PAS 2020 Meeting Cancellation Attendee Frequently Asked Questions

Unfortunately, it has become impossible to hold the in-person PAS 2020 Meeting due to public health guidance and institutional and state travel restrictions. Following the announcement of the cancellation of the in-person PAS 2020 Meeting, PAS is sharing important details for attendees.

Will PAS 2020 be postponed until a later date or rescheduled?
Meetings the size of PAS are planned years in advance and require extensive logistical planning. This includes careful coordination with cities large enough to accommodate thousands of people at once. Given our scale and event requirements, rescheduling is not an option.

Will any content be made available?
At this time, there is no plan for content to be made available other than the Online Program Guide.

Can I submit my accepted abstract to another conference or proceed with my publication?
Yes, authors are free to resubmit accepted abstracts and proceed with publication. Before doing so we urge you to carefully review the relevant submission or publication guidelines to be sure you are in full compliance.

Will my registration be refunded?
You have the option to receive a full refund of your paid PAS 2020 registration OR you may donate your registration funds as a charitable contribution to PAS, a tax exempt 501(c)3 organization. Donations will be used to support preparations for the PAS 2021 Meeting. You may indicate your preference for a full refund or donation beginning Wednesday, March 25, 2020.  Please indicate your preference by May 12.  If no preference is indicated, your registration will be refunded in full following May 12.

If you paid with a check and prefer a refund, you will receive a refund via check within 60 days of your request.

If you have previously cancelled your registration and received a refund minus a 20% fee, the additional fee will be refunded to you within 60 days, by May 12.

How may I support the PAS during this challenging time?
You have the option to receive a full refund of your paid PAS 2020 registration OR you may donate your registration funds as a charitable contribution to PAS, a tax exempt 501(c)3 organization. Donations will be used to support preparations for the PAS 2021 Meeting. You may indicate your preference for a full refund or donation beginning Wednesday, March 25, 2020.  Please indicate your preference by May 12.  If no preference is indicated, your registration will be refunded in full following May 12.

How do I cancel my hotel room reservation?
If you booked your hotel reservation using the PAS hotel booking portal, your hotel reservation will be cancelled automatically. If you booked a hotel without using the PAS portal, you will need to contact the hotel directly to cancel.

Will attendees/speakers be refunded for airline/train tickets?
No, we will not refund individual airline/train ticket costs. Please contact your airline/train station directly regarding ticket cancellations. Non-member Speakers will receive further information related to airfare within the next 30 days.

Will my abstract submission fee be refunded or credited to a future PAS Meeting?
No, we are not able to refund abstract submission fees or apply a credit to a future meeting.

I was invited to present a Scholarly Session, or peer-reviewed Workshop or Abstract. May I still list my accepted presentation on my CV?
Yes. The PAS 2020 Program Guide will be published on the PAS website soon. To cite the Program Guide, the following format is suggested. (Please check with your Department for questions about institution-specific guidelines.)

LastName, FirstName Dr. Presentation title. Workshop/Poster/Oral Platform/ Scientific Session. Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Philadelphia, PA.  May 1-5, 2020. Due to COVID-19 related conference cancellation, this peer-reviewed abstract and/or presentation was disseminated on 4/30/2020 to the PAS 2020 Meeting Program Guide.

Citation of Abstracts
Abstracts are published in electronic format only. For purposes of citation, please use EPAS2020: Publication number. Example: E-PAS2020:5555. • 2020 example citation: E-PAS2020:5555.543

Note: We are exploring the inclusion of the PAS 2020 Meeting Program Guide in Research Gate and suggest authors also consider depositing content in their local institutional repository.

Are all ancillary events associated with PAS 2020 canceled as well?
All events, including ancillary programs, are cancelled. If needed, any further instructions on cancelling events will be sent to the ancillary event organizer.

The PAS will continue to keep you updated as further details are confirmed related to the cancellation of the in-person 2020 Meeting. Anyone with urgent and immediate concerns should email info@pasmeeting.org. Again, we thank you for your patience as we work through confirming the important details you need to know.