Last updated: August 8, 2022The health and safety of our conference participants remains our highest priority. The Black Doctoral Network (BDN) is monitoring the on-going COVID-19 Pandemic and is prepared to manage our in-person events with the health, safety, and well-being of our attendees, presenters, exhibitors, sponsors, speakers, staff and guests in mind.
Proof of vaccination will not be required to attend the BDN conference and conference-related events. All participants attending the BDN conference and corresponding events, whether a presenter, attendee, exhibitor, staff, speaker, volunteer, or guest, are encouraged to be fully vaccinated. We also encourage individuals who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 booster prior to attending to be boosted.
BDN strongly encourages individuals to be tested for COVID prior to traveling to any BDN in-person events. Individuals who test positive should stay home and cancel your registration. No refunds will be granted starting October 1, 2022. If you test positive for COVID-19 prior to the conference and need to withdraw your participation, please email
[email protected] as soon as possible so that we can make any necessary schedule changes.
If you are on-site and have knowledge of exposure, a temperature, experience COVID-like symptoms (click here to review list of symptoms) or test positive for COVID-19, you are expected to leave the conference, notify BDN staff via email at
[email protected], and seek immediate medical attention. BDN will not be requiring in-person participants to take same day rapid tests or providing access to those tests. For more information on COVID-19 testing in Georgia visit
https://dph.georgia.gov/covidtesting.
BDN will follow the requirements of the city of Atlanta and state of Georgia in regard to masks. However, all participants at BDN in-person events are strongly encouraged to wear masks with at least 3 layers of fabric (e.g. KN95, N95) during all events. Masks are encouraged to be worn at all times, except while actively presenting or eating/drinking, and in any venue that is considered a BDN event space (both on-site and off-site venues). Masks should cover both the mouth and nose. We ask that participants honor the requests of others to mask up and/or maintain physical distancing.
A participant’s failure to follow the BDN conference health and safety measures may result in loss of entry to the BDN conference and conference-related events, including forfeiting paid registration and/or fees and access to future BDN events. These health and safety protocols may be modified at any time by BDN based on its professional judgment about how best to protect the health and safety of conference participants.
See the CDC webpage for the most updated information about masks, COVID-19 vaccination and prevention.