Article I - NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Society for Thermal Medicine (hereafter referred to as the Society). The Society will be a non-profit organization established for the purposes outlined in Article II.

Article II - AIMS

The Aims of the Society shall be:

1. To facilitate communication and collaboration among laboratory and clinical researchers, clinical practitioners, educators, other relevant professional societies and regulatory bodies interested in the fields of thermal physics/engineering, thermal biology/chemistry, thermoregulation, and thermal effects on body and tissue function.

2. To promote basic research and clinical application of thermal medicine to patients with cancer or other disease conditions.

3. To promote training of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, clinicians, caregivers, the scientific community, regulatory agencies and the public interested in research or clinical applications of thermal medicine.

Article III - Members

1. The categories of membership shall be Active Member, Emeritus Member, Sustaining Member and Scholar-in-Training. Annual dues for Active, Scholar-in-Training, and Sustaining Members shall be set by Council with approval by membership; Emeritus Members shall not pay dues.

2. Active Members shall be those individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of thermal medicine, either within biology/chemistry, physics/engineering, clinical/medical research, laboratory or commercial development or promotion of equipment or procedures; or those who have made other contributions considered the equivalent of such investigations. The qualifications of a prospective member shall be considered by the Membership Committee from examination of his/her application and, as available, published work. The privileges of Active Membership shall include voting, holding elected office, membership on standing committees in the Society, sponsorship of an abstract for presentation at the annual meeting, and subscription to publications sponsored by the Society at member rates.

3. Emeritus Members shall include those persons who have been Active Members for at least 10 years but have retired or become emeritus at their institution. They shall have the voting privileges of Active Members, but shall not hold elected office. They may serve on standing committees, sponsor an abstract for presentation at the annual meeting, and subscribe to Society publications at the member rate.

4. Scholar-in-training Members shall include those persons who have an interest in Thermal Medicine but who do not meet the criteria for Active Membership. Scholar-in-Training Members might include students or young professionals within 5 years of graduation who have not yet established an independent foundation for research or clinical practice. Scholar-in-Training Members may not vote or hold elected office but may serve on standing committees, sponsor an abstract for presentation at the annual meeting, and subscribe to Society publications at the member rate. Scholar-in-Training Members may become Active Members when, upon application, they are deemed by the Membership Committee to meet the standards of such membership.

5. Sustaining Members shall include commercial interests who provide and receive recognition for corporate financial support for the Society. Dues for Sustaining Membership shall be set by the Governing Council with approval by membership. Sustaining Members may not vote, hold elected office, serve on a standing committee, or sponsor an abstract for presentation at the annual meeting. However, a Sustaining Member may subscribe to Society publications at the member rate.

Article IV – OFFICERS AND COUNCILORS

1. The elected Officers of the Society shall be a President, a President-Elect/Vice President, Vice President Elect, a Secretary-Treasurer, and every other year Secretary-Treasurer-Elect.

2. There shall be nine Councilors elected by the Society membership who will represent the three major disciplines involved in thermal medicine: physics and engineering sciences; biological and chemical sciences; and medical and clinical sciences.

3. The Officers, the Councilors, the Immediate Past-President, and the Editor in Chief shall form the Governing Council of the Society.

ARTICLE V - Standing Committees

1. General Procedures

Unless otherwise specified below, the President shall appoint the Chairpersons and at least two additional Active or Emeritus Members of each committee, which shall then be ratified by the Governing Council. Members shall typically be appointed for one-year terms, but may be reappointed for additional terms. It is recognized that for some committees (e.g., Constitution and Bylaws, Finance) continuity and experience on the committee is advantageous and thus chairs as well as members may be reappointed without limit.

2. Awards Committee

The Awards Committee will be composed of the three most recent available Past-Presidents and the most recent available recipients of the J. Eugene Robinson Award, the William C. Dewey Award, and George M. Hahn Award. The Awards Committee will be chaired by the Past-President with the longest tenure. The duties of the Award Committee shall be to develop a list of candidates and then to select an annual recipient of the J. Eugene Robinson Award, and in alternate years the William C. Dewey and George M. Hahn Awards as authorized by Council. The Committee shall also select recipients of other awards, as requested by Governing Council.

3. Constitution and Bylaws Committee

The Constitution and Bylaws Committee shall be composed of at least six members, which shall include at least one person from each of three disciplines. The duties of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee shall be to formulate and/or review all proposed changes or additions to the Constitution and Bylaws.

4. Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall be composed of at least six members, which shall include at least one person from each of three disciplines. In addition, the Secretary-Treasurer will serve as an ex officio member of the Finance Committee. The duties of the Finance Committee shall be to make recommendations to the Governing Council concerning investment of financial reserves of the society, so as to obtain the maximum secure return, and to develop budget recommendations for the Governing Council.

5. Membership Committee

The Membership Committee shall be composed of at least three members, with at least one person from each of three disciplines. The duties of the Membership Committee shall be to pass judgment on the qualifications of applicants for membership in the Society.

6. Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee shall be composed of the three most recent available Past-Presidents, and shall be chaired by the Past-President with the shortest tenure. The duties of the Nominations Committee shall be to receive nominations and formulate the ballot for the election of Officers and Councilors.

7. Professional Affairs Committee

The Professional Affairs Committee shall be composed of at least three members, with at least one person from each of three disciplines. The duties of the Professional Affairs Committee shall be to address questions and develop standards pertaining to the clinical use of thermal medicine.

8. Program Committee

The Chairperson of the Program Committee shall be the President-Elect/Vice-President, who shall appoint the members of the Program Committee, which shall then be ratified by the Governing Council. The Vice-President Elect and the Immediate Past-President will also serve as members of the Program Committee. The Program Committee shall have adequate representation of all three disciplines of the Society. The duties of the Program Committee shall be to formulate the program for the scientific portions of the Annual Meeting as well as manage other details of the Meeting.

9. Additional Committees

The Governing Council may assign additional appropriate duties to the above committees. Other permanent or ad hoc committees may be created as deemed necessary by the Governing Council. In general, such committees shall be composed of at least three members, with at least one person from each of three disciplines.

ARTICLE VI - Nominations and Elections

1. Officers and Councilors shall be elected by ballot. No less than seven months prior to the Annual Meeting, the Secretary-Treasurer shall send to each Active or Emeritus Member a request for nominations, specifying the positions to be filled. Each member shall, within 30 days, transmit his/her nominations to the Secretary-Treasurer who shall forward valid nominations to the Nominating Committee for consideration. The Committee may nominate additional qualified members who agree to be a candidate. A member shall become a candidate if he/she is nominated by at least ten Active or Emeritus Members, if he/she satisfies the requirements for office and agrees to be a candidate. The Nominating Committee will consider all nominees and place at least two candidates for each vacancy on the ballot.

The Nominating Committee shall transmit to the Secretary-Treasurer the names of all candidates. The Secretary-Treasurer shall have prepared a ballot with the names of all candidates for each position, along with a blank space for each position, to allow for write-in votes. The Secretary-Treasurer shall provide a copy of the ballot to each Active or Emeritus Member not less than five months before the Annual Meeting. To be valid, each ballot must be properly marked and returned within two weeks of distribution of the ballots. All valid ballots shall be tabulated and the results communicated to the Governing Council. In case of failure of one candidate to secure a majority of votes cast for any one office, a run-off election between the two candidates receiving the largest number of votes shall be held by similar procedure within two weeks. The results of the election shall be announced to the membership at the Annual Meeting.

2. If a vacancy occurs in the Presidency, the President-Elect/Vice President shall assume the duties of that office prior to his/her official succession to that position. If a vacancy occurs in the President-Elect/Vice President, the Vice-President Elect shall assume the duties of that office prior to his/her official succession to that position. The Vice-President Elect shall also serve as Chairperson of the Program Committee for the Annual Meeting. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Vice-President Elect, both a President-Elect/Vice President and a Vice-President Elect shall be elected at the next election. The Council will appoint an individual to serve as Chairperson of the Program Committee for the next Annual Meeting. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Secretary-Treasurer, the Secretary-Treasurer-Elect (if there is one) will assume the duties of that office prior to officially taking office. If there is no Secretary-Treasurer-Elect, the Governing Council will appoint a temporary Secretary-Treasurer to serve until a Secretary-Treasurer can be elected. If the immediate past president is not available, then the most recently available past president will serve in that function. If a vacancy occurs in the office of Councilor, the Governing Council shall appoint a qualified successor of the same discipline to complete the term of that individual.

Article VII - AMENDMENTS

No part of this Constitution may be amended or annulled except by formal proposal of an Amendment, followed by opportunity for discussion at the Annual Meeting, to be followed by a letter or electronic ballot. Proposal of an Amendment may be made by petition to the Governing Council signed by ten Active or Emeritus Members. A proposed amendment will be reviewed for consistency and compliance with other portions of the Constitution and may be sent to a Constitution and By-Laws Committee for further review at the discretion of Council. The Secretary-Treasurer shall distribute copies of the proposed Amendment to all Members not less than one month before an Annual Meeting and opportunity shall be given for discussion at the business meeting. No more than two months after the meeting, the Secretary-Treasurer will distribute to the Active and Emeritus Membership copies of the Amendment in its final form along with ballots.

For voting to be valid, ballots must be properly marked and submitted by the designated date. All valid ballots will be tallied and the results communicated immediately to the Governing Council and announced to the membership. Adoption of a proposed amendment shall require the affirmative votes of two-thirds of the Active and Emeritus Members voting, and shall take effect immediately.

Article VIII – GENERAL PROHIBITIONS

Notwithstanding any provision of the Constitution or Bylaws that may be susceptible to a contrary interpretation, the following principles of operation will apply.

1. The Society shall be organized exclusively for the educational purposes of promoting clinical and basic research in Thermal Medicine and Biology/Chemistry and Physics/Engineering, disseminating knowledge of thermal medicine, and facilitating the integration of the diverse disciplines of thermal medicine.

2. The Society shall be managed exclusively for the purposes outlined above. No part of the activities of the Society shall be related to intervention (including the publishing or distribution of statements) in any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

3. The Society shall have no stockholders and no part of its net earnings or assets shall ever inure to the benefit of any member or private individual, except that the Governing Council shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered.

Article IX – DISTRIBUTION UPON DISSOLUTION

Upon dissolution of the Society, the Governing Council shall distribute the assets and accrued income to the Radiation Research Society; and/or to one or more organizations, provided that such organizations meet the limitations prescribed in Article VIII above and have been granted exemption from Federal Income Tax under the provisions of Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or equivalent provision.

ARTICLE X – Contingency Procedures

Circumstances beyond the control of the Society may preclude adherence to the procedures outlined in the Constitution and in the Bylaws. Situations include (but are not limited to) cancellation or postponement of the annual meeting, failure to achieve a quorum at a required meeting, delays in scheduled communications to the membership. In the event of such an extraordinary circumstance, this Article authorizes the Governing Council to take whatever steps are necessary to deal with the emergency. While it is recognized that it may not be possible to adhere to the mandated policies and procedures, it shall be a guiding principle that the spirit and intent of the Constitution and Bylaws will be followed as much as possible.

If it is necessary for the Governing Council to initiate contingency procedures, the membership shall be informed as soon as feasible via notification(s) that should include the events requiring the contingency procedures, what decision was made and the rationale for it, and what is planned to deal with the situation.

Approved 12 April 1986, Amended June 1992, Amended June 1998, Amended May 2018.

 

 

ARTICLE I - Duties of the Governing Council and Management of the Society

1. The affairs of the Society shall be managed by its members through their Governing Council, which shall consist of the President, the Immediate Past-President, President-Elect/Vice President, Vice President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, Secretary-Treasurer-Elect, Editor in Chief of the Society publication (International Journal of Hyperthermia) and nine Councilors. The President shall act as Executive Officer of the Governing Council. No individual may simultaneously serve in two capacities on the Governing Council.

2. The duties of President, Immediate Past President, President-Elect/Vice President, Vice President-Elect and Secretary-Treasurer shall be those customarily performed by such officers unless otherwise decided by the Governing Council.

3. The President, Immediate Past President, President-Elect/Vice President and Vice President-Elect shall serve a term of one year, which shall begin, at the end of the annual Business Meeting. The President-Elect shall assume the position of Presidency at the end of his/her term as President-Elect. The Presidency and the proceeding offices will be filled in rotation by members of the three discipline areas in the following sequence: biological and chemical sciences, medical and clinical sciences and physical and engineering sciences. A member is considered from the discipline noted in their initial membership application or as amended in subsequent application to the Membership Committee.

4. The Secretary-Treasurer-Elect shall serve a term of one year, followed by a term of two years as Secretary-Treasurer. These terms shall begin at the end of the annual Business Meeting.

5. There shall be nine Councilors, three from each of the following three disciplines: biological and chemical sciences, medical and clinical sciences and physical and engineering sciences. Each Councilor shall serve a term of three years, which shall begin at the end of the annual Business Meeting. Each year, one Councilor from each of the three disciplines will be elected. The duties of the Councilors shall be to participate in the Governing Council.

6 The Editor in Chief of the Society publication (International Journal of Hyperthermia) will provide to the Governing Council liaison to all journal activities and publication activities in the field.

7. No Officer or Councilor shall be eligible for election to the same office for two consecutive terms.

8. The Governing Council may contract for a Society manager with appropriate compensation to manage certain business affairs of the Society.

ARTICLE II - Membership

1. Application for membership shall be made on a form authorized by the Membership Committee, signed by the prospective member and listing as reference one Active or Emeritus Member.

2. Applications shall be sent to the Secretary-Treasurer or to the Chairperson of the Membership Committee, who shall forward copies of applications to Committee members as required, but at least once every three months. The Committee shall act on applications at the time of receipt and return responses to the Chairperson. An affirmative vote by two-thirds of the members of the Membership Committee is necessary for approval of membership. The Chairperson shall report the acceptance or rejection of each application and the category of membership to the Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer shall inform the applicant of the decision of the Membership Committee. A person shall become a member upon receipt of an affirmative notification. New members shall be announced at the next annual business meeting.

ARTICLE III - Dues and Fiscal Year

1. The amount of annual dues shall be proposed by the Governing Council and if approved by the Active Membership at the Annual Meeting, shall go into effect for the next fiscal year.

2. Any person who becomes a member prior to 1 October shall pay dues for that year.

3. A person who becomes a member after 1 October shall not pay dues until the next fiscal year.

4. The fiscal year of the Society shall be the calendar year.

5. Dues shall be payable in advance by 1 January of each year.

6. Any member in arrears for two consecutive calendar years shall have his membership revoked by the Governing Council. Three month’s notice shall be given before termination. A member who is not current with dues obligations may not nominate, vote, serve on a committee, sponsor an abstract, subscribe at member rates or register for the annual meeting at member rates.

7. Delinquent members may be reinstated by the Governing Council provided all indebtedness to the Society is liquidated.

ARTICLE IV - Meetings of the Membership

1. The Governing Council shall determine the time, place and frequency of the regular meetings of the Society to be held each year.

2. One of these meetings shall be designated the Annual Meeting and shall include a general Business Meeting of the membership at which there shall be reports of the officers, announcements of the results of elections and discussion of other items of business.

3. The time and place of the next Annual Meeting shall be announced to all members at the Annual Meeting.

4. Special meetings may be called by the President with the approval of the Governing Council.

5. 25% of current Active plus Emeritus Members shall constitute a quorum for all Business Meetings.

ARTICLE V - Meetings of the Governing Council

1. There shall be at least two meetings of the Governing Council each year. One meeting shall be held at the Annual Meeting prior to the general Business Meeting and one meeting shall be held after the Business Meeting and installation of the new Council. This second meeting may be held via conference call and if necessary decisions confirmed by email.

2. Special meetings of the Governing Council may be called as deemed necessary by the President with the approval of the Governing Council. This meeting can also be held via conference call and if necessary decisions confirmed by email.

3. A request to the President made in writing by six members of the Governing Council shall render the convocation of the Governing Council necessary.

4. For meetings of the Governing Council, a quorum shall consist of nine persons.

ARTICLE VI - Order of Business and Parliamentary Procedure

The order of business for executive sessions and general business meetings shall be according to the latest edition of "Robert's Rules of Order, Revised", except and unless otherwise ordered by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society.

ARTICLE VII - Amendments

A proposal to amend the Bylaws must be submitted in writing by at least five Active or Emeritus Members to the Secretary-Treasurer who will distribute it to the Governing Council at least two months before the Annual Meeting. The proposal will be reviewed for compliance and consistency with the Constitution and Bylaws and may be sent to a Constitution and By-Laws Committee for further review at the discretion of the Governing Council. The Secretary-Treasurer shall send a copy of the proposed Amendment to all Members at least one month before the Annual Meeting. It shall be discussed and voted on during the general Business Meeting and an affirmative vote of two-thirds of those Active and Emeritus Members voting shall be necessary for its passage. Approved amendments take effect immediately.

Approved 12 April 1986, Amended 17 April 1988, Amended 8 April 1990, Amended June 1992, Amended 29 April 1994, Amended April 1998, Amended May 2018.