Section 1     The name of this organization shall be the Eastern Vascular Society.

Section 2     The Eastern Vascular Society shall be incorporated under the laws of the State of New Jersey.

Section 3     The objectives of this organization are:

a. To advance the art and science of vascular surgery.

b. To provide an educational forum for physicians in the Eastern United States and Canada active in the field of vascular diseases.

c. To improve the delivery to the public of health care for vascular diseases.

d. To encourage research in the etiology, diagnosis and treatment of vas­cular diseases.

Section 1     The Society shall consist of Active, Associate, Senior and Honorary Members.

Section 2     Active members shall consist of practicing vascular surgeons elected to membership.

Section 3     Senior members shall consist of active members who reach age 65 or who have retired from the active practice of vascular surgery.

Section 4     Associate members shall be physicians who have demonstrated interest and dedication to the study and treatment of vascular diseases who are not surgeons.

Section 5     Honorary members shall be physicians of special eminence who have made outstanding contributions in the fields of vascular diseases.

Section 6     Candidate Members shall be engaged in an established or approved general vascular residency program or be actively engaged in the prac­tice of vascular surgery within 3 years following the successful comple­tion of a general vascular residency.

Section 7     Qualification and election procedures for each category of membership are detailed in the bylaws.

Section 1     All members are required to adhere to ethical and moral standards of surgical and medical practice and of scientific research.

Section 2     All members are required to abide by the regulations of the Society as specified in the Constitution and Bylaws.

Section 3     Active Members

a. Have the privilege of voting, holding office and membership on all committees.

b. Are required to attend at least one meeting every three years unless an excused absence is granted by the Executive Council prior to the Annual Meeting.

c. Are required to pay dues annually.

Section 4     Senior Members

a. Will maintain all rights and privileges of active members but will be excused from paying annual dues.

b. Senior Members shall consist of Members who have retired from active practice. Members who meet this condition may submit a written request to the Secretary to transfer to Senior membership status. This request shall be acted upon by the Executive Committee.

 

Section 5     Associate Members

a. Shall not have the privilege of voting, holding office or being a mem­ber of standing committees.

b. May be members of Ad Hoc Committees.

c. Are required to pay dues.

d. Are not subject to meeting attendance requirements.

Section 6     Honorary Members

a. Shall not have the privilege of voting, holding office or being a mem­ber of standing committees.

b. May belong to Ad Hoc Committees.

c. Are not required to pay dues or conform to meeting requirements.

d. May, at their request, change to Active membership with the ap­proval of the Membership Committee and the Executive Council.

e. Presidential guest lecturers can be made Honorary Members at the discretion of the Executive Council.

Section 7     Candidate Member

a. Shall not have the privilege of voting, holding office, or being a mem­ber of standing committees.

b. Are subjected to meeting attendance requirements.

Section 1      Officers of the Society shall consist of President, President Elect, Secre­tary, Treasurer, Recorder and 3 Councilors-at-Large.

Section 2      Officers shall be elected at the Annual Meeting by a simple majority of Active and Senior members present and voting.

Section 3      The terms of the Officers shall be:

President—one year

President-Elect—one year

Secretary—one year (eligible for reelection)

Treasurer—one year (eligible for reelection)

Recorder—one year (eligible for reelection)

Councilors-at-Large (3)—three years (one to retire    and be replaced each year)

Section 4      The term year for Officers shall begin at the termination of  the Annual Meeting and continue until the termination of the following Annual Meeting.

Section 5      The duties of office and procedures for nomination of the election are detailed in the bylaws.

Section 6      Archivist.

a. Appointed officer(s) of the Society shall include an archivist.

b. This office is to be appointed by the President. Individuals who have served as President are preferred for this position.

c. There is no limit to the number of terms, which shall be for one year each.

Section 1      The Executive Council is the governing body of the Society.

Section 2      The Executive Council shall consist of the Officers of the Society, the three immediate Past-Presidents, and the Chairman of the appointed Standing Committees (Membership, Constitution and Bylaws, Issues, and Program).

Section 3      The President of the Society is the Chief Executive Officer of the Council.

Section 4      Procedures for the Executive Council are detailed in the Bylaws of the Society.

Section 1      Shall consist of the President and three immediate Past  Presidents.

Section 2      Shall be chaired by the senior of the Past Presidents.

Section 1      Appointed Standing Committees will consist of:

 a. Membership Committee

 b. Constitution and Bylaws Committee

 c. Program Committee

 d. Issues Committee

Section 2      Each Committee will consist of four members, each having a four year term.

Section 3      The President of the Society will appoint members to the Committees and each year designate which member is to be Chair.

Section 4      Each year one member of each Committee will retire to be replaced by a new member appointed by the President.

Section 5      The duties of the Committees are outlined in the Bylaws.

Section 1      Ad Hoc Committees

a. Other Committees may be appointed at the discretion of the Presi­dent on an Ad Hoc basis to fulfill a needed function.

b. The size, term, and Chair of these Committees will be at the discre­tion of the President.

Section 2       Audit Committee

a. Shall be appointed by the President to audit the financial statement of the Treasurer at the Annual Meeting.

b. Shall consist of two Active or Senior members not serving on the Executive Council.

Section 3        Local Arrangements Committee

a. Will be appointed by the President to assist in the planning of the Annual Meeting.

b. The size of this Committee and its Chair will be designated by the President.

Section 4          Advisory Council.

a. An Advisory Council consisting of Past Presidents, will convene at the request of the President.

b. The current President shall appoint a Chairman, designate the mem­bers, and specify issues to be addressed

c. The Advisory Council shall make recommendations to the Executive Council.

Section 1      Annual Meeting

a. The Society shall have an Annual Meeting each year.

 b. The Executive Council shall determine the date and place of this meeting.

c. The Annual Meeting shall consist of:

1. A scientific-professional meeting

2. A business meeting which shall be the forum for conducting the business of the Society involving the participation of the membership.

Section 1      The Treasurer shall be the Chief Financial Officer of the Society.

Section 2      The Treasurer is responsible to the Executive Council for the conduct of financial affairs of the Society.

Section 3      Annual Dues

a. Annual dues will be paid by Active and Associate members.

b. The amounts of these dues will be determined by the Executive Council.

c. Senior and Honorary members are exempt from paying dues.

Section 4      Assessments may be levied by the Executive Council.

 Section 5     Nonpayment of Dues

a. A member of the Society shall be deemed delinquent if he is in ar­rears of dues.

b. The delinquent member shall be notified of this fact by the Treasurer by certified letter.

c. After one year of delinquency in payment of dues, the member shall be dropped from membership by action of the Executive Council.

d. A delinquent member may apply to the Executive Council for rein­statement with full privileges by action of the Executive Council upon payment of his arrears.

e. Decisions regarding reinstatement is the responsibility of the Execu­tive Council.

Section 6      Funds sufficient for the administration and conduct of offices and com­mittees will be authorized by the Executive Council:

a. The Officers and Chairmen of committees who receive such funds will report on their expenditures to the Executive Council.

b. Funds may be distributed to members as individuals only as reim­bursement for expenses authorized by the Executive Council.

Section 1      The Society shall have a distinct seal as well as a certificate of member­ship.

Section 2      Every member shall receive a certificate of membership signed by the President and Secretary.

Section 3      Members who are dropped from membership by disciplinary action of the Council shall be required to return their certificates to the Council.

The deliberations of the Society shall be governed by parliamentary us­age as contained in Robertís Rules of Order when not in conflict with this Constitution and its Bylaws.

Section 1      This Constitution may be amended at the Annual Meeting by a two­ thirds affirmative vote of members present and voting.

Section 2      Proposed amendments must be made in writing and signed by three Active members and submitted to the Secretary at least four months prior to the Annual Meeting of the Society.

Section 3      The Secretary shall transmit the proposed amendments to the Consti­tution and Bylaws Committee at least ninety days prior to the Annual Meeting.

Section 4      The Constitution and Bylaws Committee shall present its recommen­dations on the amendments to the Executive Council at or prior to the Executive Council Meeting.

Section 5      The Secretary shall distribute any proposed amendments to the entire membership at least thirty days before the Annual Meeting.

Section 6      The Executive Council shall consider any amendments prior to its pre­sentation to the Annual Meeting and shall report the result of its delib­erations to the membership at the Annual Meeting.

Section 7      All amendments proposed in the preceding manner must be presented to the membership for a vote to either approve, reject or table for fur­ther consideration.

Section 8      Proposed amendments tabled at the Annual Meeting will be considered and/or modified and will be brought up a second time at the next An­nual Meeting.

Section 9      At the second presentation the proposed amendments must be either approved or rejected.

Section 1      This Constitution shall be ratified by a 2/3 vote (7 affirmative votes) of the Executive Council.

Section 2      Approval of this ratification will be asked of the entire membership at the first Annual Meeting of the Society.

Section 3      Approval of ratification will consist of a 2/3 affirmative vote of mem­bers present and voting.

BYLAWS

Section 1a.    Candidates for Active Membership who are engaged in the practice of vascular surgery.

Section 1b.   Candidates for Active Membership who are engaged in the practice of a specialty other than vascular surgery.

a. Shall be engaged in a practice dedicated to the diagnosis and treat­ment of peripheral vascular disease or shall have demonstrated a major commitment to developing and furthering the art and science of pe­ripheral vascular disease or shall demonstrate membership in a national society dedicated to the treatment of peripheral vascular disease (e.g.: Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology, Society for Vascular Medicine and Biology.

b. Shall constitute no more than 15% of the active membership of the society.

c. Shall have practiced their specialty for at least three years following completion of training.

d. Must be certified by their appropriate specialty board.

e. Shall be recommended by two Active members of the Society.

f. Shall be from the geographic area of the Eastern United States and Canada.

g. If applicable, must submit a list of vascular or interventional proce­dures performed during the year immediately preceding application, including indications and results of treatment.

Section 2      Candidates for Senior Membership

a. Shall be active members of the Society.

b. Shall automatically accede to Senior membership at age 65 upon no­tification of the Secretary and Treasurer of that birthday.

c. Can request Senior membership status at any age from the Member­ship Committee when they have retired from active surgical practice.

Section 3      Candidates for Associate Membership

a. Shall be physicians or researchers who are not vascular surgeons who have demonstrated interest, commitment and skill in the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients with vascular disease or in re­search in the study of vascular diseases.

b. Shall be recommended to the Society by an Active or Senior member supported by two additional Active or Senior members.

c. Shall have an MD/PhD or equivalent graduate degree.

 Section 4     Candidates for Honorary Membership

a. Shall be physicians of special eminence who have made outstanding contributions in the field of vascular diseases.

b. Shall be recommended by one Active or Senior member and sup­ported by two additional Active or Senior members.

Section 5      Candidate Membership

a. Shall be from the geographic area of the Eastern United States and Canada.

b. Shall be engaged in an established or approved general vascular resi­dency program or be actively engaged in the practice of vascular sur­gery within 3 years following the successful completion of a general vas­cular residency.

c. Shall be recommended by the program director of his/her general vascular residency program.

d. Shall have adhered to the ethical and moral standards of surgical practice.

e. Can request Active membership status by complying with all the re­quirements listed in Article I - Section 1 of the Bylaws.

f. Candidate membership is limited to 5 years.

g. Shall pay annual dues as determined by the Executive Council.

 Section 1     Active Membership

a. Applications for membership may be obtained from the Secretary of the Society by written request from a sponsoring Active member.

b. Applications will include:

1. Curriculum vitae.

2. Bibliography of publications related to vascular disease.

3. List of the previous calendar year’s operative and interventional cases including indications and results

4. Any other information requested by the Membership Committee.

c. Completed applications will be sent to the Secretary of the Society, c/o the Executive Offices, at least 4 months prior to the Annual Meet­ing. The Secretary will forward all completed applications to the Chair­man and members of the Membership Committee.

d. Applications must be sponsored in writing by two Active members of the Society. It is the responsibility of the applicant to request these letters. These letters will be sent to the Secretary who will forward them to the Chairman and members of the Membership Committee. A list of applicants with completed files will be circulated by the Secretary to the Society membership two months prior to the Annual Meeting. Any comments concerning an applicant should be immediately registered in writing to the Chairman of the Membership Committee.

e. Applicants must be recommended for membership by the Member­ship Committee and approved by the Executive Council before their names are presented to the Society membership at the Annual Meeting for final action. A 2/3 affirmative vote of Active and Senior members present are required to elect.

f. A candidate who fails recommendation by the Membership Commit­tee or election by the membership in one year may resubmit his or her application in each of the two succeeding years. Each successive appli­cation will require a list of operative or interventional cases from the previous year as well as new letters of recommendation. If a candidate fails a third time, his name shall be dropped from the list of applica­tions for membership. Such a candidate’s application may be resubmit­ted after an interval of two additional years.

Section 2      Senior Membership

a. Active members will notify the Secretary when they reach age 65

b. Senior membership shall be automatically accorded Active members when they have reached age 65.

c. Senior membership status may be requested by any Active member who retires from active surgical practice. The request is submitted to and must be approved by the Membership Committee.

d. The Secretary shall notify the Active member of his/her change to Senior status.

Section 3      Associate Membership

a. Applications for Associate Membership may be obtained from the Secretary of the Society by written request from a sponsoring Active member.

b. Applications will include:

1. Curriculum vitae.

2. Bibliography of publications related to vascular disease.

3. Any other information requested by the Membership Committee.

c. Completed applications will be sent to the Secretary of the Society at least four months prior to the Annual Meeting. The Secretary will for­ward all completed applications to the Chairman and members of the Membership Committee.

d. Applications must be supported in writing by two Active members of the Society. It shall be the responsibility of the applicant to request these letters. These letters will be sent to the Secretary. A list of appli­cants with completed files will be circulated by the Secretary to the So­ciety membership two months prior to the Annual Meeting. Any com­ments concerning an applicant should be immediately registered in writing to the Chairman of the Membership Committee.

e. Applicants must be recommended for membership by the Member­ship Committee and approved by the Executive Council before their names are presented to the Society membership at the Annual Meeting for final action. A 2/3 affirmative vote of Active and Senior members present is required to elect.

f. A candidate who fails recommendation by the Membership Commit­tee or election by the membership in one year may resubmit his or her application in each of the two succeeding years. Each successive appli­cation will require new letters of recommendation. If a candidate fails a third time, his name shall be dropped from the list of applications for membership. Such a candidate’s application may be resubmitted after an interval of two additional years.

Section 4      Honorary Membership

a. Shall be recommended in writing by an Active or Senior member.

b. Shall be supported by letters from two additional Active or Senior members.

c. Shall be approved by the Membership Committee.

d. Shall be conferred by unanimous vote of the Executive Council.

Section 5      Candidate Membership

a. Applications for membership may be obtained from the Secretary of the Society by written request from the program director of his/her gen­eral vascular surgery residency.

b. Applications will include:

1. Curriculum vitae.

2. Sponsor letter from the program director of his/her general vascu­lar residency.

c. Completed applications will be sent to the Secretary of the Society, c/o The Executive Offices, at least 4 months prior to the Annual Meeting.

Section 1      Unethical or professionally incompetent behavior or failure to abide by the standards of this Constitution and its Bylaws are grounds for termi­nation of membership.

Section 2      Termination of membership may be requested for an individual by an Active or Senior member. This request must be supported in writing by two additional Active or Senior members and be presented to the Ex­ecutive Council.

Section 3      The Secretary shall notify by certified letter any person whose member­ship is considered for termination.

Section 4      Any member whose membership is under consideration by the Execu­tive Council for termination of membership has the right to hear the charges and evidence and to reply to the Executive Council.

Section 5      Membership may be terminated only by unanimous decision of the Executive Council.

Section 6      Those who have their membership terminated for disciplinary action must return their certificate of membership in the Society.

Section  7     Members may resign from the Society by letter sent to the Secretary and forwarded to the Executive Council.

Section 1      The President

a. Shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Society.

b. Shall preside at the meetings of the Society. c. Is Chairman of the Executive Council.

d. Is Ex-Officio Member of all Standing and Ad Hoc Committees.

e. Appoints all Standing and Ad Hoc Committees except the Executive Council and Nominating Committee, members of which are desig­nated by the Constitution.

Section 2      The President-Elect

a. Shall automatically succeed to the Presidency for the year following his election as President-Elect.

b. Acts in the capacity of the President both at the Annual Meeting and at the meetings of the Executive Council when the President is absent or incapacitated.

c. In the case of death or total incapacity of the President, he shall auto­matically accede to the Presidency for the balance of the term.

Section 3      The Secretary

a. Shall keep minutes of meetings of the Society and of the Executive Council.

b. Shall organize an agenda for the Annual Business Meeting. This agenda shall be submitted to the President and the Executive Council.

c. Shall keep lists of attendance of members at the Annual Meeting.

d. Shall submit the following reports to the Executive Council prior to the Annual Meeting and to the membership at the Annual Meeting.

1. Minutes of preceding Annual Meeting and all interval Executive Council meetings.

2. A summary of other business conducted by the Office during the year not included in the two previous reports.

e. If the Secretary is absent from the Annual Meeting or Executive Council meeting, the Recorder shall act in his stead for that meeting. If both are absent, the presiding Officer shall appoint a member of the Executive Council to act as Secretary for that meeting.

Section 4      The Treasurer

a. Shall receive all dues and other monies belonging to the Society and pay all bills of the Society.

b. Is custodian of the funds and assets of the Society.

c. Shall keep a list of members who have paid their dues.

d. Shall inform members in writing by certified mail when they are in arrears for annual dues. At least one such letter of warning shall be by certified letter, prior to any action being taken by the Society.

e. Shall submit to the Executive Council prior to the Annual Meeting and to the membership at the Annual Meeting a financial statement reporting the financial activities of the Society during the year. This re­port will be audited by the Audit Committee.

f. If the Treasurer is absent from the Annual Meeting or Executive Council meeting, the Recorder shall act in his stead for that meeting. If both are absent, the presiding Officer shall appoint a member of the Executive Council to act as Treasurer for that meeting.

Section 5      The Recorder

a. Shall receive manuscripts and papers presented at the Annual Meeting.

b. See to the review of presented manuscripts and their preparation for publication.

c. Shall represent the Society in dealing with journal editorial boards.

d. Shall be an Ex-Officio member of the Program Committee.

e. Acts in the place of the Secretary or Treasurer when the latter are ab­sent from the Annual Meeting or Executive Council meeting.

Section 6      The Three Counselors-at-Large

a. Shall be elected in successive years with terms of three years each so that each year one Counselor is replaced.

b. Shall not hold another office in the Society nor shall be among the three immediate Past Presidents.

c. May be a member or Chairman of a Standing or Ad Hoc Committee of the Society.

Section 7      The Archivist

a. The Archivist should attend meetings of the Executive Council and all meetings and sessions of the Society in official capacity but will not have voting privilege beyond that of their membership in the Society.

b. Is responsible for maintaining historical records of the Society exclu­sive of the minutes and financial record which are maintained by the Secretary and Treasurer respectively.

c. A narrative summary will be prepared annually for the Executive Council.

d. Will retain photographic records of events, elections, Presidential Addresses, banquets, luncheons, awards and awardees as appropriate.

Section 1      A single candidate for each office will be presented to the membership at the Annual Meeting by the Nominating Committee.

Section 2      The presiding officer at the Annual Meeting shall ask for further nomi­nations from the floor.

Section 3      Election to office will require a simple majority vote of Active and Se­nior members present and voting.

Section 4      If a simple majority is not obtained on the first vote the two candidates with the highest number of votes will be voted on in a second, runoff vote.

Section 5      The President-Elect automatically succeeds to the Presidency at the completion of his term as President-Elect and no vote on this succes­sion is required.

Section 6      In the event of death or permanent incapacitation of the President ­Elect the foregoing procedure will be used to elect the President at the next Annual Meeting.

Section  7     In the event of death or permanent incapacitation of Officers other than the President and President-Elect, the President shall appoint an Active or Senior member to serve for the balance of that term.

Section 1      Is the governing body of the Society.

Section 2      Is responsible for the financial affairs of the Society as conducted by the Treasurer.

a. It will supervise the financial activity of the Treasurer by receiving an annual report from that officer and by any other additional mechanism which it deems appropriate.

Section 3      Shall authorize the purchase of any properties, stocks, bonds, or securities.

Section 4      Shall authorize sufficient funds for the administration and conduct of the Offices of Secretary, Treasurer, Recorder and Archivist.

Section 5       Shall authorize funds to reimburse any member for expenses incurred in the conduct of business of the Society authorized by the Executive Council.

Section 6      The Executive Council shall meet prior to the Annual Meeting of the Society.

a. Additional meetings will be held as often as necessary to perform its duties.

b. Additional meetings may be called by the President or by a petition from four members of the Council.

Section 7      The President of the Society is Chairman of the Executive Council.

a. In the absence of the President, the President-Elect, the immediate Past President shall preside.

Section 8      A quorum of nine members is necessary for the Executive Council to transact business.

Section 9       Unless otherwise specified in the Constitution or Bylaws, a decision of the Executive Council will require a simple majority of the entire Council (nine affirmative votes).

Section 1      Decisions by Standing Committees will be made by a simple majority of the total membership of the Committee.

a. In the case of a tie vote, the President of the Society as Ex-Officio member of all Committees will be asked to cast a deciding vote.

b. This vote need not be cast at the actual meeting of the Committee but implementation of the Committee decision cannot take place until the President’s vote is cast.

Section 2      The Nominating Committee

a. The Nominating Committee shall meet prior to the Annual Meeting and nominate a single candidate for the offices of President-Elect, Sec­retary, Treasurer, Recorder and Counselors-at-Large.

b. Additional candidates for office may be nominated from the floor by Active or Senior Members as described in Article V of the Bylaws.

Section 3      The Membership Committee

a. Will receive and evaluate all applications for membership from the Secretary.

b. Will select candidates to recommend to the entire membership of the Society for election.

c. Will act on all requests of Active members to advance to Senior mem­ber status.

d. Will recommend to the Executive Council candidates for Honorary membership.

Section 4       The Constitution and Bylaws Committee

a. Will review the Constitution and Bylaws and make recommenda­tions when requested by the Executive Council.

b. Will review all proposed amendments to either the Constitution or Bylaws and make recommendations to the Executive Council.

Section 5           The Program Committee

a. Is responsible for all organizational aspects of the Annual Meeting.

b. Has both the President and Recorder as Ex-Officio members of the Committee.

c. Shall act under the supervision of the Executive Council.

d. Will inform the President and Secretary of their recommendations.

e. May delegate appropriate portions of its responsibility to an Ad Hoc Local Arrangements Committee.

Section 6        The Issues Committee

a. Will address issues of timely interest to the membership and make any appropriate recommendations to the Executive Council.

Section 1      Annual Meeting

The Annual Meeting of the Society shall consist of:

a. A scientific-professional meeting.

b. A business meeting for the Society.

Section 2      Papers presented at the scientific professional meeting must be authored or sponsored by a member.

a. The paper may be presented by a non-member if co-authored or sponsored by a member.

b. Abstracts and papers not authorized by members shall be submitted to the Program Committee accompanied by a letter of sponsorship from a member.

Section 3       The professional scientific portion of the meeting will be open to any physician or other health care professional interested in vascular disease upon registration with the Society. All members attending the Annual Meeting shall register and sign in the membership attendance book. This meeting will be chaired by the President or his designee.

Section 4      Registration fees for non-members will be determined by the Executive Council.

Section 5      Name badges will be provided by the Society to all people attending.

Section 6      The business meeting will be open only to members of the Society.

Section 7       

a. A professional photographer will be engaged by the Secretary to pro­vide a photographic record of events at the Annual Meeting.

 b. He/she will be responsible to the Secretary, President, and Archivist in completing the assignment.

Section 1      The procedure for ratification and amendment of the Bylaws shall be the same as those enumerated in Article XIII and XIV of the Constitution.

Revised May 2005