, program requirements, and program expectations. The orientation meeting is one of several components implemented as part of an ongoing strategy to engage grantees throughout the 5-year project period.
Total estimated cost: $248,120
Total attendees: 376
Total feds on travel: 76
Total non-feds on travel: 0

National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases

2016 National Immunization Conference

Dates: September 13–15, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: Hilton Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: This educational activity was one of many facets of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases' (NCIRD) ongoing efforts to educate and support providers as they try to keep up with current best practices related to immunization. Immunization is one of the great success stories in public health, listed as one of the 20th Century's greatest public health achievements. To maintain and improve on current immunization coverage levels, millions of immunizations are given annually. The number of doses distributed in the United States more than doubled in the past 20 years. In order to maintain and improve on the quality of this large and very successful immunization effort, immunization providers and program managers must know, maintain, and continuously increase their competency in these areas, which the conference supported:

1. The latest vaccine recommendations for children, adolescents, adults, and special populations, as prescribed by the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices
2. New research, new vaccines, and new vaccine supply updates
3. New epidemiological information about disease outbreaks and other disease trends
4. Programmatic strategies such as reminder/recall systems and standing orders
5. Strategies to handle current issues of concern, such as vaccine safety concerns increasingly being raised by parents

Total estimated cost: $439,429
Total attendees: 1,600
Total feds on travel: 370
Total non-feds on travel: 1,230

Office of the Chief Operating Officer

2016 Office of the Chief Operating Officer Training Forum

Dates: May 2–5, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: CDC Tom Harkin Global Communications Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: As part of the Office of the Chief Operating Officer's (OCOO) strategic direction and to meet ongoing training requirements, OCOO hosted a training forum to deliver interactive courses that enhanced employee skills, built competencies, and fulfilled annual training requirements.
Total estimated cost: $127,053
Total attendees: 1,092
Total feds on travel: 2
Total non-feds on travel: 0

Office for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support

Public Health Associate Program 2015 Class Orientation Training

Dates: October 26–30, 2015

Venue, city, state, or country: CDC Tom Harkin Global Communications Center, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: The Office for State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Support's (OSTLTS) mission is to advance U.S. public health agency and system performance, capacity, agility, and resilience. The overall purpose of the 2015 Public Health Associate Program (PHAP) Orientation training was to provide associates a forum to share information about their field assignments and program requirements and build knowledge and skills essential to achieving success in the workplace. The training fulfilled Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CDC University's PHAP trainee competencies to increase their skills and abilities to accomplish the mission of OSTLTS and to assist state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) health departments increase their capacity for public health delivery. The training provided trainees starting their two-year fellowships with the required knowledge and skills to better equip them in completing their duties on behalf of their STLT health departments and increased their ability to seek employment in the field of public health. The PHAP trainees contributed to the agency's mission by expanding the capacity and performance of partner STLT health departments during their fellowship.
Total estimated cost: $486,092
Total attendees: 243
Total feds on travel: 203
Total non-feds on travel: 0

Public Health Associate Program 2014 Graduating Class Final Spring Training

Dates: April 4–8, 2016

Venue, city, state, or country: Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: OSTLTS's mission is to advance U.S. public health agency and system performance, capacity, agility, and resilience. PHAP trainees worked at STLT health departments throughout the United States and its territories. The training provided trainees completing their two-year fellowship with the required knowledge and skills to better equip them in completing their duties on behalf of their STLT health departments and increased their ability to seek employment in the field of public health. The PHAP trainees contributed to the agency's mission by expanding the capacity and performance of partner STLT health departments during their fellowship.
Total estimated cost: $396,495
Total attendees: 168
Total feds on travel: 121
Total non-feds on travel: 0

Public Health Associate Program 2015 Class Mid-Assignment Training

Dates: May 16–20, 2016
Venue, city, state, or country: Crowne Plaza Ravinia Hotel, Atlanta, GA

How the conference advanced the mission of the agency: OSTLTS's mission is to advance U.S. public health agency and system performance, capacity, agility, and resilience. The training fulfilled HHS and CDC University's PHAP trainee competencies to increase their skills and abilities to accomplish the mission of OSTLTS and to assist STLT health departments in increasing their capacity for public health delivery. The PHAP associates contributed to the agency's mission by expanding the capacity and performance of partner STLT health departments during their fellowship and in their future employment.
Description of exceptional circumstances: PHAP fulfills HHS and CDC University's competencies to increase associates' and fellows' skills and abilities to accomplish the mission of OSTLTS and to assist STLT health departments to increase their capacity for public health delivery. Associates are spread throughout the country and travel to trainings in Atlanta to maintain standards for entry level and continuing training and education for all associates with the objective of thoroughly preparing them for careers in public health. Additionally, holding a single event over five days precluded the need for multiple, costly visits to the field to provide individual training, thus saving the government money. The training event utilized staff from across CDC and included the potential for associates to meet with CDC staff in their assignment fields.
Total estimated cost: $537,595
Total attendees: 274
Total feds on travel: 270
Total non-feds on travel: 0