ADLM (formerly AACC)

Bylaws of the Pediatric and Maternal Fetal Division

ARTICLE I. Organization Name

  1. The name of this organization shall be the Pediatric and Maternal-Fetal Division (the Division) of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (formerly AACC) (the Association).
  2. The Division shall be governed by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association for Diagnostics & Laboratory Medicine (formerly AACC), and no part of the Bylaws of the Division shall be in conflict with the Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.

ARTICLE II. Objectives

In order to accomplish the general goals and objectives of the Division, a variety of activities will be pursued.

  1. Education - Workshops, seminars, symposia and other programs at regional, national and international meetings will be sponsored to enhance the knowledge of the clinical laboratory and health care professional.
  2. Communication - Provide a forum for the dissemination of information about analytes, methods of analysis, reference ranges for pediatric and maternal-fetal patients.
  3. Publication - Promote and sponsor scientific notes, communications, research papers, monographs, etc., relevant to the field of Pediatric and Maternal-Fetal Clinical Chemistry.
  4. Research - the Division will encourage basic and clinical investigations in specialized areas of Pediatric, Maternal and Fetal Clinical Chemistry.
  5. Consultation - Operate a communications service to provide assistance to clinical laboratory and health care professionals with immediate problems in the field of Pediatric and Maternal-Fetal Clinical Chemistry.
  6. Recognition - Use the Pediatric and Maternal-Fetal Division Award for Outstanding Contributions to Pediatric and Maternal-Fetal Clinical Chemistry to recognize excellence.

ARTICLE III. Membership

  1. The qualifications for Membership shall be the same as those defined in the Bylaws of the Association.
  2. Every Member, Honorary Member, Emeritus Member, and Student Affiliate of the Association who chooses to join the Division, and pays their Division dues, shall comprise the Membership of the Pediatric and Maternal-Fetal Division. Only Members and Emeritus Members of the Association or shall have voting privileges.

ARTICLE IV. Management of the Division

  1. The business of the Division shall be administered by a Management Committee consisting of the Officers of the Division and three Members-at-large.
  2. The Division shall have the following Officers
    1. Chair
    2. Chair-elect
    3. Secretary
    4. Treasurer
    5. Immediate Past Chair

    Only Members of the Division in good standing shall serve as Officers.

  3. Chair - The Chair shall:
    1. Be the Executive Officer for the Division.
    2. Preside at all official meetings.
    3. Appoint the Chairmen of all Committees except the Nominating Committee. All Committee appointments shall be confirmed by the Management Committee.
    4. Be an ex-officio member of each Committee, except the Nominating Committee.
    5. Provide the secretary with all information pertinent to Division management.
  4. Chair-Elect - The Chair-elect shall:
    1. Preside at meetings in the absence of the Chair and act for him in case of his absence or disability.
  5. Secretary - The Secretary shall:
    1. Keep minutes of all meetings of the Division at which business is conducted, and submit them for approval at subsequent meetings.
    2. Maintain the minutes of meetings as a record and transmit them to the succeeding Secretary.
    3. Carry out such correspondence of the Division as is delegated by the Chair.
    4. Distribute notices of meetings, ballots, and election results to the Membership.
    5. Notify the Association Secretary and the Executive Director of pertinent matters related to the activities of the Division.
  6. Treasurer - The Treasurer will:
    1. Maintain accurate and current records of all credits, debits, and balances.
    2. Present a financial statement of receipts, disbursements, and current balances at official meetings.
    3. Provide accurate records to be passed to succeeding Treasurers.
  7. Past Chair - The Immediate Past Chair will:
    1. Serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee.
    2. Direct long range planning activities of the Division.
  8. Members-at-Large
    1. Serve on ad hoc committees as appointed by the Chair.
    2. Serve on the Management Committee.
  9. Terms of Office
    1. Elected officers, except Members-at-large, shall serve for two years (2) the term of the office shall start January 1, and terminate December 31. Members-at-large will serve a three (3) year term.
    2. Each Officer or Member-at-Large, except the Chair, shall be permitted to succeed himself. The Chair shall not be eligible for re-election until one year has elapsed following his/her last term of office.
    3. In the event that the office of Chair becomes vacant, the Chair-elect shall succeed to the office of the Chair for the remainder of the unexpired term.
    4. If a vacancy occurs in any other office, the Chair shall appoint a successor for the remainder of the term. Such appointment shall be confirmed by the Management Committee.
  10. Election of Officers and Members-at-large
    1. Election shall be by mail or electronic ballot. The secretary shall distribute to the Membership by the first week in November of each year a suitable ballot showing the offices to be filled and the Nominees for each office. In addition, each office shall have a provision for write-in votes.
    2. Nominees shall be those selected by the Nominating Committee and reported in the fall Newsletter.
    3. All Nominees must have agreed to serve before the election.
    4. Ballots shall be collected and tabulated by a member of the Management Committee. If more than one person is running for an office, the ballots will be counted by two Members appointed as Tellers by the Chair.
    5. The deadline for the receipt of valid ballots shall be November 30. The Executive Director of the Association should be informed of the results.
    6. The Nominees receiving a plurality of valid votes for each office shall be elected. In the event that all candidates for an office receive an equal number of votes, another election for that office shall be held. The Management Committee shall establish conditions for this run-off election. In the event that an officer is not elected by January 1, the Officer in that office on December 31 shall continue to serve until relieved by a duly elected officer.
    7. Resignation of officers, with the exception of the Chair, shall be submitted, in writing, to the Chair. The resignation of the Chair shall be submitted, in writing, to the Management Committee.
    8. On the majority vote of the Management Committee of the Division a motion for impeachment of an officer will be submitted to the Membership for a vote by mail or electronic ballot. A two-thirds majority of the votes cast is required to effect the removal from office of one of the elected officers.

ARTICLE V. Standing Committees

  1. Management Committee - The committee shall consist of the Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, immediate Past Chair, and elected Members-at-large. The Management Committee shall have the authority to act on all matters for the Division concerning the Division.
  2. Nominating Committee - The Nominating Committee shall consist of three Members of the Division. The Nominating Committee Chair will be the Past-Chair of the Division. The other two members will be appointed by the Chair of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee will not nominate their members for election except in extraordinary circumstances when there are no other suitable candidates willing to serve.
  3. Program Committee - This committee shall consist of the Chair-Elect, who shall serve as the Program Committee Chair, and up to two additional members selected by the Program Committee Chair. The function of this Committee shall be to: Plan, schedule, and make the necessary arrangements for the Divisions' scientific and business portions of the National Meeting.
  4. Membership Committee - The Chair for the membership committee shall be appointed by the Division Chair. The membership chairperson shall:
    1. Devise ways to seek potential members.
    2. Encourage the members to serve on committees
    3. Provide membership updates at the Division Management Committee meetings

ARTICLE VI. Finances

  1. Fiscal Year - The fiscal year of the Division shall coincide with that of the Association, beginning on January 1, and ending on December 31.
  2. Dissolution - In the event that the activities of the Division are terminated, all funds remaining after the payment of all debts shall be forwarded to the Association. In no event shall any funds of the Division inure to the benefit of any member of the Division, either during the life of the Division or after its termination.

ARTICLE VII. Terminology

  1. Whenever in the Bylaws masculine terms are used, the corresponding feminine terms are interchangeable.

ARTICLE X. Amendments to the Bylaws

  1. These Bylaws may be amended following any official meeting of this Division when convened by written or electronic notice to all Members requiring approval by two-thirds of the vote cast by affirmative mail or electronic ballot. Written or electronic notice of proposed changes in this document must be available to the members not less than 30 days, nor more than 60 days prior to the meeting at which these changes are to be considered.