AMERICAN SOCIETY OF
EMERGENCY RADIOLOGY
BYLAWS
ASER
To advance the quality of
diagnosis and treatment of acutely ill or injured patients by means of medical imaging
and to enhance teaching and research in Emergency Radiology.
1.0 Name
The
name of this corporation shall be the American Society of Emergency Radiology.
2.0 Purposes
2.1 To advance and improve the radiological aspects of emergent
patient care.
2.2 To establish Emergency Radiology as an area of special interest
in the field of diagnostic imaging including sequencing, prioritization, and
management of the delivery of imaging services.
2.3 To develop educational curricula in Emergency Radiology for both
medical students and residents.
2.4 To provide, through an annual scientific
meeting, a mechanism for presentation of scientific information on various
aspects of Emergency Radiology and continuing education.
2.5 To promote research in Emergency Radiology by clinical and
basic science investigators, including residents and other trainees.
2.6
To
act as the resource body on Emergency Radiology for those interested in
emergent patient care.
2.7
To
foster the development of Emergency Radiology in other nations and/or regions
of the world.
2.8
To
develop and recommend standards of care in Emergency Radiology.
2.9
To
publish a scientific journal for dissemination of emergency radiological,
clinical, educational, and research information worldwide.
3.0 Membership
Membership
shall be in the following categories: Founding, Charter, Fellow, Active,
Associate, Member-in-Training, Inactive, Emeritus and Honorary Fellow Member.
3.1 Active Member. Shall be a diplomat of the ABR, AOBR, the Royal College of Physicians of
3.2 Associate Member. Shall be other radiologists (non
certified by the ABR, AOBR or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Canada or equivalent), scientists, imaging technologists, radiological
physician assistant, or physicians with an interest in Emergency Radiology
whose credentials are acceptable to the Membership Committee.
3.3 Member-in-Training. Physicians in training in the field of Radiology (Residents,
Fellows or Medical Students) who have an interest in Emergency Radiology.
3.4 Inactive. A
member who has significantly decreased his/her time in the active practice of
Radiology. Inactive status will
be recommended by the Membership Committee upon receipt of appropriate
justification for status change.
Inactive members shall be removed from the list of active members and
can be reinstated upon evidence of qualification.
3.5 Emeritus. Shall
be any active member or fellow, in good standing, who by reason of age or physical disability has
retired from the active practice of Radiology.
3.6 Honorary Fellow Member.
Shall be those who by virtue of residence, education, profession, or lack of Board Certification are ineligible
for admission as members of ASER other than honorary, but whose
standing or preeminent contributions to the science or the practice of
emergency radiology entitle them to recognition. Nominations may be made by any fellow of the
ASER. The nomination must be in writing,
giving in detail the nominee's qualifications for honorary membership, and must
be accompanied by letters of support
from at least two (2) sponsoring ASER fellows, meet all other criteria as may
be established by the ASER and must be sent to the Secretary at least three
months before the meeting of the Executive Committee at which they are to be
acted upon. The Secretary shall send a
copy of the nominee's record with the name of the nominee's sponsor to each
member of the Executive Committee at least two (2) months before such meeting
of the Executive Committee. At that
meeting, the nomination shall be voted upon by the Executive Committee; two (2)
dissenting votes shall disqualify a nominee for honorary membership. Candidates for honorary membership
shall be submitted to the Executive Committee by the Fellowship and Honorary
Member Committee. Nominees approved by the Executive Committee shall be
presented to the active membership (Business meeting) for election.
3.7 Change in membership status. Request for change in membership status shall
be made in writing to the Membership Committee Chair.
3.8 Special
Qualifications:
These shall include founding members, charter members and fellows
3.8.1 Founding membership shall be limited to
those eight Radiologists who founded the Society. They include, in alphabetical order, Gordon
C. Carson, John H. Harris, Jr., Alan Klein, Jack P. Lawson, James J. McCort,
Stuart E. Mirvis, Charles F. Mueller, and Robert A. Novelline.
3.8.2 Charter Members. Charter members shall be
those Radiologists who, in addition to the Founding members, were instrumental
in the formation of ASER. Charter
members, in addition to Founding members, include John
V. Crues, William A. Finger, Denise G. K. Gray,
Phyllis J. Kornguth, Nash Lawrason,
Henry Lerner,
James T. Rhea, Salvatore J.
Sclafani, Barbara N. Weissman and Gertraud Wollschlaeger.
3.8.3
Fellow. A Radiologist who is a
diplomat of the American Board of Radiology or the American Osteopathic Board
of Radiology, or
equivalent, whose
primary professional interest is in the field of Emergency Radiology or who has
made significant contributions to
Emergency Radiology,
and whose credentials are acceptable to the Fellowship Committee.
3.9
Privileges
3.9.1 Fellows shall be entitled to vote, to hold elective and
appointed office, and to serve on all committees. They may attend and participate in the
scientific meetings and other functions of the Society. Fellows are required to pay full dues.
3.9.2 Only active members in good standing shall have the right to
propose candidates for nomination, to vote and to hold office. Active members
shall be entitled to all the privileges of Fellows and shall be entitled to hold elective office. Members may serve on committees and may hold
appointed positions. Members shall pay
full dues.
3.9.3 Associate members shall have the right to be appointed to
Committees (except the Nominating Committee) but shall not have the right to vote, hold elective office, or be
a member of the Executive Committee.
Associate members shall pay full society dues.
3.9.4 Members-in-training shall be entitled to all the privileges of
Active members except they shall not be entitled to vote or hold office. They
may serve on committees of the Society (except for the Nominating Committee). Dues
for members-in-training shall be no more than 50% of the member dues and may be
less as determined by the Executive Committee.
3.9.5 Inactive Members retain membership in the Society but may not
vote, hold office, or serve on committees and are not liable for dues. Reversion to prior status must be accompanied
by a statement that the member is no longer inactive.
3.9.6 Emeritus members shall have all the rights of membership except
the right to hold elective office.
Emeritus members are exempt from dues.
3.9.7 Honorary Fellow Members shall have the right to be appointed to
committees, but shall not have the right to vote, hold elective office, or
serve on the Executive Committee.
4.0 Application
4.0.1 Applications for Active membership shall be made in writing or
electronically to the Membership
Committee on a form provided by the Society.
4.0.2 The Membership Committee shall review new applications on at
least a quarterly basis. This review will lead to a decision to either accept
or present the candidate to the Executive Committee for further discussion. The
applicant will receive written or electronic notice of the action by the
Membership Committee.
4.0.3 The Membership Committee shall report on the status of
applications to the Executive Committee at the annual meeting or other duly
called Executive Committee meeting.
4.0.4 Application for Emeritus membership shall be made in writing to
the Membership Committee Chair. The
application must state the grounds for qualification as described in Section
3.1.3 of these By-laws. The application
shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for action.
4.0.5 Applications for Honorary Fellowship shall be made upon
submission of the candidate's name and qualifications to the Membership
Committee by a Fellow or Active Member of the Society acting as sponsor and at
least two supporting letters of
recommendation also provided by Fellows and/or Active Members of the
Society.
5.0 Officers
5.1 The officers of the Society shall be a President, a First
Vice-President and President-Elect, a Second Vice-President, Secretary, and
Treasurer.
5.2 Duties and Term of Office
5.2.1 President
5.2.1.1 Duties
The
President shall preside at the Annual Business meeting, serve as Chair of and
preside at Executive
Committee meetings,
and shall be an ex-officio member of all standing and ad hoc committees of the
Society, except the Nominating Committee.
In addition, but
not limited to the following, the President shall:
·
Make
all societal appointments provided in the Bylaws.
·
Represent
the Society in all societal-related matters.
·
Be
the official spokesperson of the Society.
·
Receive,
and review, all committee reports prior to stated
societal meetings.
·
Be
authorized to spend societal funds, for societal related activities, in amounts
not to exceed $500.00.
·
All
actions taken by the President, which lie outside the authority granted to the
President by these Bylaws, are subject to ratification by the Executive
Committee at its next stated meeting.
5.2.1.2 Term of Office
The
term of office of the President shall be for two (2) years. The term shall commence at the close of the
annual societal meeting at which the President is elected and shall continue
through the close of the annual meeting of the Society.
5.2.2 First Vice-President / President-Elect
5.2.2.1 The First Vice-President/President-elect
shall assume the responsibilities of the President and act on behalf of the
President in the President's absence or if the President is unable to discharge
his/her duties and responsibilities.
5.2.2.2 The term of the First Vice-President/President-Elect shall be identical to that of the President.
5.2.3 Second Vice-President
5.2.3.1 The Second Vice-President shall function as
President in the event that both the President and the First Vice-President and
President- Elect are unable to do so.
5.2.3.2 The
term of office of the Second Vice-President shall be for one year. The Second Vice- President may serve for two
consecutive one-year terms. The second VP shall be a member of the Scientific
Program Committee.
5.2.4 Secretary
5.2.4.1 The Secretary shall prepare the report of the Executive Committee meetings;
including the Annual Business meeting and significant committee reports. In
addition, the Secretary shall prepare a newsletter to the membership containing
(1) highlights of annual meeting for mailing in a timely manner following the
meeting and (2) items arising from the Executive Committee meetings for
discussion and action and the Annual Business Meeting, e.g. proposed changes to
the bylaws, names and short description of nominees for elected positions.
5.2.4.2
The Term of office for the Secretary shall be
for one (1) year. The Secretary shall be
eligible to serve for three (3) consecutive one-year terms of office.
5.2.5
Treasurer
5.2.5.1
The Treasurer shall present a statement of the
Society’s Finances to the Executive Committee at its mid-year meeting and to
the Executive Committee and to the general membership at the Annual Meeting.
` 5.2.5.2 The term of office for the Treasurer shall
be for 3 years.
5.2.5.3 The Treasurer shall also supervise periodic
audits. A Certified Public Accountant or
accounting firm will be hired to perform the audit. The results of the audit
shall be presented to the membership at the Annual Meeting.
5.2.6 Councilor and Alternate Councilor to the
The
By-laws of the
5.2.6.1 The Election of Councilor and Alternate Councilor. Election of Councilor and Alternate Councilor
shall be by the membership at the Annual Meeting of the Society. The Nominating Committee shall submit a slate
of up to three (3) nominees for Councilor and up to three (3) for Alternate
Councilor selected from eligible ASER membership.
5.2.6.2 Term of
Office. The term of office of a
Councilor shall be three (3) years.
Councilors shall be eligible to succeed themselves for one additional
three- (3) year term, but shall not be eligible for re-election to additional
terms
until
a lapse of not less than one (1) year.
The term of office of an Alternate councilor shall be one (1) year. Alternate Councilors shall be eligible to
succeed themselves.
A
Councilor or Alternate councilor shall take office immediately following the
ACR Annual Meeting.
5.2.6.3 Duties of Councilor. The duties of the
Councilor shall include attending and actively participating in the ASER
meetings, acting as liaison between ASER and the College, as well as
stimulating preparation of resolutions from ASER for presentation at the ACR
council.
5.2.6.4 Duties of the Alternate Councilor. Alternate councilors
shall
aid the Councilor in the performance of their duties
and
accompany the Councilor to meetings of the ASER and ACR.
The Alternate Councilor shall act for the Councilor in the Councilor's
absence or in the event of the Councilor's inability to act.
5.3 Vacancies and Removals
5.3.1 A vacancy in any of the foregoing offices because of death,
resignation, removal, disqualification otherwise shall be filled by appointment
by the Executive Committee for the unexpired portion of the term, or until the
next annual meeting of the Society.
5.3.2 Any elected officer may be removed from office by a
three-fourths vote of the entire Executive Committee or by a three-fourths vote
of the Active Members at a special meeting called for that purpose by the
Executive Committee, provided that the entire membership has received notice of
such proposed removal thirty (30) days in advance of such meeting.
6.0 Committees
6.1 Standing Committees
The
following shall be the standing Committees of the Society; Executive,
Membership, Bylaws, Scientific Program, Nominating, Fellowship, Site Selection, and the Editorial
Board.
6.1.1 Executive Committee
The
Executive Committee shall be composed of
the immediate Past President, President, First
Vice-President/President-Elect, second Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer,
Chairman of the Scientific Program Committee, and three (3) Members-at-large
elected by the membership from a list of nominees prepared by the Nominating
Committee. The members at large shall be elected for a 1 year-term and can be
reappointed up to 3 consecutive years. The first Director at Large shall be a
member and serve as a steward of the Membership Committee. The second Director
at Large shall be a member and serve as a steward of the Bylaws Committee. The
third Director at large shall be a member and serve as a steward of the Audit
Committee.
The
Executive Committee shall conduct the business of the Society between the
Annual Meetings, establish policy for the Society, implement all actions
approved by the membership at the Annual Business meeting, have all fiscal and
fiduciary authority and responsibility for the Society, and discharge other
responsibilities as may be described in these Bylaws. All actions taken by the Executive Committee,
which lie outside the authority granted to the Executive Committee by the
provisions of the constitution and Bylaws, are subject to ratification by the
membership at the Annual Meeting.
At
its discretion, the Executive Committee may periodically award one (1) or more
Gold Medals in recognition of distinguished and exemplary service to the
American Society of Emergency Radiology and/or the specialty that it
represents.
6.1.2 The Membership Committee shall be appointed by the President. It shall consist of a Director at
large, the Secretary, and three
eligible members. The length of
subsequent terms of office shall be at the discretion of the President and
President-Elect but shall not exceed 3 years.
The
Membership Committee shall review all applications for membership in accordance
with Article 3.1 of these bylaws and present its recommendation relative to each
applicant to the Executive Committee prior to its annual meetings, or at any
other duly called executive committee meeting.
6.1.3
The
Bylaws Committee shall consist of a Director at large and three (3) eligible
members appointed by the President. The By-laws Committee shall review the
By-laws annually, prepare and submit for membership consideration any
amendments deemed appropriate and shall edit and present to the membership
proposed amendments submitted by a member.
6.1.4 The Scientific
Program Committee shall consist of the Second Vice-President and members in
good standing as appointed by the President. The President shall designate the
Chair and Co-Chair from the appointed members. The term of office of all
members shall be for one (1) year. A member may serve three (3) consecutive
one-year terms. The Scientific Program Committee shall make recommendations to the Executive Committee regarding the
character and scope of the Scientific Meeting of the Society. The Scientific
Program Committee shall determine the format of each Scientific Meeting, shall
prepare the Scientific Program, receive and accept or reject proposed papers
and/or exhibits for presentation at the Scientific Meeting. Scientific presentations may be presented by
members or non-members. The Committee may invite guest speakers with the
concurrence of the Executive Committee. Invited guest speakers may be excused from registration fees.
6.1.5 The Nominating Committee shall be appointed by
the President, and consist of the following members, the immediate Past
President, President, President Elect, the Vice President and two (2) active members
at large appointed by the President. The term of office of the members at large
shall be for one (1) year only.
The Nominating
Committee shall prepare a slate of nominees for the President, First
Vice-President/President-Elect, Second Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, 3
Directors at large of the Executive Committee, and the Councilor and Alternate
Councilor to the ACR.
6.1.6 The
Audit Committee was deleted. The Audit is overseen by the Treasurer and the
President of the Society.
6.1.7
The
Fellowship and Honorary Member Committee shall be Chaired by the senior member,
and consist of 3 fellows appointed for terms of 1, 2 & 3 years respectively
by the President. Subsequent terms shall be for 3 years. The Fellowship Committee shall ask for,
receive and review applications for advancement from member to fellow status in
the Society. An active member in good standing of the Society who has shown
interest in the advancement of emergency radiology may be elected a fellow by
the Executive Committee. Such election
shall be based on one or more of the following criteria:
a. The accomplishment of significant scientific or clinical
research in the field of emergency radiology.
b. The performance of outstanding service as
a teacher of emergency radiology.
c. Significant service to the Society.
Members
eligible for selection shall have an outstanding reputation among colleagues. As a result of superior service members shall
not be eligible for nomination to fellowship until they have completed 4 years
as an active member of the Society.
Members eligible for election to fellowship shall be nominated by any
two fellows, one of whom is not associated with the nominee in practice. All nominations shall be signed by two
fellows of the Society who shall supply supporting letters. The fellowship committee shall support its
recommendations concerning any application for fellowship in the Society to the
Executive Committee. The awarding of
fellowship shall be by 2/3-majority vote of fellows on the Executive Committee.
Exceptions
to these qualifications:
Fellowship
in the ASER may be made by vote of the fellows or the Executive Committee who
are in attendance at duly called meetings between the annual meetings, or by
fellows on the Executive Committee who are in attendance at the annual meeting.
6.1.8
Site Selection Committee shall
consist of the President Elect, and any designate of the President Elect. The
Chair of the Committee shall be the President-Elect, during whose term the
Annual Meeting will be in the city to be selected. The Site Selection Committee shall present
the names of not more than three (3) cities to the Executive Committee for
consideration as future Annual Scientific Meeting sites. The Committee may present a preliminary
report on duly called ordinary meetings of the Executive Committee but shall
present a final report to the Executive Committee at its Annual meeting. The Executive Committee shall designate the
city for the meeting next appropriate.
6.1.9 The Editorial Board shall consist of
the Editor-in-chief of Emergency
Radiology who is appointed by the Executive Committee and at least three
(3) additional members to be appointed by the Editor-in-chief and are not
subject to Executive Committee approval.
A majority of the Editorial Board members shall be members in good
standing of ASER. The Editor-in-chief
appointment has no term limit, is annually renewable and shall be reviewed on
an annual basis by the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee directs the Editor-in-chief to establish an
Editorial Board to assist and advise him/her with the creation of Emergency Radiology. The President and 1st
Vice President/President-Elect of the Society shall meet with the Editorial
Board and representative of the publisher during the Annual Meeting. The Editor-in-chief shall present a “State of
the Journal” report to the Executive Committee and the membership at the Annual
Business meeting of the Society.
6.1.10 The Education and Research Committee
shall consist of at least the following 8 members: the President, Immediate
past President, President Elect, Vice President, Program Committee Chair,
Editor-in-Chief, 2 members at large and any additional member(s) appointed by
the President. The Education and Research Committee shall be responsible for
CME of ASER members, shall propose projects to fulfill the educational mission
of the Society and shall serve as a liaison between the Program Committee and
the Editorial Committee. The Committee shall be responsible for judging the
competition for awards and prizes sponsored by the Society and shall foster and
monitor multicenter trials among ASER members.
7.0 Meetings
7.1 The Society shall meet annually and such meetings shall consist
of business and scientific sessions.
7.2 If there is no quorum for conducting business at the Annual
Meeting, The quorum shall consist of
twenty percent (20%) of the Active membership of the Society registered
and attending the annual meeting.
8.0 Procedures
8.1 The fiscal year of the Society shall
coincide with the calendar year.
8.2 All meetings of the Society, including the Annual Meeting,
shall be governed by the current edition of Sturgis Rules of Order.
8.3 Order of business:
a. Call to order
b.
c. Secretary's report
d. Treasurer's report
e. Committee Reports, incl. election of new
members/fellows
f. Old business
g. New business
h. Report of Nominating Committee
i. Election of officers
j. Installation of officers
k. Appointment of committees
l. Adjournment
9.0 Dues and Fees
9.1 The dues of the Society shall be due and payable on January
1. Dues so paid shall cover the fiscal
year beginning on that date.
The
dues shall be set annually by the Executive Committee, upon recommendation of
the Secretary-Treasurer and Audit Committee.
10.1 These By-laws may be amended at any Annual Business Meeting of the Society
by two-thirds of the members present.
Notice of the proposed
amendment changes shall be circulated with the Agenda for
the meeting at which the vote is to be taken.
11.0 Dissolution
11.1 In the event of dissolution of the Society, all real assets and
money shall be donated to The American College of Radiology, the Radiological
Society of North American, and The American Roentgen Ray Society, in equal
portions. Alternatively, another scientific organization can be chosen
successor as deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee with the approval of
the membership.