Policy and Procedure for Professional Presentations
AMERSA believes in promoting cultural humility and inclusiveness in our mission to improve health and well-being through interdisciplinary leadership in substance use education, research, clinical care, and policy. This belief applies to AMERSA’s Board of Directors and Executive Team and extends to persons who present at AMERSA-sponsored events, including, but not limited to AMERSA conferences, webinars, journals, and podcasts. AMERSA is committed to ensuring that its programs are free of stigma, racism, discrimination, and marginalization of any kind towards all people, including people who use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
Rationale
Undesirable labels, qualities, and behaviors assigned to persons who use substances contribute to stereotyping and stigma, perpetuate bias, and deprive the health and well-being of all members of society. This results in limiting access to care, causes harm, promotes isolation and reduces help-seeking. Stigma is often accidentally or intentionally propagated in healthcare and educational settings. The following are a set of agreed upon standards by which AMERSA will ensure its commitment to ensure its programs are free of stigma, racism, or discrimination, and marginalization of any kind towards all people, including people who use alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
Procedures
- Individuals submitting abstracts and/or presenting at AMERSA-sponsored events will consent to the following in all written and oral documents/posters/presentations/etc.:
- Convey respect for the worth and dignity of all persons and use person-first language in all communications. This means using medically clear, scientifically accurate, and non-stigmatizing terminology. Avoid, for example, the terms: drug user, alcoholic, drunk, junkie, addict, abuser, drug habit, drug abuse, drug problem, relapse, clean or dirty, or slang and idioms verbally or on slides. Preferred terms when discussing the spectrum of unhealthy alcohol and drug use include: substance use disorder, use, risky or unhealthy behavior, person in recovery, abstinent, recurrence or return to use, and urine toxicology showed methamphetamine (for example).
- Appreciate that while there is no universal or standard terminology for pharmacotherapy for substance use disorders, the terms “substitution or replacement therapy” will not be accepted.
- Focus on the health, biopsychosocial, and spiritual nature of the substance use spectrum. When discussing the recovery process, recognize it in the broadest sense possible, acknowledging that recovery is defined by the person who uses or has used drugs. Information presented must be based on the evidence and informed by expertise and professional and / or lived experience.Demonstrate respect for the autonomy of people with lived experience to refer to themselves and their behavior using the terminology of their choosing
- Individuals accepted to AMERSA-led or sponsored events will complete and submit a self-assessment of their abstract and presentation content (e.g., poster, slides, handouts) (See Appendix I), referring as needed to the publication Confronting Inadvertent Stigma and Pejorative Language in Addiction Scholarship: A Recognition and Response.
- If requested, presenters will submit their materials to AMERSA for review in advance for an independent review using the checklist in Appendix I.
- If pejorative or inappropriate terminology is used during a presentation, the presenter should be prepared to respond to a question about this from the moderator and/or audience. The presenter may be interrupted by the moderator or AMERSA-related designee and offered the opportunity to self-correct.
CODE of CONDUCT for AMERSA EVENTS
AMERSA seeks to create an open and welcoming environment at our conferences and other gatherings, whether in-person or virtual. AMERSA has pledged to promote cultural, linguistic, and racial equity and inclusion as we advance evidence-based and interprofessional substance use scholarship, policies, and clinical practice. That commitment extends to creating a safe space for all AMERSA events in which there is no discrimination based on, including but not limited to, age, culture, disability, education, ethnicity, faith, family status, gender identity, language, lived or living experience, national origin, occupation, physical appearance, political leanings, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexuality, or socioeconomic position. Below are code of conduct policies regarding person-first language, alcohol consumption at AMERSA events, photography, suggestions for positive behaviors and reporting harassment.
This code of conduct applies to all convening participants and all event-related staff (e.g. hotel staff, AV technicians, interpreters, etc.). It applies to all convening-related activities such as sessions related to the formal agenda; all related side- and social- events; parties; and informal gatherings at restaurants or bars.
Person-first language
AMERSA is a leader in promoting person-first language and avoiding terminology that can be
stigmatizing. Specifically, person-first language (1) respects the worth and dignity of all persons and avoids perpetuating negative stereotypes and biases through the use of slang and idioms. Conference attendees are asked to follow the principles outlined in the publication cited below, accessible at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24911031/.
Broyles LM, Binswanger IA, Jenkins JA, et al. Confronting inadvertent stigma and pejorative language in addiction scholarship: a recognition and response. Subst Abus. 2014;35(3):217-221. Doi:10.1080/08897077.2014.930372
When speaking about patients or persons who use substances, it is important to be respectful of the persons who are the focus of the discussion, maintaining anonymity of the person(s) as well as being acutely aware that persons with such lived experiences may be in the audience.
Alcohol
AMERSA does not provide alcohol for sponsored events, including the annual conference, and prohibits the use of AMERSA funds for purchase or provision of alcoholic beverages at any gatherings of the association.
Positive Behaviors
For real discussions to take place, it is inevitable to have different expressions and opinions, however, any kind of harassment will not be tolerated. In the case of any harassment, we will take strict action, as outlined in the Enforcement section below.
To build a conductive atmosphere, we provide the following examples of positive behaviors.
- Recognize the value of scholarly disagreements and convey respect for the opinions of others;
- When speaking, briefly introduce yourself: provide your name and your affiliation;
- In the question period following a presentation, be succinct; please restrict yourself to one question or one comment;
- Be audible and speak with clarity;
- Be a an active and engaged listener when someone is expressing themselves;
- Maintain your calm, address the issue;
- Disagreements happen; it’s okay to walk away from a conversation that isn’t fruitful or is becoming tense;
- Do not assume anyone’s gender identity, gender pronouns (some people don’t identify with the sex they were assigned at birth, and others use gender-neutral pronouns. You can ask people what their gender pronoun is), sexual orientation, survivor status, economic status, background, or health status;
- Try to refer to people by their name.
Reporting Harassment
If you are being harassed or observe someone being harassed, please report by taking the following actions.
- Locating an AMERSA staff at the registration desk;
- Communicating with the AMERSA host of the virtual event;
- Emailing the AMERSA Executive Director or AMERSA host of the event.
All reports made will be kept confidential except when otherwise prohibited by law (there is a threat to self or others or a serious crime has been committed).
Photography
Please ask permission beforehand to determine the individual’s comfort level with being photographed.
Enforcement
AMERSA staff and leaders may intervene when there is a concern of code of conduct. Participants who are asked to stop any behavior inconsistent with the code of conduct are expected to remediate their behavior and follow the request. All complaints will be reviewed and investigated and will result in a response that is deemed necessary and appropriate to the circumstances.
Event organizers retain the right to take any action to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender, expulsion from the conference/ event, mediation with the complainant / victim in the complaint and the person alleged to have participated in harassing or discriminatory behavior. However, to preserve both the safety and the confidentiality of the complainant / victim in the complaint, no specific action will be taken without consultation and their approval. Any illegal conduct will also be reported to local authorities if needed.
EXHIBITORS AND SPONSORS
Background
The mission of AMERSA, Inc. is to improve health and well-being through interdisciplinary leadership and advocacy in substance use education, research, clinical care, and policy. This policy guides the selection of exhibitors and sponsors consistent with the mission, values, and goals of the organization.
Rationale
Financial or in-kind support from exhibitors and sponsors offsets the considerable expense involved in staging the conference, reducing the financial barriers to participation and enhancing inclusivity. AMERSA values outside contributions yet is obligated to ensure the independence of the organization relative to the scientific, educational, and advocacy activities it undertakes.
Definitions
Exhibitor: a person or company whose work or products is/are being shown in exhibition
Sponsor: a person or company who provides financial support, at a designated level to help make educational content available and enhance inclusivity.
Procedure
1. In accord with the position of the organization, funds are not accepted from medical, alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and psychoactive substance industries (e.g., pharmaceutical, medical device, psychotherapy software, biotechnology industries, or foundations established by these businesses). As such, they are not permitted to exhibit at conferences nor sponsor any events.
2. For-profit corporations or foundations of for-profit corporations are not permitted as sponsors.
3. Other than medical industries specified above, permissible for-profit corporations foundations of for-profit corporations may rent exhibit space (via submission of Exhibitor’s Prospectus) and can donate unrestricted funds to the organization.
4. Exhibitors seeking to sell goods (e.g., books, advocacy-themed items) must have approval from AMERSA. Such exhibitors must submit a comprehensive inventory of goods to the Executive Director, and if approved, post the approval notice at their exhibit table.
5. Exhibitors may provide promotional items, but those must be confined to the respective exhibitor table. Advertisements and promotional materials may not be displayed or distributed in the educational space at any time.
6. Exhibitor representatives may attend an educational activity under the following conditions:
- They may not engage in promotional activities outside of their assigned exhibitor booth
- Exhibitors must defer to registrants when space is limited in an activity room
- They must wear an Exhibitor badge at all times while in conference venue
7. Sponsors must be in line with the AMERSA mission, ethics, character and purpose of the conference. Where this is in question, the Executive Director will consult with the board of directors for final decision.
8. Sponsors who participated in tiered sponsorship cannot specify how their contributions are spent. The organization will, however, provide explicit information regarding the benefits to the sponsor for each tier.
9. Sponsors may contribute to specific sponsorship options offered by the organization (e.g., refreshment breaks, Wi-Fi support, lanyards) and be recognized accordingly. 10. To ensure the independence and integrity of the conference, sponsors will not be involved in the choice of invited speakers, topics presented, the submission review process, and the composition and operations of the conference program or review committees. 11. The conference materials will list the exhibitors and sponsors in accordance with their level of contribution (e.g., platinum, gold, silver).