Community conferences are online gatherings that feature a variety of sessions – including keynotes, panels, activities, small-group video breakouts, and more – for participants. The events provide a safe and convenient way for members of the CF community to connect, share, and learn from each other.

Community conferences are free!

Community conferences take place completely online. The events use a virtual environment that allows attendees to use video, chat, and other technology to connect with each other in real-time.

Requirements for individual events may vary, but in general community conferences bring the experience of an in-person conference to your personal computer. So, just like an in-person conference, you have the freedom to pick the sessions you attend.

The length of community conferences ranges from a couple of hours to a multiple-day experience. Be sure to check the agenda for event-specific information.

Community conferences began as a way for adults with cystic fibrosis to connect, share, and learn from each other, but today there are several community conferences that serve some or all of the CF community, including people with CF, their family members, friends and other members of their support system; clinicians and researchers who work on CF; CF Foundation staff; and other supporters of the work conducted by the CF Foundation. Please review the intended audiences before registering for an event.

To create a safe virtual environment, all registrants must agree to community guidelines to participate.

Only CF community members are allowed in the small-group video breakout rooms, and these sessions are not recorded. A trained facilitator will also help to lead a productive dialogue in each of these sessions. Additionally, all virtual events have mental health counselors on-call in case any issues arise.

Community conferences are planned for and by the CF community! Every event is planned with at least one community member program chair and a work group of 10 to 30 volunteers who are people with CF and/or CF family members, depending on the audience of the event.

Program agendas are developed by the volunteer work group. Community members are welcome to send topic suggestions to communityconferences@cff.org at any time. If you would like to be invited to participate in a work group, you can indicate your interest in the feedback survey that you will receive after the events that you register for.

Yes! You can choose any session you would like to attend in each breakout session time block. Space is limited for some sessions, so sign up early and please only select a session if you plan to attend. 

You can cancel or update your registration using the link provided in your registration confirmation email or by notifying communityconferences@cff.org.

Recordings of certain sessions – including most keynotes, panels, and information sessions – are available after an event. You may access them at any time by logging into the event platform or viewing them on the CF Foundation YouTube channel. Breakout sessions are not recorded.

For most events, resources such as PDFs will be available during and after an event is finished. Like session recordings, you may access them at any time by logging into the event platform.

Every participant at a community conference has a personal profile, where they can choose to share information about social media accounts and ways to contact them. This information will be available during and after events.

Community conferences are planned for and by the CF community! Every event is planned with at least one community member program chair and a work group of 10 to 30 volunteers who are people with CF and/or CF family members, depending on the audience of the event.

Program agendas are developed by the volunteer work group. Community members are welcome to send topic suggestions to communityconferences@cff.org at any time. If you would like to be invited to participate in a work group, you can indicate your interest in the feedback survey that you will receive after the events that you register for.

Before the event, select your device.

• For the best experience at the event, we recommend joining from a computer or laptop and using the latest version of Google Chrome to ensure you have full functionality.
• If you plan to participate from a mobile device or tablet, download the Hopin app.
• Accessibility features are not available on a mobile device or tablet.

Before the event, perform the following system checks.

1. Test your browser, internet connection, and make sure your video and microphone work.
2. Additional information on browser compatibility.
3. If after these checks you find the technology doesn’t work, email communityconferences@cff.org.

Although you do not need a webcam to attend virtual events, you’re encouraged to use your webcam during the breakout sessions to allow for a face-to-face experience with other attendees.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to join the event. Additionally, you can visit cff.org/communityconferences and follow the Join/Register link to join the event.

You can indicate your interest by attending a virtual event and completing the post-event survey, or by emailing communityconferences@cff.org.

Sign up for emails about upcoming CF community conferences and get alerts when new community conference dates are set, and registration opens.