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Rules and Regulations

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Group on Educational Affairs of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), hereafter called the GEA.

Article II: Purpose

Mission Statement

The purpose of the GEA is to promote excellence in the education of physicians throughout their professional lives and, thereby, to contribute to improving the health of the public. The GEA fosters:

  1. the development and continued improvement of medical education programs to enhance physician learning;
  2. the professional development of teachers of medicine;
  3. the advancement of research in medical education and the dissemination of the results of that research;
  4. the development of policies that recognize the fundamental importance of medical education. A primary function of the GEA is to advocate the enhancement of medical education by:
    • promoting communications between AAMC and constituent groups;
    • promoting communications among GEA members;
    • by contributing advice and input from informed GEA members to the AAMC on matters related to medical education.

Article III: Organizational Structure

A. Relationship to AAMC

The GEA is staffed by AAMC staff designated by the AAMC President. The GEA is a subcouncillor "group" of the AAMC.

B. Regional Structure

There will be four regions of the GEA, as determined by the AAMC Council of Deans. They are:

Northeast, Central, Southern, and Western. Each region shall have bylaws which must be compatible with and supportive of the mission of the GEA and must be approved by the regional and national steering committees.

Each region shall be represented on the national steering committee by the chairman of the region (elected by the regional membership) or their designee.

Article IV: Membership

A. Membership Categories

  1. Decanal Appointees: The dean of each member medical school may appoint a maximum of four members to the GEA. Each member appointed in this manner will be identified by the dean with one of the following areas of medical education:
    1. Undergraduate Medical Education
    2. Graduate Medical Education
    3. Continuing Medical Education
    4. Research in Medical Education.
  2. Individual Member: Faculty and staff as defined in IV-A who are not decanal appointees may join the GEA as individual members.

B. Membership Criteria

  1. Faculty, and staff of Canadian and U.S. medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) or ACMC, or faculty and staff of the Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH) member hospitals in the USA or Canada are eligible for GEA membership.
  2. Individuals who work for one of the following organizations are also eligible:
    1. Boards responsible for the licensure of physicians in US or Canada
    2. American Medical Association and Canadian Medical Association
    3. AOA accredited osteopathic medical schools
    4. Hospital based programs for GME and CME which are accredited by the Accreditation Council on Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) or the Accreditation Committee for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
    5. Other individuals to be considered on a case by case basis.
  3. Associate Member: Medical students, residents, and graduate students sponsored by GEA members may become associate members.

Article V: Steering Committee

Purpose of Steering Committee

  1. Conduct the business of the GEA
  2. Provide a forum for discussion of the education of physicians throughout their professional lives.

A. Composition of Steering Committee (Voting Members)

  1. Current national chair of the GEA;
  2. Immediate past national chair of the GEA;
  3. National chair elect of the GEA;
  4. Four regional chairs - one from each of the four geographic regions
  5. Four Constituent Representatives:
    1. Undergraduate
    2. Graduate
    3. Continuing Education
    4. Research in Medical Education
  6. One student selected by the Organization of Student Representatives
  7. One resident selected by the Organization of Resident Representatives

A quorum of the Steering Committee shall be declared if more than 2/3 of the membership is in attendance (9 or more). The Chair of the Steering Committee has the authority to create subcommittees to accomplish the mission of the GEA.

B. Terms of Office

  1. Chair (2 years)
  2. Chair-elect (1 year in position), Past-chair (1 year in position)
  3. Four regional chairs - 2 years (elected by the membership of the respective region)
  4. Constituent representatives - 2 years (elected on alternate years)
  5. Student (OSR) representative - 2 years
  6. Resident (ORR) representative - 2 years

An individual may hold only one office on the Steering Committee at a time

C. Executive Secretary

The Executive Secretary shall be responsible for administrative support of the GEA pursuant to directions of the GEA Steering Committee. The Executive Secretary shall be appointed by the President of the AAMC. The Executive Secretary shall attend all Steering Committee meetings and shall provide support for GEA functions and activities.

Article VI: Nomination, Election and Succession Process

A. GEA Chair-Elect --> GEA Chair --> GEA Past-Chair

  1. 1. Any member of the GEA may be a candidate for Chair-Elect.
  2. The Nominations Subcommittee shall be chaired by the immediate past GEA Chair and the members shall be the four regional chairs.
  3. Prior to the spring GEA Steering Committee meeting, the Nominating Committee will query GEA members for Chair-elect nominations.
  4. The slate of candidates will be presented by the Nominating Committee at the spring meeting of the Steering Committee.
  5. The Chair-Elect shall be elected prior to the national GEA annual meeting by a simple majority of voting members who vote in response to an electronic ballot.
  6. In the event that the chair-elect or past chair term of office cannot be fulfilled by the elected official, the Chair of the GEA will appoint someone to fulfill the term. In the event that the chair term of office cannot by fulfilled by the elected official, the chair elect or past chair who is currently serving on the Steering Committee will fulfill the term.
  7. A past Chair may run for reelection as Chair-Elect following a minimum five year hiatus.

B. Chair-Elect

  1. Any member of the GEA may be a candidate for Chair-Elect.
  2. Candidates will be selected and a ballot prepared by the nominations subcommittee of the Steering Committee. The nominations subcommittee shall be chaired by the immediate past GEA Chair and members shall be the four regional chairs.
  3. The Chair-Elect shall be elected prior to the national GEA annual meeting by a simple majority of voting members who vote in response to an electronic ballot.

C. Constituent Representatives

  1. The undergraduate, graduate, continuing education and research representatives to the Steering Committee are elected by the relevant membership consistent with their bylaws.
  2. An election by ballot will be held to the select the section chairs from each of the constituencies to serve on the Steering Committee. Candidates will be selected from both decanal appointees and individual members prior to the GEA annual meeting using a single ballot sent from the AAMC offices.
  3. In the event the term of office cannot be fulfilled by the elected official, the vacancy will be filled per the constituent's bylaws.

D. Regional Chairs

  1. Any member of a region may be a candidate for regional chair.
  2. Candidates will be nominated and elected by each region, according to their bylaws.
  3. Every member of a region may vote for their regional chair.

Article VII: Meetings

  1. The GEA business meeting will occur annually and is open to anyone interested in attending.
  2. The national chair of the GEA shall be the presiding officer.
  3. An agenda for the meeting will be prepared and distributed to the membership prior to the meeting.
  4. Additional meetings of the membership may be called by the GEA Steering Committee or upon the petition of at least one decanal appointee from a minimum of 25 member institutions.
  5. Between annual or special meetings of the membership the Steering Committee is authorized to carry out the business of the organization.
  6. Roberts Rules shall govern the conduct of all meetings.

The GEA shall organize itself in a manner consistent with its statement of policies which will be reviewed periodically and approved by the Steering Committee.

Article VIII: Amendments

These Bylaws may be altered, repealed or amended or new Bylaws adopted by a two-thirds vote of the membership who vote provided that 30 days' notice has been given. The vote should be limited to those ballots returned within 45 days of receipt of the proposed amendments.

There are three means by which amendments to the bylaws may be brought to the Steering Committee:

  1. A member may circulate a petition and receive at least 25 signatures from members of the GEA signifying that they wish to see the amendment subjected to a vote of the membership. This petition is presented to the Steering Committee for consideration by the entire membership.
  2. The Steering Committee of the GEA proposes an amendment to the Bylaws for review and approval by the membership.
  3. An appointed subcommittee of the GEA Steering Committee recommends changes in the bylaws.

January 2007

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