Asian Association for Pediatric and congenital Heart Surgery (AAPCHS)

Constitution

Constitution of AAPCHS

ARTICLE 1: NAME AND LANGUAGE

The name of this organization is the Asian Association for Pediatric and Congenital Heart Surgery (hereinafter the “Association” or “AAPCHS”). The official language of the Association shall be English.

ARTICLE 2: LOCATION

The head office of the Association is at Mt. Fuji Shizuoka Children’s Hospital, 860 Urushiyama, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka-city, Shizuoka, Japan.

ARTICLE 3: MISSION & OBJECTIVES

The mission of the Association is to promote the high quality comprehensive cardiac care to patients with pediatric and/or congenital heart disease for their better QOL.

The Objectives

  1. To improve the quality and skills of heart surgery and the treatment of patients with pediatric and/or congenital heart disease in Asia
  2. To encourage study and research, and to promote and support collaboration among members for this purpose
  3. To provide the Annual Scientific Meeting

ARTICLE 4: MENBERSHIP

The Association shall consist of Junior, Active, Senior, Honorary, Associates, and Supporting members.

Junior Membership

  1. Younger surgeons who are actively practicing as pediatric and congenital heart surgeons, who are yet to fulfil criteria for full membership, interested to involved with activities towards care for pediatric patients with congenital heart disease as set by the Association may be accepted as Junior Members. Each AAPCHS Active, Senior, and Honorary members are allowed to recommend to Junior Members from his/her own Institution. If he/she gets more experience and meets requirements, he/she can apply to become an Active Member.
  2. Junior Members pay reduced annual dues, as determined by the Board, but no more than 50 % of the annual dues paid by Active Members.
  3. Junior Members pay a full registration fee when they attend Annual Scientific Meetings.
  4. Junior Members have no right to vote

Active Membership

  1. Active Members shall complete training in pediatric and congenital heart surgery, at least available in his/her country, and preferably demonstrated by certifications of an officially recognized congenital heart surgery training program. He/she needs to be recommended by at least three (3) AAPCHS Active, Senior or Honorary members from at least 2 different countries.
  2. Active Members pay full annual dues and a full registration fee when they attend Annual Scientific Meetings.
  3. Active Members have equal rights to vote and also to be elected as a national representative of their country.

Senior Membership

  1. Retiring Active Members can apply to become Senior Members. The conditions set for an Active member to become a Senior member shall be determined by his/her country. The national representative of his/her country must report the status of his/her members and a list of retiring members each year to the President and Secretary.
  2. Senior Members have no rights to vote but are exempt from the obligation to pay annual dues. Senior Members might be called upon to advice at the Board level, based on their experience or expertise.
  3. Senior Members shall pay a full registration fee when they attend Annual Scientific Meetings.

Honorary Membership

  1. The Association can grant the title of Honorary Member to an Active or Senior Member who has made a significant contribution to the Association or the field of pediatric and congenital heart surgery. This will be decided at the Board.
  2. Honorary Members can be invited to participate in Board meetings and Business Meetings, but having no rights to vote.
  3. Honorary Members are exempt from the obligation to pay annual dues and do not have to pay any registration fee when they attend Annual Scientific Meetings.

Associate Membership

  1. Non-members, as surgeons, cardiologists, health care professionals, medical and other scientific graduates who are committed to the practice and advancement of pediatric congenital heart surgery and closely related fields are allowed to be Associate members of the Association.
  2. No recommendation is required to apply for Associate Members.
  3. Associate Members pay reduced annual dues, as determined by the Board, but no more than 50 % of the annual dues paid by Active Members and have no right to vote.
  4. Associate Members pay a full registration fee when they attend Annual Scientific Meeting.

Supporting Membership

  1. Supporting Membership is granted to Companies or Organizations showing interest to be members of the Association and willing to support its goals.
  2. Admission as a Supporting member is to be decided exclusively by the Board and their privilege shall be determined by the Board.

Application for membership

  1. Any recognized cardiac surgeon who is actively involved with pediatric and congenital heart surgery in Asia is eligible to be considered for AAPCHS membership.
  2. Candidates for membership must send filled out application form together with the relevant documents to the AAPCHS head office. This application must be sent at least three months prior to the Annual meeting. The Secretary will screen the applicants and recommend candidates for membership to the Board and the Board will approve the membership. The candidates for membership will be presented and ratified at the Annual Business Meeting of the Association.

Membership dues

  1. Membership dues shall be paid by Active, Associate and Junior members. Senior and Honorary members do not pay membership dues. The amount of membership dues shall be decided by the Board of the Association.

Membership obligations

  1. Membership obligations include providing accurate contact information, an exact address of practice, accurate academic affiliations, prompt payment of annual dues and involvement in the affairs of the Association.
  2. Failure to pay the annual dues for 2 consecutive years and failure to attend the Annual Scientific Meetings of the Association for 3 consecutive times will be considered resignation from the Association.
  3. A member may withdraw as a member by simple notice to the Association, but shall not be entitled to be refund of any membership dues.

Voting rights

  1. All Active Members have equal rights to vote for election of a councillor as a national representative and also to be elected as councillor of their country. Each country will determine the electoral procedure of their country.
  2. If the councillor becomes part of the Board, it is necessary to select another councillor to represent their country.

Termination of membership

  1. Retiring Active Members can apply to become Senior Members. Each country decides their own conditions and rules of retirement and it should be reported to the Board.
  2. A member can terminate his/her membership with a written announcement to the Board and his/her councilor.
  3. The Board can terminate the membership, if the member has not fulfilled the obligations, or the member has considerably damaged the Association, or the member doesn’t fulfill the conditions of membership mentioned in law or rules of the Association.
  4. Failure to pay the annual dues for two (2) consecutive years and failure to attend the Annual Scientific Meetings of the Association for three (3) consecutive times will be considered resignation from the Association. A member may withdraw as a member by simple notice to the Association, but shall not be entitled to be refund of any membership dues.
  5. Any member wishing to resign shall notify the Secretary and his/her councillor in writing before December 15th of the calender year. If the councillor wishes to withdraw from the council, it must be reported to the secretariat by the end of October. If the councillor becomes part of the Board, it is necessary to select another councillor before the next annual business meeting.
  6. Those who withdraw from the Association lose all rights in the Association.

Members’ responsibilities

  1. Be an active participant in the scientific work of the Association’s scientific meetings.

ARTICLE 5: BOARD AND COUNCIL

Board

  1. AAPCHS shall be governed by the Board, which shall consist of the President, First Vice President Second Vice President, a few Executive Directors appointed by the President, Secretary, Treasurer and previous and next chairman of the annual scientific meeting. Immediate past president of AAPCHS shall be a member of the Board for one (1) year and the president-elect shall also become a member of the board after the presidential election.
  2. The initial terms of the Founding Board shall be four (4) years from the 1st Annual Scientific Meeting of AAPCHS in 2020. This initial term is set in order to allow for the proper establishment and initial growth of the Association. After this initial exceptional four (4) year term of the Board, the following terms of the Board shall come into effect.
  3. The President shall normally serve a term of officer for a period of three (3) years. The President will not eligible for re-election. The terms of the First and Second vice-president are also for a period of three (3) years.

Council

  1. The councillor elected in each country’s election is also called a national representative.
    If the councilor becomes part of the board, it is necessary to select another councillor representating that country.
  2. The number of the councillors shall be decided by the board.
  3. Councillors can run for the Presidential elections and has the right to vote in the election. The Presidential election is held at the Annual Business Meeting one year before the change of the President. The First and the Second vice president shall be appointed from councillors by the new president. The Chairman of the Council shall be decided by the election in the Council and he/she shall ask candidates for the Presidential election from councilors and control the process of Presidential election.
  4. The terms of the Councillors are for a duration of three (3) years and is mandatory that each members of the Council must be an Active member.
  5. The Council decides on the host country of the Annual Scientific Meeting and the same country never holds the Annual Scientific Meeting for two years. The chairman of the Annual Scientific Meeting shall be appointed by an election in the host country.

Board and Council

  1. The council shall be composed of the Board and Councilors from all participating countries.
  2. The Board shall manage the business of the Association and the council decides the draft submitted by the board.

The President

  1. The president shall be a head officer of the Association and preside over the all affairs and organize all meetings of the Association.
  2. Councilors can run for the Presidential elections and has the right to vote in the election. The President shall appoint the First and the Second vice president from councilors.
  3. The initial terms of the Founding Board shall be four (4) years from the 1st Annual Scientific Meeting of AAPCHS in 2020. This initial term is set in order to allow for the proper establishment and initial growth of the Association. After this initial exceptional four (4) year term of the Board, the following terms of the Board shall come into effect.
  4. The President shall normally serve a term of officer for a period of three (3) years. The President will be eligible for re-election only one time. However, he/she shall remain a member of the Board for a period of one (1) year as past-president.
  5. The President-elect must obtain a minimum of 50 percent of the votes. When there are more than two candidates, the method of a single transferable vote shall be used. The ballot documents shall contain the name of all candidates followed by a box for the voters to place numbers in order of preference.

The First Vice-President

  1. The First Vice President is appointed from among the councilors by the President and shall assist the President as requested or needed. The First Vice President shall assume the duties of the President if the latter is incapable or unable to do so.
  2. The term of the First Vice President is three (3) years.

The Second Vice-President

  1. The Second Vice President is appointed from among the councillors by the President and shall assist the President and the First Vice President as requested or needed. The Second Vice President shall assume the duties of the First Vice President if the latter is incapable or unable to do so.
  2. The term of the Second Vice President is three (3) years.

Executive Director

  1. Executive Director is appointed by the President as a member of the Board if necessary in scientific, management or other fields.
  2. The term of the Executive Director is three (3) years.

Secretary and Treasurer

  1. Secretary shall be responsible for the day-to-day business of the Association, summon all meetings, circulate programs to members at least one months before meetings, keep records of the proceedings and transactions of the association and share responsibilities with the President to represent the Council in legal matters.
  2. Treasurer under the direction of the President and the Board shall supervise the financial affairs of the Association. The Treasure shall approve payment of all bills and shall countersign all cheques exceeding an amount to be determined by the Board. In the absence of the Treasure, cheques shall be countersigned by the President or the Secretary of the Association. Financial records and bank accounts shall be maintained under the direction of the Board, who shall provide information and documentation for audit by an independent certified public accountant.
  3. Secretary and Treasurer shall prepare an annual report of the Association and report to the Councillor at the time of the Annual Business Meeting.
  4. The Head Office will be responsible for the Secretary and Treasurer. They shall manage the secretariat to run a sound organization.
  5. Secretary and Treasurer have no right to vote for Presidential election, and shall be an ex-officio, non-voting member of the council in which he is not already a regular voting member.

Council business affairs

  1. A quorum for the Council meetings shall consist of more than half of the Council members, at least three (3) of whom should be Board members.
  2. Voting in the Council shall be by a simple majority of the members present. In case of a tied vote the President shall have a casting vote. In the absence of the President, the Council shall elect a Chairman.

Meetings

  1. The Board must call the business meetings of the Association through Secretary at least one month before the meeting. The call must be sent to the members by a letter or by an e-mail from Secretary to those members.
  2. If the member of the Association wants an issue to be handled in the annual general meeting, he/she must inform the Board through Secretary in writing so early, that the issue can be included in the call of the meeting.
  3. The Annual Council Meeting shall be held each year. All member of the Board and Council may attend and participate in the discussions.
    The meeting shall decide upon;
    1. Election or removal of members
    2. Amendments to the Constitution
    3. Financial matters
    4. Annual Scientific Meeting

Minutes of the meetings

  1. A written record of the minutes of the Council and annual meetings shall be maintained by the Secretary and shall be signed by at least two members of the Council. The minutes shall be available at the registered office of the Association.

ARTICLE 6: FINANCES

  1. The financial year of the Association shall start from January 1st to December 31st of each year. Balancing of the books with necessary documents together the annual general meeting. The auditor must give his/her written statement to the Board at least two weeks before the annual general meeting.
  2. The fiscal year of the Association, Initiation and annual dues shall be determined by the Board of the Association. Assessments may be levied upon active members from time to time as decided by the Association.
    Expenses of less than US Dollars 500 may be independently authorized by the President, Secretary or Treasurer.
    Expenses of greater than or equal to US Dollar 500 and less than US Dollars 2000 may be authorized by signatures from both the President and Treasurer.
    Expenses of greater than or equal to US Dollars 2000 will require majority approval and vote of the Board.