The Medical Section of the SLA Biomedical and Life Sciences Division

Recommended Practices

Last Revision: November 11, 2011

CHAIR

Function:The Section Chair serves as the representative of the Section and has control over its affairs.

Qualifications:The Chair must be a member, associate member, or retired member of the Association, as well as a member of the DBIO Division and the Medical Section.

Appointments:Along with the consultation of the outgoing Secretary and Chair-elect, as well as previous Medical Section leaders, the outgoing Chair will appoint the incoming Chair-elect and Secretary, to be named at the Annual Business meeting of the Medical Section.

Duties:
  • To preside at the annual Medical Section business meeting during the Annual Meeting of the Association.
  • As part of the Section's business meeting, the Chair will promote an educational segment that will give other Section members a chance to present to their colleagues at a national venue, and in an informal setting. The Chair, in consultation with the secretary and Chair-elect, will select the speaker based on an abstract submitted by October 1st of the year preceding the annual conference being planned.
  • To prepare a budget based on consultation with the DBIO Division chair and plans for the Medical Section program at the Annual Conference.
  • To review the appropriate sections of this Procedures Manual and submit revisions in February.
  • Distributing the names, addresses, phone numbers, etc. of the Chair, Chair-elect, and Secretary to the DBIO Division Chair by SLA deadlines and to the Bulletin Editor and editor of the Division Web page.
Reports and Records:
  • Preparing an annual report of the Section activities for submission to the DBIO Division Chair for presentation to Division members at the Annual Conference, and for publication in the Division Bulletin Winter Edition.
  • Preparation of preliminary Conference Program plans to be reported to the DBIO Division Conference Committee Chair as requested by and according to a timetable established by the DBIO Division Conference Committee Chair.
  • Preparing regular columns for Biofeedback.
  • Sending regular updates to the DBIO webmaster.
  • Transferring files (including correspondence, fax, e-mail, membership roster of the Section, and summaries of verbal communications) deemed important to the business of the Section to the incoming Chair.


CHAIR-ELECT

Function:The Chair-elect serves as a member of the Section's leadership and participates at the request of the Chair in the general supervision of Section activities. The Chair-elect may represent the Section upon the request of the Chair and assume the duties of Chair in event of the absence or withdrawal of the Chair. The Chair-elect succeeds to Chair on January 1st of the following year.

Qualifications:The Chair-elect must be a member, associate member, or retired member of the Association, as well as a member of the DBIO Division and the Medical Section.

Appointments:The Chair-elect will consult with the Chair and Secretary to select the incoming Chair-elect and Secretary, to be named at the Annual Business meeting of the Medical Section.

Duties:
  • To support the current Chair by providing advice, counsel, ideas, and proposals.
  • To learn about the past development, issues, procedures, and history of the Section in order to help shape its future and strategic direction.
  • To become more knowledgeable about SLA as an organization and getting to know more people both within the Medical Section, and in the DBIO and other Divisions.  To help select incoming Chairs-elect and Secretaries.
  • To encourage and coordinate planning of a Division program at the Annual Conference that has a medical- or health-related emphasis.  Topics pursued should be of interest to Medical Section members and to other related Divisions, such as the Pharmaceutical, Information Technology and Insurance Divisions. The Chair-Elect should serve on the Program Committee for the next year's Annual Conference.
Reports and Records:
  • Arranging for the transfer of all pertinent files to the incoming Chair-elect.


SECRETARY

Function:The Secretary serves as the recorder of official business of the Medical Section and participates and confers with the Chair-elect and Chair on Section business as requested.

Qualifications:The Secretary must be a member, associate member, or retired member of the Association, as well as a member of the DBIO Division and the Medical Section.

Appointments:The Secretary will consult with the Chair and Chair-elect to select the incoming Chair-elect and Secretary, to be named at the Annual Business meeting of the Medical Section.

Duties:Besides consulting and conferring with Chair and Chair-elect on various matters, the primary responsibility is to record notes for the Annual Business meeting of the Medical Section.

Records and Reports: The Secretary is responsible for:
  • Submitting the minutes of the Medical Section Annual Business meeting to the Division Chair and the Bulletin Editor.
Rev. January 2012