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Graduate Medical Education (GME) Section Bylaws

Article I: Name

The name of the section shall be the Section on Graduate Medical Education (GME Section) of the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) of the AAMC. 

Article II: Purpose - Mission Statement

The purpose of the GME Section is to promote excellence in the education of physicians during residency training and thereby contribute to the health of the public. The GME Section fosters:

  1. the development and continued improvement of programs of graduate medical education (residency training) to enhance physician learning;
  2. the professional development of the teachers of graduate medical education;
  3. the advancement of research in graduate medical education and the dissemination of the results of that research;
  4. the development of policies that recognize the fundamental importance of graduate medical education;

A primary function of the GME Section is to advocate the enhancement of graduate medical education by: 

  • promoting communication between the AAMC and members of the Section about GME issues including: regional and national faculty development programs; collaborative research projects; the management of curricula; etc.;
  • promoting communication among members of the GME Section;
  • contributing advice and input from informed Section members to the AAMC on matters related to graduate medical education.

Article III: Organizational Structure 

The organizational structure of the GME Section shall parallel that of the GEA. There shall be a national steering committee and a constituent group in each of the GEA regions - Northeast, Central, Southern, and Western. Each region shall be represented on the GME Sectoin National Steering Committee by the Chair of the Regional GME Section or his/her designee. 

Article IV: Membership 

A. Membership Categories: 

  1. Decanal Appointee: The GEA decanal appointee, identified by the dean of each member medical school as associated with GME, is also designated a member of the GEA/GME Section.
  2. COTH Appointee: The GEA appointee, identified by the CEO of each hospital member of the Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH) as associated with GME, is also designated a member of the GEA/GME Section.
  3. Individual Member: Faculty and staff of member medical schools and others as identified by the GEA Bylaws, Article IV.B, who are not decanal or COTH appointees, and who are interested in GME, may join as individual members. 

B. Membership Criteria

As defined by the GEA Bylaws, Article IV-B.

C. Listserve

All new members shall be added to the GME Section's listserve - GEAGRADMAIL.

Article V: Steering Committee 

A. Purpose of Steering Committee: 

  1. Conduct the business of the GME Section;
  2. Coordinate activities and projects with the other constituent sections (i.e., RIME, UGME, CME) and with the GEA Steering Committee;
  3. Provide a forum for discussion of the education of residents;
  4. Provide liaison with the Group on Resident Affairs (GRA) and the Organization of Resident Representatives (ORR) of the AAMC.
  5. Periodically review and revise the bylaws of the GME Section. 

B. Composition of the Steering Committee: 

Voting members

  1. Current National Chair of the GME Section;
  2. Immediate Past National Chair* of the GME Section;
  3. National Chair-elect of the GME Section;
  4. Four Regional GME Section Chairs - one from each of the four geographic regions;
  5. One resident elected by the ORR;
  6. One liaison representative appointed by agreement of the Chairs of the GEA and the GRA; 

*Past Chair in Odd-numbered years; Chair Elect in even-numbered years

Non-voting member 

  1. Ex-Officio member: an AAMC staff person will be appointed to provide liaison and administrative support to the GME Section Steering Committee.

Quorum

A quorum of the GME Section Steering Committee shall be declared if 2/3 of the membership is in attendance. 

C. Terms of Office

  1. National GME Section Chair - four years total (one year as chair-elect, two years as chair, one year as past chair). Term as Chair-elect begins at the AAMC National meeting in the fall, following the election by the membership in the summer
  2. Chair-elect, Past-Chair - one year. Term begins at the AAMC National meeting in the fall, following the election by the membership in the summer.
  3. Four Regional GME Section Chairs - 2 years (elected in alternate years by the membership of the respective regional sections). Term begins at the regional spring meeting following the election by the regional membership in the previous winter.
  4. ORR representative - as elected by the ORR 
  5. GRA liaison - as appointed by agreement of the Chairs of the GEA and the GRA. 

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

D. Responsibilities

  1. National GME Section Chair
    1. convenes the GME Section Steering Committee (most commonly through conference calls and electronic communications during the year and at the National AAMC meeting each fall) and meeting(s) of the general membership of the section (i.e., the GME Section Meeting at the National AAMC meeting each fall);
    2. serves as the constituent representative on the national GEA Steering Committee and attends the three meetings each year (usually January, May, November);
    3. provides written and verbal reports on GME Section activities to the national GEA Steering Committee (at each meeting);
    4. provides a report for the GEA Correspondent (twice a year)
    5. appoints subcommittees, advisory or working groups to accomplish the mission of the GME Section: requests the chairs or the designees of these groups to attend the GME Section Steering Committee meetings as appropriate; 
    6. provides an annual update to the decanal/COTH appointees;
    7. provides timely reports to the membership through GEAGRADMAIL listserve.
    8. provides other reports as directed by the AAMC;
    9. orients the Chair-elect;
    10. notifies the GEA of the results of the Nominating Committee's decisions.
  2. Past-chair or Chair-elect(depending on the year)
    1. attends the national GME Section meetings and GME Section Steering Committee meetings;
    2. assists the Chair with responsibilities noted above;
    3. in the absence of the Chair, convenes the meetings of the GME Section Steering Committee and general membership;
    4. the past-chair serves as Chair of the Nominating Committee.
  3. Regional GME Section Chairs(constituent representatives) - each chair:
    1. attends the respective regional Spring meeting and the AAMC National meeting;
    2. attends the national GME Section meetings and GME Section Steering Committee meetings;
    3. serves as a member of the region's steering committee;
    4. convenes and develops the agenda for regional GME Section meetings;
    5. represents the agenda of the national GME Section to the region;
    6. acts as liaison from the region to the national GME Section Steering Committee; 
    7. assists the National GME Section Chair to develop the program for the national GME Section meetings; 
    8. provides written reports of regional GME Section activities to the GEA Chair of the Region and to the National GME Section Chair (usually twice a year); i. communicates to members of the regional GME Section through the GEAGRADMAIL listserve. 
  4. ORR representative 
    1. attends the GME Section Steering Committee meeting at the National AAMC meeting; 
    2. represents the residents' perspective in the Section's activities and plans; 
    3. provides liaison with the ORR. 
  5. GRA Liaison
    1. attends the national GME Section meetings and GME Section Steering Committee meetings; 
    2. represents the perspective of the GRA in the GME Section's activities and plans; 
    3. provides liaison with the GRA; 
    4. offers ideas for mutual projects by the GEA/GME Section and the GRA; 
    5. assists the Section Steering Committee with information regarding potential conflicts in the programming of GEA/GME Section and GRA at the AAMC meetings. 

Article VI: Nomination and Election Process 

  1. Nomination Procedures: 
    1. Shortly after the annual meeting of the GEA held on even numbered year, the Past-chair convenes the Nominating Committee.
    2. The Nominating Committee is composed of Past-chair and the Regional GME Section Chairs;
    3. The Past-chair serves as the Chair of the Nominating Committee.
    4. The Nominating Committee shall solicit nominations from the constituent membership, collate the nominations, and identify two candidates for the position of Chair-elect.
    5. The constituent members shall be polled by mail ballot in the summer (odd-number year), and the results of the election shall be announced at the national GME Section Meeting in the fall
    6. The Chair-elect shall assume his/her seat on the GME Section Steering Committee at the annual meeting in the odd numbered year, at which time the Past-chair will step down.
    7. In the event the term of office of chair cannot be fulfilled by the elected official, the chair-elect will assume the role. In the event the term of office for the chair-elect or past-chair cannot be fulfilled by the elected official, the chair of the GME Section will appoint someone to fulfill the term.
    8. The Past-chair may run for reelection as Chair-elect following a minimum five-year hiatus.
  2. Chair-elect:
    1. Any member of the GME Section may be candidate for Chair-elect.
    2. Candidates will be selected and a ballot prepared by the Nominating Committee according to the procedure noted in A above
    3. The Chair-elect shall be elected by a simple majority of voting members who vote in response to a mail ballot. 
  3. C. Regional GME Section Chairs (Constituent Representatives):
    1. Any member of a regional GME Section may be a candidate for Regional GME Section Chair.
    2. The Regional GME Section Chairs are nominated and elected by each region, according to their bylaws.

Article VI: Meetings 

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

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, in a mail ballot. 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 circulates a petition and receives at least 25 signatures from members of the GME Section signifying that they wish to see the amendment subjected to a vote of the membership. This petition is presented to the GME Section Steering Committee for consideration by the entire membership.
  2. The GME Section Steering Committee proposes an amendment to the Bylaws for review and approval by the membership.
  3. An appointed subcommittee of the GME Section Steering Committee recommends changes in the bylaws. 

Developed July, 2001; Approved September, 2001 

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