• Congratulations to the 2023-2024 SAAS Visiting Professors!
  •  Syed Nabeel Zafar, MD is the recipient of the 2023 SAAS Junior Faculty Award!
  • Taylor Lee, BS is the recipient of the 2023 Esther Tsai Sugg Award for the highest scoring SAAS abstract to the Academic Surgical Congress!
  • Jiping Wang, MD, PhD is the recipient of the 2023 SAAS – SUS Mid Career Award!
  • Calvin Chao, MD, is the recipient of the 2022 SAAS Resident/Fellow Development Scholarship!
  • Jeremy Chang, MD is the winner of the 2023 SAAS Annual Meeting Travel Award!
  • Russell Woo, MD is the recipient of the 2023 SAAS – SUS Leadership Agility Program Scholarship!

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Constitution & Bylaws

Constitution

ARTICLE I: Name
The name of this Association shall be The Society of Asian Academic Surgeons (a.k.a. SAAS).

ARTICLE II: Purposes
The objectives of the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons shall be to cultivate, nurture and support the advancement of Asians in academic surgery. To achieve these objectives, the Society shall:

  1. Enhance the personal and professional development of Asians in academic surgery.
  2. Promote diversity and inclusion within the leadership of academic surgery.
  3. Encourage and assist in the study of issues of importance to the Asian community.

ARTICLE III: Membership
SECTION 1. Type of members. The Society of Asian Academic Surgeons shall consist of Active, Associate, Senior, and Honorary members.

SECTION 2. Qualification for active membership. Any individual, irrespective of race/ethnicity, who occupies a faculty position in a university department of surgery or its affiliated teaching hospital, following completion of a graduated university residency.

SECTION 3. Procedure for application. An application form shall be submitted to the Society by the due date for that year as determined by the Membership Committee. The application form shall include the name of a sponsor, which should be a current Active/Senior member of the society.

SECTION 4. Procedure for recommendation. The Chairperson of the Membership Committee will distribute applications of the candidates to the committee. The committee will evaluate each candidate for his/her suitability for membership in the Society. The Executive Council will review, discuss, and approve the final list of new members that will be presented to the membership at the business meeting.

SECTION 5. Senior Membership. Any Active Member upon reaching the age of 65 years shall become a Senior Member. Senior Members will are required to pay annual dues, at a reduced rate, and shall continue to have voting privileges, but shall not have the privilege of holding office.

SECTION 6. Honorary Membership. The Honorary Members of the Society shall be nominated by the Executive Council and presented to the Society at the annual business meeting for election. They shall enjoy all the privileges of other members except that of voting and holding office. No dues are required from Honorary Members.

SECTION 7. Associate Membership. Associate Members of the Society are comprised of medical students, residents, and fellows who have yet to qualify for Active membership. Associate Members will be eligible to serve on committees of the Society as determined by the Executive Council.

SECTION 8. Dues. There shall be an annual assessment on Active members, as proposed by the Council.

ARTICLE IV: Officers
SECTION 1. The Officers of the Association shall be a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Recorder, and two Councilors (one Active member and one Associate member). All officers, with the exception of the Recorder, will be elected by ballot at the annual business meeting. The Recorder will be chosen by the Executive Council. No officer may be elected who will attain Senior Membership before their term begins. Upon election as President, that individual shall become President-Elect for a one-year term prior to serving as President for one year. The Secretary, Treasurer, Recorder, and Councilor (Active member) shall be elected for three years. The Councilor (Associate member) shall be elected for two years.  Upon election as Secretary and Treasurer, that individual shall become Secretary-Elect and Treasurer-Elect for a one-year term. The Recorder and Councilors begin their term at the time of election.

SECTION 2. Nominations for the Officers shall be submitted at least one month prior to the annual business meeting. Individuals may self-nominate or be nominated by any member of the Society. The nominee shall provide a short biography and description of their qualifications for office. These biographies shall be sent to the membership at least two weeks prior to the annual business meeting. For all Officers, with the exception of the Recorder, election will be by popular vote of the membership. For the Recorder, nominees will be scored and interviewed by the Executive Council, who will also make the final selection.

ARTICLE V: Council
The Executive Council shall consist of the President, the President-Elect, three immediate Past-Presidents, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Recorder, Councilors, the Representatives, the Chairpersons of the Standing Committees, and the President of the SAAS Foundation. It is the function of the Executive Council to meet annually prior to the annual Business Meeting for consideration of matters to be presented to the Society at Large. The Council shall also receive the recommendations of the Membership Committee, and shall recommend candidates for election, according to the procedure outlined in Article III. All resolutions shall be referred to the Executive Council and shall be presented to the Society for vote upon recommendation of the Council.

ARTICLE VI: Duties of the Officers
SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of the President to preside at all meetings of the Society, to give the deciding vote, to see that the rules of order and decorum are properly enforced in all deliberations of the Society, and to sign the approved proceedings of each meeting.

SECTION 2. In the absence of the President, the President- Elect shall preside, and in his/her absence the Secretary shall preside.

SECTION 3. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep a true and correct record of the proceedings of the meetings, to preserve all books, papers, and articles belonging to the Society, to keep an account of the Society with its members and their contact information. That person shall report unfinished business at previous meetings requiring action and attend to such other business as the Society may direct. That person shall also supervise and conduct all the correspondence of the Society.

SECTION 4. It shall be the duty of the Treasurer to collect the dues of the Society and make disbursements for expenses. That person shall maintain the financial records and maintain the balances of the Society as well as the Foundation in conjunction with the Executive Director. That person shall maintain records of all donations and present an annual report of the financial condition of the Society. The accounts of the Society may be audited once yearly by a committee appointed by the President.

SECTION 5. It shall be the duty of the Councilor (Active member) to serve as Chair of the Membership Committee. That person will determine due dates for applications, send out applications for review, and submit a slate of candidates to the Executive Council for their approval prior to presentation to the full membership at the Annual Business Meeting.

SECTION 6. It shall be the duty of the Recorder to serve as the Society Editor for the Official Journal of the Society. That person shall serve as the Chairperson of the Publications Committee and work with the Journal to oversee and provide timely reviews of manuscripts and determine disposition of the manuscripts.

ARTICLE VII
Vacancies occurring in the offices of the Society other than that of the President shall be filled by appointment by the President until the completion of the term. A vacancy of the President will be filled by the President-Elect.

ARTICLE VIII
This Constitution shall take effect immediately from the time of adoption, and shall not be amended except by a written resolution. Amendments to the Constitution will be presented for vote at the annual business meeting and shall take effect immediately after approval. The affirmative vote of a majority of the members present and voting will constitute ratification of the amendment.

Bylaws

ARTICLE I. The Society of Academic Surgeons shall meet annually at such place and time as previously designated by the Executive Council.

ARTICLE II. The members present shall constitute a quorum for business.

ARTICLE III. All questions before the Society shall be determined by the vote of the majority of those present at any regular meeting.

ARTICLE IV.  Program Committee. The Program Committee shall consist of no less than 6 Active members and 2 Associate members to be voted on by the membership of the Society. The term of service for committee members is 2 years. The Program Committee will be led by a Chairperson, who will lead the Committee for a two-year term. The Chairperson will be assisted by a Co-Chairperson, who will be appointed by the President with approval of the Executive Council. The Co-Chairperson will serve on the Program Committee for a two-year term, prior to ascending to Chairperson of the Committee.
The Program Committee shall organize the annual meeting and review the abstracts of all papers submitted and select those to be presented before the society. The Chairperson of the Program Committee shall also serve as the second Society Editor of the Official Journal of the Society. In that capacity, she/he shall work with the journal to provide timely reviews of manuscripts and determine disposition of the manuscripts.

ARTICLE V. Membership Committee. The Membership Committee shall consist of a Chairperson (Councilor, Active member), Councilor (Associate member), and additional members (as deemed necessary by the Executive Council) to be voted on by the membership of the society.

ARTICLE VI. Scholarships Committee. The Scholarships Committee shall consist of a Chairperson, appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Council, and no less than 6 additional members, to be voted on by the membership of the Society. The term of service for committee members will serve for 2 years. The Scholarships Committee shall review applications for the Scholarships and Awards of the Society.

ARTICLE VII.  Communications Committee. The Communications Committee shall consist of a Chairperson, appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Council, and no less than 6 Active members and 2 Associate members, to be voted on by the membership of the Society. The term of service for committee members will serve for 2 years. The Communications Committee shall organize, prepare and produce a Society Newsletter, promote Society news, events and activities through email, social media, and the Society website.

ARTICLE VIII. Publications Committee. The Publications Committee shall consist of a Chairperson, who will be the Recorder, and no less than 6 active members and 2 associate members, to be voted on by the membership of the Society. The term of service for committee members will serve for 2 years. The Publications Committee shall be responsible for the timely reviews of manuscripts arising from the Annual Meeting for publication in the Official Journal of the Society.

ARTICLE IX. Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the President, the President-elect, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Recorder, and the three immediate Past-Presidents. The President of the SAAS Foundation and the Executive Director shall serve as non-voting members of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee will be chaired by the most senior Past-President on the Council. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for reviewing self-nominations for the Officer positions and shall produce a slate of candidates for election at the Annual Business Meeting.  The Nominating Committee shall also review nominations for various Society Awards and appointments.

 

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