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AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ORAL MEDICINE BYLAWS
ARTICLE I —MEMBERSHIP Section 1. CLASSIFICATION The members of this Academy shall be classified as follows:
Section 2. QUALIFICATIONS The qualifications for the various classes of membership shall be as follows: A. Regular Member. A dentist who has graduated from an accredited dental school and has shown special interest or accomplishment in oral medicine, may be classified as a regular member. B. Affiliate Member. Any non-dentist shall be eligible to be an affiliate member 1) who is interested in learning more about oral medicine, treating oral medicine patients, and/or engaged in research in the field and is not eligible for another category of membership in this Academy or 2) who qualifies under a mutual agreement with another oral medicine society. C. Honorary Member. A person who has made outstanding contribution to the art and science of oral medicine may be classified as an honorary member on nomination by the Honorary Fellowship and Awards Committee, approved by the Board of Trustees and on election by the General Assembly. An honorary member may apply to the Secretary for regular membership in the Academy, and this will be granted on publication of his name. D. Retired Member. A regular member in good standing of this Academy for at least twenty (20) years who shall have retired from active practice may be classified as a retired member. E. Life Member. A regular member in good standing of this Academy for at least twenty–five (25) years, and who shall be at least sixty-five (65) years of age, may be classified as a life member. F. Associate Member. A dentist who is 1) a student graduate awardee or 2) a trainee who has graduated from dental school and is currently training in a post-doctoral oral medicine program. G. Student Member. A student currently enrolled in a dental or medical school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) or the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) or other appropriate accrediting agency with equivalent standards. H. Corporate Member. A corporation that is interested in supporting the art and science of Oral Medicine may be classified as a corporate member on nomination by the Membership Committee, approval by the Executive Committee, payment of dues, and on election by the General Assembly. Acceptance of a corporate member does not imply endorsement or acceptance of any product or substance made by the corporate member or acceptance or endorsement of any philosophy or ideals of the corporate member. I. Affiliate Student Member. A student currently enrolled in an allied health care field or studying medicine or dentistry outside of the United States.
Section 4. Good Standing. A member of this Academy who is not under sentence of suspension or expulsion and whose dues for the current calendar year have been paid shall be considered a member in “good standing.” A member not in “good standing” is denied the privileges of the Academy.
B. Affiliate members shall have all the privileges of a regular member except the right to vote, make nominations and to hold office. C. Honorary members shall have all the privileges of regular members except the right to vote, make nominations or hold office. D. Retired members shall have all the privileges granted to their former classification of membership as set forth in the Bylaws. E. Life members shall have all the privileges granted to their former classification of membership except for receipt of the Journal, which may be purchased at the Academy’s cost. F. Associate members shall have all the privileges of the Academy including the right to vote. G. Student and Affiliate Student members shall have all the privileges of a regular member except the right to vote, make nominations, chair a committee (other than a student committee), or be a member of the Executive Committee or Board of Trustees. H. Corporate Members shall have all the privileges of the Academy except the right to make nominations or hold office. Copies of the official publications will be sent to the corporate member.
Section 7. Reinstatement. A member who has been suspended may apply for reinstatement, providing the cause for suspension has been remedied.
Section 2. Powers. The General Assembly shall be the supreme legislative body of this Academy. It shall have the power (a) to enact, amend, revise or repeal the Constitution and Bylaws; (b) to elect all members of the Academy; and (c) to elect its officers.
C. Special meetings may be called by the President, or a majority of the Board of Trustees, or on petition of 10% of the regular membership. A notice shall be mailed to the membership at least fifteen (15) days before the meeting, and shall state the purpose of the meeting. No business may be transacted at a special meeting other than that for which the meeting has been called.
Section 5. Quorum. A quorum shall be 10% of the regular membership in good standing who are attending the annual meeting, or twenty-five (25) regular members in good standing.
Section 3. Vacancy. In the event of a vacancy, the President may appoint any qualified member to fill the unexpired term. Section 4. Powers and Duties. The Board of Trustees shall approve the Academy’s annual budget, propose and direct the strategic plan, and assume other responsibilities described in these bylaws. It shall serve as the advisory body to the Executive Committee. Section 5. Sessions. The Board of Trustees shall meet at least once during the annual meeting, and at other times as described in the Academy’s policy manual. The Board of Trustees shall also meet at the call of the President, or upon a request to the President signed by ten (10) members of the Board, written notice of which shall be sent at least fifteen (15) days prior to all members of the Board of Trustees. Section 6. Quorum. Fifty-one percent (51%) of the Committee Chairs and Executive Committee Members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Terms of office are for one year, but in special circumstances the BOT may by majority vote extend the term of office to two years. In the event that an officer is unable to continue in his or her office for a second term, the office will be considered vacant and managed as per Section 5: Vacancy.
Additional candidates may be nominated by petition signed by twenty (20) regular members and include a statement of the candidate’s willingness to accept nomination. The petition must be returned to the Secretary at least fifteen (15) days before the annual meeting. No other nominees will be recognized from the floor, except as provided below for the replacement of nominees already on the slate. The Nominating Committee will retain the option of changing the slate until the actual election if a nominee is unable to accept the nomination or hold office. The change must be reviewed by the Board of Trustees. In the event that the Board of Trustees has voted to extend the terms of the current officers, the Nominating Committee shall present those officers as the slate of nominees. If any of the current officers declines to be nominated for extension, the Nominating Committee may present another nominee for that office. In such an event, nominations may be received from the floor at the annual meeting of the General Assembly. Elections shall be held at the annual meeting of the General Assembly and shall be conducted under the supervision of the Nominating Committee.
B. In the event the office of President-Elect becomes vacant, the office shall be filled by the Vice -President for the unexpired term. C. In the event the offices of Secretary or Treasurer become vacant, the office shall be filled by the Assistant Secretary or Assistant Treasurer for the unexpired term. D. In the event of multiple vacancies, or in the event that a vacancy cannot be filled as described above, the Nominating Committee shall seek and provide to the Board of Trustees potential candidates. The Board of Trustees shall by majority vote appoint such nominee(s) to the vacant office(s) to serve in an interim capacity until elections of officers are held at the next annual meeting.
C. Vice President. The Vice President shall assist the President or the President-Elect as requested and shall perform the duties of the President-Elect in case of vacancy in that office. He/she shall not be a member of the Nominating Committee but shall be a non-voting member, ex officio, of all other committees. D. Secretary. The Secretary or Secretaries shall serve as Secretary of the General Assembly, the Board of Trustees, and the Executive Committee, and shall oversee preparation and distribution of official minutes of all proceedings and transactions, maintenance of member lists, be custodian of the Official Seal of the Academy and of all records of the Academy except those pertaining to the office of Treasurer. The Secretary shall make an annual report to the Board of Trustees and to the General Assembly and perform such other duties as are assigned by these Bylaws, the Executive Committee, Board of Trustees and the General Assembly.
Section 2. Officers. The chairperson of all standing and special committees shall be appointed by the President, with advice from and notification to the Executive Committee, unless otherwise provided in these Bylaws. Section 3. Duties of Standing Committees A. Constitution and Bylaws Committee. Shall examine the Constitution and Bylaws as necessary or at the direction of the Executive Committee or Board of Trustees and may make such suggestions for amendment as deemed necessary. The committee shall consider all proposed amendments and shall submit them to the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees for review before presenting them to the General Assembly for action. It shall also serve as final arbitrator in questions of rules of order. B. Executive Committee. Shall consist of all the elected officers and the two (2) most recent available past presidents. The chair of this committee shall be the President. The Executive Committee shall have the responsibility for the day-to-day functioning of the Academy and decisions necessary to complete those activities. The Executive Committee shall have the responsibility for activities related to the strategic plan and completing directives from the Board of Trustees. The committee shall coordinate the functions and activities of all other committees, and act as an advisory committee to the President on any and all matters of concern to the Academy. The Executive Committee shall periodically report its activities and recommendations to the Board of Trustees and General Assembly. C. Ethics and Discipline Committee. The duties of the committee shall be to receive charges of infraction of the Code of Ethics as prescribed in Article XII of the Constitution and conduct a confidential investigation. No action for reprimand, censure or suspension shall be taken without the privilege of a hearing before the Executive Committee. The member involved must be notified of this privilege, and the date and place of such hearing, by registered mail at least ten (10) days before such hearing. Any recommendation for reprimand, censure or suspension must be submitted by this committee to the Board of Trustees for approval before submission to the General Assembly at an annual, semiannual or special meeting. A two-thirds vote of the members present shall be required for approval. D. Budget and Finance Committee. Shall consist of the AAOM Treasurer, who shall serve as Chairperson, and current Executive Committee officers of the Academy. It shall be responsible for all fiscal matters pertaining to the Academy, including investment policies, preparation of the annual budget and audits, financial reports of each national meeting, selection of auditors and selection of the accountant.
F. Organization of Teachers of Oral Diagnosis Committee (OTOD Committee). The committee shall consist of a Chair, Chair-elect, Director (immediate past-chair), each with a term of two years to be voted for by members of the committee and subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees. The committee shall be composed of an unlimited number of “members-at-large” from the Academy. The OTOD Committee exists to promote excellence in pre-doctoral dental and dental hygiene education in the diagnostic disciplines of oral diagnosis, oral medicine and oral and maxillofacial radiology. The committee serves as the pre-doctoral educational arm of the Academy, and shall enhance the visibility and awareness of the specialty of oral medicine to the profession through activities at the American Dental Education Association (ADEA). The committee will provide support for the professional development of junior faculty educators in the diagnostic disciplines. The committee will control a dedicated fund or line item that will contain (a) the monies transferred from OTOD at the time of the merger and (b) any voluntary contributions made to this fund or budget line item. The Committee Chair shall present the OTOD Distinguished Faculty Award annually at the President’s Banquet. G. Nominating Committee. Composition. The committee shall consist of five (5) members in addition to the chair. Two (2) shall be nominated and elected by the General Assembly at the annual meeting of the Academy; these members will serve two-year staggered terms. The incoming President shall appoint one (1) Past President to serve a two-year term. The immediate Past President will serve a one-year term and shall serve as the committee chair. Duties. The Nominating Committee shall propose candidates for election to the offices of the Academy from the regular members in good standing and present the nominations to the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees at the annual meeting preceding the election. They shall supervise all elections under the direction of the President. A member of the Committee may not be considered for nomination to Academy office unless he/she resigns from the committee prior to its consideration of nominees for that office. H. Past-President’s Committee. Composition: The Committee shall consist of all Past Presidents of AAOM. The Committee will appoint two Past-Presidents who will serve as Chairs of the Committee for a term of one (1) year and who will represent the Committee on the Board of Trustees. Duties: The Past Presidents Committee will support the membership committee through the annual renewal process and will support the Board of Trustee as requested. The Chairs of the Past President’s Committee will participate at Board meetings on behalf of the committee. Section 4. Other Committees. May be established by the President upon recommendations from the Executive Committee or Board of Trustees as deemed appropriate. All committees will be listed with their assigned responsibilities in the Academy’s Standard Operating Procedures Manual. Section 5. Special Committees. May be appointed by the President. The term of these special committees will lapse at the annual meeting following that at which they were appointed or upon completion of their assigned function. Section 6. Extension of Terms: In the event that an annual meeting is not held, for those committee members whose terms are specified in the Bylaws, the terms will automatically be extended by one year for each annual meeting not held. A vacancy which may result will be filled by the standard procedure for that committee.
ARTICLE VII —OFFICIAL PUBLICATIONS
Section 2. These Bylaws may be amended at any annual or other Academy meetings by 2/3 majority affirmative vote of the members of the General Assembly present and with voting privileges, provided that said proposed amendment has been presented in writing at the previous session of said meeting.
The Academy shall use its funds only to accomplish the objectives and purposes specified in these Bylaws and no part of said funds shall inure or be distributed to the members of the Academy. On dissolution of the Academy, any funds remaining shall be distributed to one or more qualified scientific, educational, charitable or philanthropic organizations related to the field of Oral Medicine to be selected by the Board of Trustees. |