# NEHA's Digital Defense: Food Safety in Crisis Virtual Conference and Exhibition

> **NIH FDA R13** · NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION · 2020 · $50,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/ Abstract
 The National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), a 501(c)3 non-profit
organization, is pleased to submit an application for funding assistance under the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Support for Conferences and Scientific Meetings
(R13 Clinical Trial Not Allowed), FOA Number: PAR-19-306. Due to the COVID-19
pandemic, social distancing, shelter-in-place orders, and the cancellation of local
conferences, meetings, and events, environmental health (EH) professionals are finding
it increasingly difficult to obtain access to continuing education and training. In response
to this need, NEHA is proposing a new virtual conference entitled Digital Defense: Food
Safety in Crisis. This conference will address new research findings and practical
approaches to food safety during a crisis with a goal to build capacity for attendees to
apply new knowledge, skills, and abilities in their organizations and agencies.
 NEHA’s Digital Defense: Food Safety in Crisis Virtual Educational Conference and
Exhibition will take place in Summer of 2020. The conference will be packaged as a series
of asynchronous and synchronous educational sessions on the 6Connex virtual platform.
This conference is designed to train, educate, and advance EH professionals, as well as
to bring people together to build a network of EH colleagues, exchange information, and
discover new and practical solutions to food safety during a pandemic. NEHA requests
funding assistance to develop, administer, and conduct this one-day educational
conference. NEHA anticipates an estimated cost of $50,000 for this virtual conference
and is requesting assistance in that amount from the FDA. NEHA is requesting funding
to assist with virtual platform associated costs to provide high quality education and
training to meet the needs of EH professionals.
 The conference objectives are to showcase innovation and present new research
findings that uniquely safeguard food safety during a pandemic; celebrate professional
achievement and making a positive difference (quantifiably, if possible); create an
immersive virtual learning experience for attendees and provide an opportunity to discuss
current concerns and future issues on food safety and disaster preparedness; provide a
call to action for attendees; illustrate the impact attendees can make by application and
implementation; and inspire attendees to take the action to make that difference. The
Digital Defense conference will be a premier virtual event dedicated exclusively to food
safety issues with practical information and real-world information and expertise; high
quality speakers and expert moderators; and balanced perspectives, local to national,
and global. Attendees will take away information on implementation and application of
new food safety practices, technology and disaster preparedness, as well as inspiration
to lead their organization and the EH profession into the future.
 FDA ORA’s vision that “all food i...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10144786
- **Project number:** 1R13FD006968-01
- **Recipient organization:** NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID T DYJACK
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** FDA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $50,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-07-01 → 2021-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10144786

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10144786, NEHA's Digital Defense: Food Safety in Crisis Virtual Conference and Exhibition (1R13FD006968-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10144786. Licensed CC0.

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