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    CPD Section Rules and Regulations

    Note: After extensive discussion between the AAMC staff and members of the section’s steering committee, the name was changed from the Section on Continuing Education and Improvement (CEI) to the Section on Continuing Professional Development (CPD). This name change reflects (a) the desire to address the increasingly diverse professional roles of faculty working in academic medicine and (b) an emphasis on faculty development within medical schools and teaching hospitals. Using education to increase knowledge, enhance competence, and improve patient care remain vitally important.

    Rules and Regulations 

    Approved September 2012

    Article I: Name 
    The name of the section shall be the Section on Continuing Education and Improvement (CEI Section) of the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) of the AAMC.

    Article II: Purpose/Mission Statement 
    The mission and purpose of AAMC’s CEI activity is to promote excellence in the education of health professionals throughout their careers, thereby contributing to the health of the public and meeting the institution’s missions in clinical care, research, and education. Guided and advised by the CEI Section, we foster:

    1. The development of and advocacy for continuing education and improvement programs to enhance physician and health professional learning;
    2. The professional development of faculty educators and continuing education specialists/experts;
    3. The advancement of research in continuing education, implementation science, and related fields, and the dissemination of the results of that research;
    4. The development of policies that recognize the fundamental importance of continuing medical education;
    5. The integration of quality improvement and patient safety into educational activities and practice;
    6. The communication between the AAMC and CEI Section members, among the members of the CEI Section, and within the CME community at large on local, regional, and national levels.

    This site attempts to guide academic continuing medical education leaders, planners, and teachers as they move CE from a primarily conference-based model to one which employs best educational methods with quality and performance improvement (QI/PI) principles to close the clinical care gap.

    Article III: Organizational Structure 
    The organizational structure of the CEI 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 CEI Section National Steering Committee by an elected representative from that region.

    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 CME, is also designated a member of the GEA/CEI Section.

    2. Individuals who work for one of the following organizations are also eligible:

    • Boards responsible for the licensure of physicians in the U.S. or Canada
    • American Medical Association and Canadian Medical Association
    • AOA accredited osteopathic medical schools
    • Hospital based programs for CME/CPD which are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
    • Other individuals to be considered on a case by case basis.

    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 CME, may join as individual members.

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

    C. Listserv
    All new members shall be added to the CEI Section's listserv.

    Article V: Steering Committee 

    A. Purpose of Steering Committee

    1. Conduct the business of the CEI Section;
    2. Coordinate activities and projects with the other constituent sections (i.e., UME, GME, MESRE) and with the GEA Steering Committee;
    3. Provide a forum for discussion of the education of physicians;
    4. Periodically review and revise the bylaws of the CEI Section.

    B. Composition of the Steering Committee 
    Voting members

    1. Current National Chair of the CEI Section;
    2. Immediate Past National Chair* of the CEI Section;
    3. National Chair-elect of the CEI Section;
    4. Four Regional CEI Section Chairs - one from each of the four geographic regions;
    5. Up to two (2) Members-at-Large - appointed by the current Chair and Past Chair/Chair-elect and approved by the four current Regional Chairs.

    *Past Chair in odd-numbered years; Chair-elect in even-numbered years

    Non-voting members

    1. Ex-officio members: AAMC staff serving as advisors and providing liaison and administrative support to the CEI Section Steering Committee.

    Quorum

    1.  A quorum of the CEI Section Steering Committee shall be declared a majority of the membership in attendance. The Chair of the Section has the authority to create subcommittees to accomplish the mission of the section.

    C. Terms of Office

    1. National CEI 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/fall of same year;
    2. Chair-elect and Past Chair - one year each (see above);
    3. Four Regional CEI 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. An individual may hold only one position on the Steering Committee at a time;
    4. Member-at-Large - up to four years, as appointed by the current Chair and Past Chair/Chair-elect and as approved by the four current Regional Chairs.

    D. Responsibilities 
    National CEI Section Chair

    1. Convenes the CEI 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 CEI Section Meeting at the National AAMC meeting each fall);
    2.  Serves as the constituent representative on the national GEA Steering Committee and attends the meetings each year (usually January, May, November);
    3. Provides written and verbal reports on CEI 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 CEI Section: requests the chairs or the designees of these groups to attend the CEI Section Steering Committee meetings as appropriate;
    6. Provides timely reports to the membership;
    7. Provides other reports as directed by the AAMC;
    8. Orients the Chair-elect;
    9. Notifies the GEA of the results of the Nominating Committee's decisions.

    Past Chair or Chair-elect (depending on the year)

    1. Attends the national CEI Section meetings and CEI Section Steering Committee meetings;
    2. Assists the Chair with responsibilities noted above;
    3.  In the absence of the Chair, convenes the meetings of the CEI Section Steering Committee and general membership;
    4. The Past Chair serves as Chair of the Nominating Committee.

    Regional CEI Section Chairs (constituent representatives) - each chair:

    1. attends the respective regional Spring meeting and the AAMC National meeting;
    2.  attends the national CEI Section meetings and CEI Section Steering Committee meetings;
    3. represents the agenda of the national CEI Section to the region;
    4.  acts as liaison from the region to the national CEI Section Steering Committee;
    5. assists the national CEI Section Chair to develop the program for the national CEI Section meetings;
    6. provides written reports of regional CEI Section activities to the GEA Chair of the Region and to the National CEI Section Chair (usually twice a year); communicates to members of the regional CEI Sections.

    Article VI: Nomination and Election Process 
    Nomination Procedures:

    1.  Shortly after the annual meeting of the GEA held on odd numbered year, the Past Chair convenes the Nominating Committee.
    2. The Nominating Committee is composed of the Past Chair and at least two of the Regional CEI 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 candidates for the position of Chair-elect.
    5. The constituent members shall be polled by electronic ballot in the summer/fall (odd-numbered year), and the results of the election shall be announced at the national CEI Section Meeting in the fall.
    6. The Chair-elect shall assume his/her seat on the CEI Section Steering Committee at the annual meeting in the odd-numbered year.
    7. The following, even-numbered year, the Past Chair will step down from the Committee.
    8. 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 CEI Section will appoint someone to fulfill the term.
    9. The Past Chair may run for re-election as Chair-elect following a minimum five-year hiatus.

    Chair-elect:

    1. Any member of the CEI 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 above.
    3. The Chair-elect shall be elected by a simple majority of voting members who vote in response to an electronic ballot.

    Regional CEI Section Chairs (Constituent Representatives):

    1. Any member of a regional CEI Section may be a candidate for Regional CEI Section Chair.
    2. The Regional CEI Section Chairs are nominated and elected by each region, according to their bylaws.

    Article VII: Meetings

    1. The national CEI Section meeting, which includes a business meeting, shall occur annually and is open to anyone interested in attending.
    2. The National CEI Section Chair shall be the presiding officer.
    3. An agenda for the meeting will be prepared and distributed prior to the meeting.
    4. Additional meetings of the membership may be called by the CEI Section 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 CEI Section Steering Committee is authorized to carry out the business of the CEI 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 an electronic 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 CEI Section signifying that they wish to see the amendment subjected to a vote of the membership. This petition is presented to the CEI Section Steering Committee for consideration by the entire membership.
    2. The CEI Section Steering Committee proposes an amendment to the Bylaws for review and approval by the membership.
    3. An appointed subcommittee of the CEI Section Steering Committee recommends changes in the bylaws.
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