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Teaching of Physiology Section
Statement of Organization and Procedures
(Approved by Council October 1985, Amended March 1989, Amended April 1995, Amended April 2002, Amended April 2007, Amended April 2008)

ARTICLE I. Name

The name of this organization is the TEACHING OF PHYSIOLOGY SECTION OF THE AMERICAN PHYSIOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

ARTICLE II. Purposes

The purpose of this organization are: (1) to address issues relevant to physiology teaching and evaluation in undergraduate, graduate, and professional curricula, (2) to advise the American Physiological Society on matters of interest to physiologists engaged in teaching, and (3) to assist the Program Committee of the American Physiological Society in organizing and presenting open communication sessions, symposia, and other programs of interest to physiologists engaged in classroom teaching.

ARTICLE III. Membership

Membership is open to any member of the American Physiological Society (student, affiliate, regular, emeritus, or honorary) who wishes to become a member.  Section membership is conferred by designating the Teaching of Physiology Section as a primary or secondary section for affiliation through the APS Membership Services Department. Voting members are those regular APS members, in good standing, who hold a primary affiliation with the Section.

ARTICLE IV. Officers

Section 1. Steering Committee

The responsibility for management and supervision of the affairs of the Section shall  be vested in the Steering Committee.  The voting members of the Steering Committee shall be the Section Chair, the Secretary, the Treasurer, the Chair of the Section Program Committee (SPC), the Liaison to the Education Committee, the Committee on Committees Representative, the Liaison with Industry Committee Representative, the Trainee Member and the International Member. Any primary members of the Teaching Section who are serving on APS-wide committees shall also be voting members of the Teaching Section steering committee for the duration of their committee appointment. The past Chair of the Section will serve as Section Sage for two years following completion of his/her term as Chair.

The editor of Advances in Physiology Education, the Education Officer of the American Physiological Society, the Chair of the Education Committee, the Chair of the Guyton Awards Committee and any primary members of the Teaching Section who are serving as APS Councilors shall serve as ex officio members of the Steering Committee. 

The Chair of the Section Program Committee will serve as the section representative to the Joint Programming Committee, and the Section Chair will serve as the Section Advisory Committee Representative (SACR).  A quorum for conducting official business for the Section will be 50% of the voting members of the Steering committee.  The Steering Committee will meet or converse twice yearly, at the annual spring meeting, at a fall conference of the Society, by conference call, or at the meeting of a parallel-interest society.

Section 2. Steering Committee Members and Their Duties

The Steering Committee members shall serve a three-year term and those terms shall overlap so that no more than two members of the Steering Committee shall be elected each year except in unusual circumstances.

The Chair shall call and chair meetings of the Steering Committee and supervise the election process in coordination with the Secretary.  The Chair may appoint committees that are necessary for the proper conduct of the affairs of the Section.

The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the Steering Committee and the membership list, prepare and send a twice-yearly newsletter to the membership of the Section.

The Treasurer shall maintain fiscal records for the section.  The Treasurer shall also serve as Events and Awards Coordinator and will be responsible for organizing activities associated with the section’s Distinguished Lectureship and annual section dinner. The Treasurer – Events and Awards Coordinator will also be responsible for coordinating the selection process for the section’s research awards, New Investigator awards, and travel awards.

The SPC Chair shall chair a committee composed of the members of the section’s steering committee, and the SPC Chair-elect.  The SPC shall be charged with developing the Section’s scientific program for the annual Experimental Biology meeting.  The SPC Chair will interact with the Society’s Joint Program Committee to ensure minimal overlap or redundancy with respect to other sections’ programming activities and to develop joint programs with other APS sections or other FASEB societies.

The Liaison to the APS Education Committee will attend the Education committee meetings and present a report on Section activities. The Education Committee Liaison will also act as the liaison to organizations outside of the APS devoted to physiology education.

The Committee on Committees Representative, in consultation with the section steering committee, shall annually prepare and submit to the APS Committee on Committees a list of nominees for APS standing committees.

The LWIC Representative is responsible for participating in the affairs of the Society’s LWIC and providing specific section perspective to that committee. The duties of the LWIC are to: foster interactions and improve relations between the Society and industry by discussing problems of mutual concern, develop new ways that the Society and related industry can interact in mutually beneficial ways and, recruit membership in industry.

The Trainee Representative is responsible for participating in the affairs of the Society’s Trainee Committee and providing specific section perspective to that committee.

The International Member will be active in a recognized Physiological Society outside of the United States.

Section 3. Election and Appointment of Officers

1. The Section Chair, SPC Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Education Committee Liaison shall each be elected to a term of three years.

2. However, the terms shall be staggered such that only one of these positions –Section Chair, SPC Chair, or Secretary – is elected in any one year and that only one of these positions – Treasurer or Education Committee Liaison – is elected in any one year.

3. The Committee on Committees Representative, the Liaison with Industry Committee Representative, the Trainee Representative and the International Member will be appointed by the Section Steering Committee for three-year terms according to the schedule outlined in Section 4.

4. Terms of office will begin and end at the close of the annual spring meeting of the APS (Experimental Biology).

Section 4. Terms of Office and Filling of Vacant Positions

Offices will be filled on a staggered basis according to the following schedule

An individual may hold only one of the nine offices at any given time.  If one of the five elected offices becomes vacant because the current holder accepts one of the other positions, or for any other reason, a special election shall be held to fill the remainder of that office’s term.  The Steering Committee may elect an individual to fill a vacated position on an interim basis until a special election can be held.

If one of the two appointed offices becomes vacant, the Steering Committee shall appoint someone to complete the unexpired portion of that term.

Nominations shall be made annually, as appropriate, by the Nominating Committee (see below) to fill forthcoming vacancies.  Candidates for all offices must be regular APS members who have designated a primary or secondary affiliation with the Teaching of Physiology Section.  Candidates for the Section Chair must have a primary affiliation with the Teaching of Physiology Section and shall be drawn from currently or recently (last five years) seated Steering Committee members who have served at least two years on the Steering Committee.  Additional nominations may be made by three or more members submitting the names of qualified candidates who have agreed in writing to serve, if elected.  Voting must be completed prior to the annual business meeting.

Election of officers shall be by voting ballot sent to all members whose primary affiliation is with the Teaching of Physiology Section.

Section 5. Standing Committees

Nominating Committee.  The Chair, in consultation with the other members of the Steering Committee, will appoint two at-large members to serve with a Steering Committee member (serving as chair) as the Nominating Committee; all members of the Nominating Committee must have a primary affiliation with the Teaching of Physiology Section.  The Committee nominates two qualified members as candidates for each office to be filled.

Guyton Award Selection Committee. This committee shall comprise a Chair, appointed by the Steering Committee, the immediate 3 past recipients of the Guyton Teaching Award, and one additional at-large member appointed by the Steering Committee.  The Committee coordinates the Award nomination process, reviews the nominations and supporting material, and selects a recipient who best meets the award criteria.

ARTICLE V. Dues

Dues will not be assessed.

Article VI. Finances

The Society shall maintain, under the management of the steering committee, an account of funds for the Section. Any funds solicited must be received by the Society. Disbursement of funds will also be made by the Society as directed by a designated member of the steering committee.

ARTICLE VII. Amendments and Quorum of the Membership

Section 1. Amendments

Amendments to these procedures must be proposed in writing to the Steering Committee prior to the annual meeting of the membership which normally will be held at the annual spring meeting. The proposal must then be sent to the members. Amendment requires the approval of two-thirds of the quorum of the Section.

Section 2. Quorum

The Quorum for all membership business meetings is no less than 15 percent of the voting body of the Section.

ARTICLE VIII. Awards

Awards will be made as financial and other circumstances permit in order to recognize members of the Section and the Society who have made substantial contributions to the affairs of the Section and the Society. Student and new investigator awards will also be made when appropriate. Nominations for awards will be accepted when called for by instructions published in a newsletter.