Code of Conduct

MLHC’s mission is to create a community where clinical and computational researchers come together to advance the meaningful use of health data, via generous critique and thoughtful collaborations.  This requires a community and an environment that respects the worth of every individual and is a safe, respectful, and productive place to share ideas.  We also emphasize that beyond the code of conduct below, we encourage all members of our community recognize what a broad and interdisciplinary group we are -- that is both our strength, and also places a higher bar on everyone’s effort to be inclusive to others who may not share one’s technical background, in addition to one’s personal background.

Who: All participants (attendees, organizers, reviewers, speakers, sponsors, and volunteers) are required to agree with this code of conduct both during the event and on official communication channels, including social media. We expect cooperation from all participants.

What: A safe place for ideas: Different fields have different norms around whether presented and discussed work is considered an idea that others may build on.  At MLHC, we view critique as a gift from the giver to the receiver, with no expectation of authorship, collaboration, etc.  If one hears of an interesting idea/work in progress, one should first check with the author of the idea with respect to their future plans before pursuing it themselves. 

What: A safe place for people: The conference commits itself to providing an experience for all participants that is free from harassment, bullying, discrimination, and retaliation for all participants. This includes offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), politics, technology choices, or any other personal characteristics. Bullying, intimidation, personal attacks, harassment, sustained disruption of talks or other events, and behavior that interferes with another's full participation will not be tolerated. This includes sexual harassment, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording, inappropriate physical contact, unwelcome sexual attention, public vulgar exchanges, and diminutive characterizations, which are all unwelcome in this community.  This includes sponsors.

Outcomes: Participants asked by any member of the community to stop any such behavior are expected to comply immediately. If a participant engages in such behavior, the conference organizers may take any action they deem appropriate, including: a formal or informal warning to the offender, expulsion from the conference with no refund, barring from participation in future conferences or their organization, reporting the incident to the offender’s local institution or funding agencies, or reporting the incident to local law enforcement. If action is taken, an appeals process will be made available.

Reporting If you have concerns related to your inclusion at that conference, or observe someone else's difficulties, or have any other concerns related to inclusion, please contact the organizers at organizers@mlforhc.org.

We gratefully accept feedback from the community on policy and actions; please contact us.

(Note: this Code of Conduct is adapted from the ICML Code of Conduct, which we are grateful for as a guide!)