aamc.org does not support this web browser.

    Bylaws - NEGEA

    ARTICLE 1: NAME

    Section 1. The name of this entity will be the Northeast Group on Educational Affairs (NEGEA) of the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), hereafter called the NEGEA.

    ARTICLE 2: STATEMENT OF MISSION

    Section 1. NEGEA will foster excellence along the continuum of medical education—undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, and continuing medical education—by providing a forum for discussing the concerns of the medical education profession, serving as a resource, and acting in an advisory capacity to the GEA and AAMC. This mission is accomplished through communication, cooperation, and shared respect among its members by:

    1. Enhancing the professional development of medical educators
    2. Advancing research and understanding in medical education, i.e., promoting innovation and evidence-based principles of medical education
    3. Providing service to the profession, i.e., assisting individual members and institutions by providing consultation, programs for professional development, and technical assistance
    4. Promoting formal and informal relationships and communication among those involved in medical education

    ARTICLE 3: MEMBERSHIP

    Section 1. All medical schools in the Northeast region (US and Canada) are members of the NEGEA.

    Section 2. Faculty, staff, medical students, residents and fellows of an NEGEA school who are interested in medical education are welcome and encouraged to participate in the full range of NEGEA activities including the Annual Conference, business meetings, special interest groups (SIGs), task forces, and ad hoc committees.

    Section 3. Individuals who retire from an NEGEA school may participate in the full range of NEGEA activities, including the NEGEA Annual Conference, business meetings, SIGs, task forces, and ad hoc committees.

    ARTICLE 4: BUSINESS MEETINGS AND QUORUMS

    Section 1.Business meetings of the NEGEA will be held twice annually at the NEGEA Education Retreat and at the AAMC Annual Meeting. Notification of such meetings to members should occur at least 30 days before the meeting date.

    ARTICLE 5: OFFICERS

    Section 1. The NEGEA officers will consist of a Chair, a Chair-Elect, and a Past Chair.

    Section 2. Chair. The presiding member of the NEGEA Steering Committee, the Chair is responsible for overseeing the governance and operation of the NEGEA. The Chair presides at the NEGEA business meetings held during the NEGEA Annual Conference and the AAMC Annual Meeting. The Chair is responsible for convening regular conference calls with the NEGEA Steering Committee and distributing minutes to Steering Committee members. As chief liaison with the GEA, the Chair serves as the regional representative on the national GEA Steering Committee and prepares and presents a written report of NEGEA regional activities at GEA Steering Committee meetings. At the completion of the two-year term, the Chair assumes the role of Past Chair of the NEGEA.

    Section 3. Chair-Elect. A member of the NEGEA Steering Committee, the Chair-Elect serves as the Treasurer of the NEGEA, interacts with the AAMC finance office and maintains NEGEA financial records. The Chair-Elect serves a two-year term during which time they learn aspects of the NEGEA operation including: finance, roles of each member on the Steering Committee, Annual Conference planning, and NEGEA governance. The Chair-Elect also presides over NEGEA Steering Committee meetings in the absence of the Chair. As requested, the Chair-Elect may head other initiatives or projects deemed important by the NEGEA Steering Committee. At the completion of the two-year term, the Chair-Elect assumes the role of Chair of the NEGEA. Nominations for Chair-Elect are presented to the Steering Committee by the Nominating Committee. The Chair-Elect is elected by the Steering Committee by secret ballot.

    Section 4. Past Chair. A member of the NEGEA Steering Committee, the Past Chair serves in an advisory capacity to the current Chair, Chair-Elect, and other members of the NEGEA Steering Committee. The Past Chair convenes and presides over Ad Hoc Committees as requested by the Chair (e.g., the NEGEA Distinguished Educator Award, the NEGEA Distinguished Service and Leadership Award, the NEGEA Awards Committee and the Nominating Committee). As requested, the Chair-Elect may head other initiatives or projects deemed important by the NEGEA Steering Committee. The Past Chair serves a two-year term. If the immediate NEGEA Past Chair cannot serve, the convener and presiding member of ad hoc committees will be appointed by the NEGEA Chair.

    ARTICLE 6: COMMITTEES

    Section 1. Standing committees of the NEGEA will consist of a Steering Committee, a Conference Committee to plan the Regional Education Meeting, and a Nominating Committee that oversees the call for nominations and selection of vacating steering committee positions (UME, GME, CEI and MESRE).

    Section 2. Steering Committee

    The Steering Committee is the policy-making body of the NEGEA and advises the Chair on matters related to the NEGEA. It has the authority to transact business, to appoint ad hoc committees, and to establish procedures within the provision of the bylaws. In addition, it solicits commitments from member institutions to host future Annual Conferences.

    Section 3. A member of the Steering Committee must be an active faculty member at an NEGEA affiliated school at the time of appointment. Steering Committee positions include the following:

    1. Chair (presiding)
    2. Chair-Elect
    3. Past Chair
    4. A regional representative of each national GEA section: UME, GME, CPD, and MESRE, as well as a MESRE chair-elect position. The Nominating Committee will alert the NEGEA membership of any upcoming vacating positions, will review nomination submissions, and will provide up to two qualified submissions per position to the Steering Committee, who will determine the final selection by secret ballot.
    5. Up to four Members-at-Large (MAL), at the Chair’s discretion, who represent a cross-section of the region’s constituents. The Chair shall fill MAL positions by appointment as needed and as openings occur.
    6. Additional ex-officio members of the Steering Committee may be appointed with the approval of the majority of the Steering Committee.

    Section 4. Terms of Office

    1. The positions of Chair, Chair-Elect, and Past Chair are 2-year terms. Thus, the Chair-Elect serves a total of 6 years.
    2. Other Steering Committee members (with the exception of MALs) shall serve a term of 2 years, with the MESRE chair-elect serving a total of 4 years (2 as chair-elect and 2 as chair). No member shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same position.
    3. Members-at-Large will be appointed for an initial term of 1 year. MALs may be appointed for an additional 2 years at the discretion of the Chair and can serve for a total of 3 years.
    4. The terms of office shall start at the conclusion of the NEGEA Annual Conference; they shall end at the conclusion of the NEGEA Annual Conference 1-4 years later, depending on the length of the term of office.

    Section 5. Steering Committee Meetings.

    Steering Committee meetings by conference call will be planned monthly. Members will meet in-person (when able) two times a year at the AAMC Annual Meeting and at the NEGEA Annual Conference; members are expected to attend both in-person meetings. In addition, members are expected to attend at least 75% of the conference call meetings in any year, beginning with election or appointment to the Steering Committee. Members are to notify the Chair if unable to attend a meeting. Any member absent from two consecutive meetings without notice and explanation, or attending fewer than 75% of the meetings will be considered to have resigned from the Steering Committee. The status of any member absent from two consecutive meetings for any reason will be discussed by the Steering Committee to determine whether continuing appointment on Steering Committee is appropriate.

    Section 6. Conference Committee.

    1. The Conference Committee will be convened each year to plan the regional education meeting. The NEGEA Chair will appoint the Conference Chair, who, in this position, will be considered a MAL.
    2. Membership of the Conference Committee may include both NEGEA Steering Committee members and others from NEGEA affiliated institutions.
    3. The Conference Chair will communicate at least monthly with the NEGEA Chair and Steering Committee. Detailed plans for the Annual Conference, including budget information, will be presented twice annually by the Conference Chair to the Steering Committee at their business meetings at the AAMC Annual Meeting and the NEGEA Annual Conference.

    Section 7. Nominating Committee.

    1. The Nominating Committee will consist of the immediate NEGEA Past Chair (who will serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee), and two members of the Steering Committee selected by the NEGEA Past Chair in consultation with the NEGEA Chair. If the immediate NEGEA Past Chair cannot serve, the Nominating Committee Chair will be appointed by the NEGEA Chair. (See Article 5, Section 4.)
    2. Nominations: Prior to the NEGEA annual conference, the Nominating Committee Chair will solicit nominations from the NEGEA membership for open positions on the NEGEA Steering Committee.

      For Steering Committee members nearing the end of their first term, the Chair has the option to approach these members and ask them if they would like to serve a second term. If so, the Chair has the option to not open that position up to external nominations.

      Such positions for which nominations may be solicited include Chair-Elect, regional representatives of each national GEA section (UME, GME, CPD, MESRE, and MESRE chair-elect), and Members-at-Large (depending on appointment and term limit). It is expected that the Chair-Elect will be nominated from current or past members of the NEGEA Steering Committee. However, other candidates will be solicited in the absence of internal candidates. The Nominating Committee provides a slate of candidates to the Steering Committee who reviews and accepts, rejects or abstains from voting on the slate by secret ballot.

    3. Vacancy in the Term of Office of the Chair. If a vacancy occurs during the term of office of the Chair, the Chair-Elect will advance to the position of Chair, serving for the remainder of the previous Chair’s term and then continuing to fulfill the term commitment for which elected.
    4. Vacancy in the Term of a Steering Committee Member. Should a member of the Steering Committee vacate their office, the Chair, with advisement from the Nominating Committee, will appoint a replacement. Members appointed to fill vacancies will serve for the remainder of the term and may be reappointed to serve another full term in that same position.

    ARTICLE 7: SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

    Section 1. Individuals may organize special interest groups (SIGs) around a common theme in medical education, within the framework and guidelines of the GEA.

    Section 2. These SIGs may request time to meet at the regional meeting.

    ARTICLE 8: FINANCES

    Section 1. Funding sources. Funding from alternate sources may be sought and used at the discretion of the NEGEA Steering Committee to defray the costs of the regional education meeting or for other purposes, in accordance with AAMC guidelines.

    Section 2. The Chair-Elect, in the role of the treasurer of NEGEA, will serve as the primary liaison with AAMC staff that holds the account of NEGEA funds. AAMC staff will provide periodic audits of the NEGEA account. The Chair-Elect will communicate with the Chair concerning funds and provide a report to the Steering Committee twice a year.

    ARTICLE 9: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

    Section 1. Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used when considering motions.

    Otherwise standing rules will allow the Chair to maintain order and conduct business in a reasonable manner.

    ARTICLE 10: AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS

    Section 1. Any members of an NEGEA school may suggest an amendment to these bylaws. Any suggestion must be submitted in writing for discussion by the Steering Committee at least 30 days before meetings. A two-thirds majority vote of the Steering Committee must be attained to amend the bylaws.

    ARTICLE 11: ADOPTION OF BYLAWS

    Section 1. These bylaws will be adopted if approved by the NEGEA Steering Committee by a two-thirds majority vote.

    Adopted: May 9, 2012
    Amendments adopted: April 12, 2013; April 11, 2014; April 17, 2015; April 8, 2016; May 23, 2017; May 22, 2018; April 4, 2019; February 2, 2021