BYLAWS

OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF EPIDEMIOLOGY

Revised September 21, 1984

Revised September 26, 1986

Revised October 6, 1988

Revised October 1989

Revised August 1990

Revised November 1991

Revised September 1992

Revised September 1997

Revised October 1999

Revised October 2004

 Revised September 2006

The American College of Epidemiology is a professional organization of epidemiologists that serves the interests of its members through sponsorship of scientific meetings, publications and educational activities, recognizing outstanding contributions to the field and advocating for issues pertinent to epidemiology.

Article
I. Membership II. Election to Membership III. Termination of Membership
IV. Board of Directors
V. Officers
VI. Dues

VII. Meetings of the College
VIII. Standing Committees
IX. Special Committees

X. Amendments
XI. Rules of Order
XII. Corporate Seal

XIII. Fiscal Year
XIV. Initial Membership


ARTICLE I. Membership
Section 1. There shall be five classes of membership: 1) Member, 2) Fellow, 3) Honorary Fellow, 4) Emeritus and 5) Associate Member.

Section 2. Any person who has been deemed by the Admissions Committee to have satisfied the following criteria shall be eligible to be a Member: 1) a doctoral degree in epidemiology; or 2) a doctoral degree in a field relevant to epidemiology and specific formal training in epidemiology of at least one year's duration equivalent to a Master of Science degree; or 3) a doctoral degree in a field relevant to epidemiology and at least two years of supervised and structured experience in the practice of epidemiology; or 4) a doctoral degree in a field relevant to epidemiology, or a masters degree in epidemiology, and demonstrated sustained experience and productivity in the practice of epidemiology.

Section 3. Any person who has been deemed by the Committee on Admissions to have satisfied the following criteria shall be eligible to be a Fellow: 1) the criteria for Member, and 2) clear evidence of significant and sustained academic and/or other professional contributions to the field of epidemiology. Any Member who has been deemed by the Committee on Admissions to have made sufficient contributions to the field of epidemiology shall be eligible to be a Fellow.

Section 4. Any distinguished epidemiologist may be elected as an Honorary Fellow. Candidates shall be chosen by a committee consisting of the President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and two other members of the Board of Directors appointed by the President annually. Honorary Fellows shall be entitled to all the privileges of Fellows except voting and serving as officers or directors and shall be exempt from the payment of dues.

Section 5. Any Fellow or Member in good standing who reaches her/his 60th birthday and has retired from active professional work may apply for Emeritus status. Each application shall be considered individually by the Admissions Committee with recommendation to the Board of Directors. Emeritus Fellows and Members shall be exempt from the payment of dues and may not hold office or vote.

Section 6. Any person who has been deemed by the Admissions Committee to be enrolled in training that, when completed satisfactorily, would qualify the applicant for admission into the College shall be eligible to be an Associate Member. The maximum term for Associate Members shall be five years. Proof of continuance of training shall be submitted annually.

Section 7. Members shall be entitled to all the privileges of Fellows except those of serving as chairpersons of standing committees. Associate Members shall be entitled to all the privileges of membership except those of voting or serving as officers, directors, or chairpersons of committees; they may serve as the Associate Director or as a member of any standing committee of the College.

Section 8. The qualifying training and experience of each applicant will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee, who in turn will make one of the following recommendations to the Board of Directors: election as a Member, or Associate Member; election as a Fellow; or not eligible for election.

Section 9. The Board of Directors, after receiving the report of the Admissions Committee, may extend or deny membership to an applicant for any reason, whether or not specifically stated in these Bylaws. These reasons shall be made known to the applicant. Membership shall not be denied because of sex, race, ethnicity, religion or other prohibited grounds. Applicants who are denied admission may reapply after a period of two years from the date of the previous application.

ARTICLE II. Election to Membership
Section 1. An applicant for the rank of Fellow, Member, or Associate Member shall complete an application form. The application shall be sent to the Administrative Office of the College.

Section 2. At least three times each year, the Committee on Admissions shall make its recommendations to the Board of Directors. A majority vote of the Board of Directors shall be necessary for election to any class of membership.

ARTICLE III. Termination of Membership

Section 1. Any Member or Fellow in arrears of dues for two years will have his/her Membership or Fellowship in the College revoked. Reactivation will be by payment of current dues. Members or Fellows who are three or more years in arrears must be reinstated by approval of a new application to the Committee on Admissions.

Section 2. Any Associate Member who is in arrears of dues for one year will have his/her membership revoked. Reactivation will be by payment of current dues and submission of proof of continuance of training.

ARTICLE IV. Board of Directors
Section 1. The affairs of the College shall be managed by the Board of Directors, which shall consist of 12 elected Members or Fellows, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the President (if his/her term on the Board has expired), the Immediate Past-President and the President-Elect. Neither the Secretary nor the Treasurer shall be one of the 12 elected Board members. The Board of Directors shall have and may exercise all the powers of the College except as indicated by statute or by these Bylaws which require them to be exercised by other than the Directors.

Section 2. Each year, four Members or Fellows will be elected to the Board (from a slate of eight nominees) for a term of three years. The Directors shall be elected by mail, email, or internet ballot of the membership. One of the four newly elected Directors may be a Member. Should a vacancy occur during the unexpired term of a Director, the Board of Directors shall fill the vacancy until the next election. At the next election, a Director shall be elected to serve the remainder of the unexpired term. No Director shall serve for more than two consecutive full terms. Directors shall hold office until their successors have been elected. The Board of Directors shall enter upon their duties at the close of the annual meeting following their election.

Section 3. The President shall be elected by the members from among current Members of the Board or those who have served on the Board within the past two years. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected by the Board of Directors from the Fellows.

Section 4. The Officers shall enter upon their duties at the close of the annual meeting following their election. The Officers shall have the authority and shall perform duties customarily pertaining to their respective offices.

Section 5. A quorum for a meeting of the Board of Directors shall consist of a majority of Directors which shall include at least one Officer. The Board may conduct business by mail, telephone, or e-mail providing a quorum is obtained.

Section 6. Chairs of Standing Committees are expected to attend Board meeting, and shall report Committee activities to the Board as requested.

Section 7. Any member of the Board of Directors who has two unexcused absences from a Board meeting shall be dropped from the Board.

Section 8. The composition of the Board of Directors shall be modified to include an Associate Member in a non-voting Board position. This position shall be herewith referred to as Associate Director. The Associate Director shall be elected by the members of the current Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting and serve a term of approximately one calendar year from the close of the Annual Meeting of his/her election. The Associate Director will also be appointed liaison to the Membership Committee for his/her term. Candidates for the Associate Director position must be Associate Members in good standing for at least one full year prior to election and must be endorsed by a Fellow of the College in order to be considered for nomination.

ARTICLE V. Officers
Section 1. The Officers of the College shall be a President, a President-Elect, an Immediate Past-President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The offices of the Secretary and Treasurer may be combined if the Board so directs. The President and the President-Elect shall be elected by mail, email, or internet ballot of the membership.

Section 2. The Officers shall enter upon their duties at the close of the annual meeting following their election.

Section 3. The President and the President-Elect shall hold office for one year or until their successors are elected. They shall not be eligible for re-election. Should the President be unable to serve out the elected term, the term will be served out by the Immediate Past President, if available, or by the President-Elect. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall hold office for five years or until their successors are elected.

Section 4. Vacancies occurring between annual meetings shall be filled by the Board of Directors for the unexpired term.

Section 5. The Officers shall have the authority and shall perform the duties customarily pertaining to their respective offices and shall have the power to act on behalf of the College between meetings of the Board.

Section 6. The Treasurer shall provide to the Board of Directors, when requested, a report showing an audit of the accounts. The Treasurer shall employ a certified public accountant or other appropriate individual for this function.

ARTICLE VI. Dues
Section 1. The amount of annual dues shall be determined by the College by vote of the majority of Fellows and Members present at any regular meeting as determined by the Board of Directors. Any member who has paid annual dues shall be said to be a member “in good standing.”

Section 2. Any Fellow, or Member, in good standing may, for sufficient reason and with his/her consent be absolved by the Board of Directors from the payment of dues.

Section 3. The Board of Directors shall have the power to collect fees as necessary for education courses to remunerate instructors and pay other such expenses essential to the education program.

ARTICLE VII. Meetings of the College
Section 1. The time and place of the annual meeting shall be decided by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. A quorum shall consist of twenty-five Fellows or Members, including at least a majority of the members of the Board of Directors and one Officer.

Section 3. The duration of the meeting shall be decided by the Board of Directors.

Section 4. Special meetings of the College may be called by the President or a majority of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VIII. Standing Committees
Section 1: Standing Committees of the College are Admissions, Awards, Career Mentoring, Communication, Education, Finance, Membership, Minority Affairs, Publications, and Policy. Each Standing Committee shall comprise at least 5 Fellows or Members, and one Associate Member. At least one Fellow or Member shall be a member of the Board of Directors. Standing Committees shall report to the Board as requested by the President. The chair of each Standing Committee shall be appointed by the President, renewable for up to three consecutive years. The chair of each Standing Committee will appoint Committee members as needed, in consultation with, and with the approval of, the President. Committee members may serve a maximum of two three-year terms. After serving the maximum allowable term, any Committee chair or member may be reappointed to that Committee after a one-year hiatus.

Section 2. The Admissions Committee, including the Secretary and the Treasurer serving ex officio, shall receive and judge applications for the various classes of membership, and shall make admission recommendations to the Board of Directors.

Section 3. The Awards Committee shall select recipients for awards issued by the College.

Section 4. The Career Mentoring Committee shall establish and implement a program to provide mentorship to all College members.

Section 5. The Communications Committee shall serve as a liaison between the Board of Directors and Members/Fellows to ensure a timely and mutual exchange of information on matters pertaining to the practice of epidemiology. Representation on the Committee shall include individuals from academia, industry, and federal and state government to ensure the fullest representation of practicing epidemiologists.

Section 6. The Education Committee shall develop educational courses pertaining to epidemiology and oversee development of the scientific program for the annual meeting.

Section 7. The Finance Committee, including the Treasurer serving ex officio, shall develop long-range planning and commitment of funds of the College, but the Committee will in no way assume the duties of either the Secretary or the Treasurer. The Committee shall make recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding the investment of funds. It shall formulate proposals for the expenditure of funds in the form of a budget. The Committee shall advise the Treasurer and the Board of Directors on the disbursement of funds.

Section 8. The Membership Committee shall be responsible for developing policies and procedures to increase membership, to retain existing Members and Fellows, and to address issues related to member services.

Section 9. The Minority Affairs Committee shall assess the status of minorities in the profession of epidemiology, assess the role of the College in promoting increased representation, recommend strategies for increasing the number of minority epidemiologists who are affiliated with the College, and recommend actions to increase research on health concerns of minority populations.

Section 10. The Policy Committee shall be responsible for developing policy positions and statements for approval by the Board of Directors.

Section 11. The Publications Committee shall be responsible for all scientific publications issued by the College.

ARTICLE IX. Special Committees
Section 1. A Nominating Committee shall be appointed annually. The outgoing Past President shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee. This committee shall consist of three Fellows or Members, no one of whom is a member of the Board of Directors. It shall be the duty of this Committee to present the names of at least two candidates for each vacancy on the Board of Directors. The nominees shall be selected with due regard to geographic representation and other considerations including sex and race/ethnicity. Additional names for consideration may be submitted by mail by any Fellow or Member six months prior to the annual meeting. The names of those agreeing to serve and a brief curriculum vitae for these candidates shall be distributed by mail ballot at least six weeks prior to the annual meeting, and the results of the election shall be announced at the annual meeting.

Section 2. The Program Committee for each annual meeting, consisting of three Fellows or Members, shall be appointed and its chairman designated by the President. The Committee shall serve as a Subcommittee of the Education Committee. At least one Member of the Education Committee will serve as an ex-officio Member of the Committee.

Section 3. The Board of Directors may, by majority vote, establish any other committee deemed necessary for the welfare of the College. The members of each such committee shall be appointed by the President.

Section 4. All special committees shall report to the Board of Directors at least once a year.

ARTICLE X. Amendments
These Bylaws may be amended by a majority of those Fellows and Members present and voting at any annual meeting of the College, providing that the proposed amendments shall have been submitted in writing to the Board at least two months prior to the annual meeting and distributed in writing to the membership at least one month prior to that meeting. The Bylaws also may be amended by mail, email, or internet ballots. Notice of the proposed changes shall be submitted in writing at least two months prior to voting and specific changes distributed to the membership at least one month prior to voting. A majority of Members and Fellows casting mail, email, or internet ballots is needed to amend the Bylaws.

ARTICLE XI. Rules of Order
The rules contained in Robert's “Rules of Order” shall govern the College in any and all cases to which they are applicable.

ARTICLE XII. Corporate Seal
The Corporate Seal of the Corporation shall consist of the following words and figures inscribed in a circle:

American College of Epidemiology
Maryland
1979
Corporate Seal

ARTICLE XIII. Fiscal Year
The fiscal year shall extend from January 1 to December 31 of the successive year.

ARTICLE XIV. Initial Membership
The requirements for - membership stated in Article I of these Bylaws may be waived for all applicants for membership whose qualifying training and experience predates January 1, 1983 . The Board of Directors shall determine by a majority vote whether an applicant is admitted to his/her respective class of membership. The Board of Directors shall notify all applicants whose applications were received prior to December 31, 1980 of the final decision of the Board of Directors regarding their application by June 30, 1981 . All members of the initial Board of Directors, as constituted in the Articles of Incorporation, shall be founding Fellows of the College. The terms of the Board of Directors as constituted in the Articles of Incorporation shall begin at the time of the first annual meeting of the College.