|
Guidelines Applicable to all ASHG Committees
Italics indicate quotations from the
Bylaws as amended October 29, 2004
Appointment Procedures
Committee members, except those serving by
virtue of holding other office, shall be
appointed by the President and may be
removed by a majority vote of the Board of
Directors. The President shall designate the
chairperson of each committee from among its
members. No chairperson may serve in that
capacity for more than 3 years. Appointed
committee members assume office on January 1
and serve through December 31 of the year in
which their tenure ends.
The President contacts committee
chairpersons to ask whom they recommend to
fill committee seats that will fall vacant
at the end of the year. After considering
their input and communications from members
who have expressed an interest in serving on
committees, the President may choose to make
new appointments immediately or review
possible appointees with the Board. Ideally,
the President will make appointments in the
spring or summer so that new members may
attend their committee's meeting in
conjunction with the Annual Meeting and thus
familiarize themselves with the business at
hand before assuming office.
Reporting Procedures
It is the responsibility of the chairpersons
to report on their committees'
deliberations, activities, and plans as
indicated below. Each chairperson should
arrange adequate communications among the
committee members such that requests and
recommendations to the Board represent a
consensus of the committee. Each committee
is encouraged to communicate and work with
other relevant committees of the ASHG or
other organizations whenever appropriate.
Reports to the Board
In order to centralize record-keeping, it is
advisable that items directed to any member
of the Board of Directors be sent to them
via the Administrative Office. If an item is
sent directly to a Board member, a copy
should be sent to the Administrative Office.
There are two Board meetings a year:
-
Spring Board meeting: With the exception
of the Nominating Committee,
chairpersons may be asked to submit a
written report on the past year's
activities, together with plans for the
coming year. These reports will be
mailed to Board members prior to the
spring Board meeting. If any chairperson
determines that a committee meeting is
necessary in addition to the one held in
conjunction with the Annual Meeting, a
justification for this meeting will need
to be approved by the Board.
-
Fall Board meeting (in conjunction with
the Annual Meeting): With the exception
of the Nominating and Awards Committees,
chairpersons will be invited to attend
to update the Board on committee
plans/activities discussed at the
committee meetings held in conjunction
with the Annual Meeting.
Reports to the Membership
With the exception of the Nominating and
Awards Committees, chairpersons should plan
to report to the membership at the Business
Meeting held in conjunction with the Annual
Meeting.
Reports for Publication
Committees are encouraged to publish the
results of their deliberations on specific
issues in The American Journal of Human
Genetics. The procedure is as follows:
-
The chairperson requests Board approval
to undertake preparation of a report.
The request should indicate:
the focus and intent of the report,
who will lead the effort,
how long it will take,
the intended audience, and
the estimated cost of producing the
report.
-
If the Board approves the request, it
may appoint a report review committee
that will reach a decision in a timely
manner.
Ultimate authority for publication of such
reports in the AJHG rests with the Board of
Directors and the Editor. In cases where the
decision is not to publish the report as an
ASHG document, Board approval is required
before the report is submitted for
publication elsewhere. Position papers
should not be published with a minority
opinion.
In areas of public policy, a committee may
make recommendations for ASHG-endorsed
policy statements either to the Executive
Committee or to the Board of Directors.
Drafts of policy statements should be
stamped DRAFT on every page and should be
sent only to those people whose input is
required to improve the document. Drafts
should not be distributed for informational
purposes.
Publication of Presentations at Workshops or
Symposia
Occasionally, a committee may wish to
publish a summary or the proceedings of a
workshop or symposium it has presented at
the ASHG Annual Meeting. In this event, the
committee chairperson must request Board
approval to publish. The request should
indicate:
the focus and intent of the manuscript,
who will lead the effort to compile the
manuscript,
how long it will take,
the intended audience, and
estimated cost of manuscript preparation
and publication.
Upon Board approval, the Editor of The
American Journal of Human Genetics will have
first option to publish, and the manuscript
will be subject to Editorial Board review.
In cases where the Board of Directors or the
Editorial Board decide not to publish the
manuscript in The American Journal of Human
Genetics, Board approval is required before
the manuscript is submitted for publication
elsewhere. Such articles must begin with a
disclaimer that the opinions set forth are
not necessarily those of the Society or its
individual members.
Finances
On request, and by approval of the Board of
Directors, committees shall be provided with
such funds as may be necessary to perform
their work. The Executive Director at her
discretion may request submission of annual
committee budget proposals for action by the
Board at its spring meeting. The following
information must be presented for each line
item in a proposed committee budget:
Person(s) responsible for the project.
What the outcome is expected to be.
When the project will be finished.
How the review process will be
conducted.
Amount appropriated/expended for this
project in the previous calendar year.
A committee may not "borrow" from future
years' appropriations or from unexpended
funds in its budget in order to finance
unauthorized activities or cover cost
overruns on an activity for which a specific
sum has been approved by the Board.
All requests for funds for a committee
activity, whether directed to the ASHG or to
an outside agency, must first be sent to the
Administrative Office for review by the
President and Treasurer and, at their
discretion, by the whole Board of Directors.
Requests directed to outside agencies must
be signed by the Treasurer, or by another
officer with the knowledge and approval of
the Treasurer.
ASHG will reimburse any committee member who
incurs expenses in the conduct of authorized
Society business unless those expenses
should more appropriately be charged to
another source. Except in the case of
routine committee and Board meetings, the
member is expected to submit a report to the
Board via the Administrative Office.
It is assumed that committee members
routinely attend the ASHG Annual Meeting and
charge expenses to other sources. Thus, no
reimbursement is offered in connection with
committee meetings held during the Annual
Meeting, with these exceptions:
-
When a committee member whose presence
is critical could not attend without
Society funding. Such cases should be
brought to the attention of the
Treasurer before the meeting in
question.
-
When a committee meeting is scheduled
such that members are required to arrive
one day before/after their usual
arrival/departure date for attending the
Annual Meeting.
Committee chairpersons who are not members
of the Board will be reimbursed for expenses
incurred in attending the spring Board
meeting to make their reports. Expenses
typically include meals, lodging, and
transportation. Airfare reimbursement is
limited to advance purchase, direct,
round-trip coach fare. Additional costs due
to late bookings, first class seats, or
travel not based on a round-trip rate are
the responsibility of the individual. These
expenses will be posted to the Board
account, not to the committee account.
If the Program Committee accepts another
committee's proposed symposium or workshop
for presentation at the Annual Meeting, that
session will be funded from Annual Meeting
monies (not from committee funds) according
to the guidelines established by the Board.
Requests for exceptions should be addressed
to the chairperson of the Program Committee,
who may decide to refer the matter to the
Executive Committee.
Committees are encouraged to conduct their
business by conference call when possible.
The Society will not support financial
commitments made in violation of these
guidelines.
ASHG GUIDELINES FOR CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP
The ASHG welcomes the opportunity to
co-sponsor educational programs, public
awareness projects and special events with
commercial entities interested in providing
funding for such activities. By accepting
financial support from corporate sponsors
pursuant to these guidelines, the ASHG
believes it will more effectively meet its
obligations to its members and to the
general public.
The ASHG’s relationship with corporate
sponsors is guided by the following
principles:
-
The ASHG must retain scientific and
educational control over the content of
all commercially supported projects.
-
The ASHG must remain financially secure
and independent of commercial funding.
-
All proposals from industry that involve
the ASHG should be approved by the Board
of Directors.
-
In considering corporate sponsors for
ASHG activities, the ASHG should reach
out to as many corporate partners as
possible to ensure objectivity and
prevent misunderstanding of the
influence of industry on ASHG decisions.
PUBLIC ACTIVITIES OF CERTAIN ASHG MEMBERS
ASHG officials are viewed as experts in
human genetics and are often invited to
speak to gatherings of the academic
community or the general public. To avoid
possible confusion or misunderstanding, ASHG
officials who address such groups should
clearly indicate whether they are speaking
on behalf of the ASHG or as private
individuals.
From time to time, ASHG is asked to provide
a representative to an Advisory Board or
Committee, including State Health
Departments. In addition, certain federally
funded programs include in their requests
for applications the requirement of the
involvement of a national genetics
professional organization on their advisory
group. As it is in the best interest of ASHG
to be engaged and informed of these
activities, the Society will be responsive
when it is deemed appropriate.
Requests come first to the Administrative
Office, and if deemed appropriate, the
Executive Vice President (EVP) will forward
the information to the President. If agreed
to, the EVP will draft the response to the
requestor, contact the person(s) suggested
as appointees, and follow up as necessary to
fulfill the obligation agreed to.
Presidential Appointments to Advisory Boards
and Committees
The American Society of Human Genetics
values the opportunity to be involved in a
variety of activities relevant to the
business of the Society. Any member of the
American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG)
appointed by the President to an Advisory
Board or Committee for a project or term
appointment represents the professional
human genetics community through his/her own
expertise and experience. The appointee does
not speak directly for ASHG as an
organization, unless the statement content
has been reviewed by the Board of Directors.
Formal opinions or positions of ASHG become
written documents to be approved by the
elected Board of Directors of the
organization. All position statements are
then published, either in the American
Journal of Human Genetics or on the ASHG
website at www.ashg.org, or both.
ASHG members fulfilling an obligation
resulting from a Presidential appointment
are expected to provide written reports and
updates to the Board of Directors for
review. The reports are submitted annually
or semi-annually, as appropriate, to the
Executive Vice President in the ASHG
Administrative Office. The EVP is available
throughout the tenure of the appointment for
consultation, discussion, or as a liaison to
the Executive Committee and the Board.
|
