BY-LAWS

AMENDED BY-LAWS OF THE NEW YORK SECTION OF THE AMERICAN UROLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

(Revised July 2023)

ARTICLE I: NAME AND SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES

(Bylaws Committee: Frederick Gulmi, Lou Kavoussi, Jay Motola, Thomas Rechtschaffen)

Section 1. Name: New York Section of the American Urological Association

This organization is chartered by the American Urological Association, Inc. (AUA) as an affiliate and component part of AUA and of its affiliated entity, the American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. (AUAER). The name of this regional organization shall be the “New York Section of the American Urological Association, Inc.,” and its members shall be members also of both national entities.

Section 2. Mission Statement and Vision Statement

The mission statement of this organization shall be to benefit the general public in the Greater New York region by encouraging and maintaining the highest possible standards for urological education, practice and research. The vision of the New York Section is to be the premier professional association for the advancement of professional urologic patient care in the geographic region represented by the NY section. This will be accomplished by:

  1. Providing an environment which supports education of all professionals involved in the practice of urological medicine and surgery;
  2. Promoting the publication of and encouraging contributions to medical and scientific literature pertaining to urology;
  3. Encouraging research, experimentation, investigation and analysis of diseases, abnormalities and other conditions of the genitourinary tract, their treatments and corrections, and to make the results known to physicians and the public; to develop, and assist in developing scientific methods for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of such diseases; and to make the results known to physicians and the public, to benefit the general public;
  4. Promoting fellowship and professional cooperation among the Section membership, and to advance their legitimate professional interests.
  5. Promoting and sponsoring resident education through the activities of the Section

Section 3. Geographical

The geographical boundaries of this Section shall be those stated in Article II, Section 2, of the AUA Bylaws (as revised and approved May 2006), however they may be revised and amended from time to time-such boundaries revision as approved by the Section.

Section 4. Limitations of Activities

  1. The Section shall not engage in business of any kind ordinarily carried out for profit.Nothing in the Section’s Articles of Incorporation nor in these Bylaws shall authorize the Section to, and the Section shall not in fact, enter into any transaction, carry out any activity, nor engage in any business for pecuniary purposes. Any income received by the Section shall be applied exclusively for the purposes of the Section as set forth herein, and no part thereof shall ever inure to the benefit of any private member or individual.
  2. No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall be carrying on propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation (except as otherwise provided by Internal Revenue Code section 501 (h)), or participating in, or intervening in (including the publication or distribution of statements), any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Section 5. Dissolution

Upon the termination or dissolution of the Section, any surplus of property or assets remaining after all of the debts and obligations of the Section have been paid and satisfied shall not either directly or indirectly inure to the benefit of any private member of the Section or individual, but all such property and assets shall be expended in their entirety, for the objects and purposes set forth in Section 2 here in above, within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code or corresponding section of any future Federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the Federal Government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Member Categories. The membership of this Section shall be composed of physicians and surgeons scientists, and allied professionals in the following categories as set forth in the AUA by-laws (Article III, section 1):

  1. Active member
  2. Senior member
  3. Associate member
  4. Affiliate member
  5. Research Scientist member
  6. Honorary member
  7. Allied member
  8. Advanced Practice Provider member
  9. Resident/Fellow member
  10. Medical/Graduate Student member
  11. International member
  12. International Residents-in-Training member

Section 2. Application and Qualifications for Membership

  1. Application for membership in this Section must be made on forms approved by its Board of Directors, and provided by its Secretary.
  2. All members except Senior, Honorary and Resident/Fellow members shall be assessed dues in an amount determined by the Board of Directors. Associate members who have passed the ABU Certifying Exam (Part II) will be transferred to Active membership in both the New York Section and the AUA, and notified that AUA active membership and New York Section dues are waived for the first year of Active membership.
  3. Any member who does not pay their yearly dues to the AUA will be dropped from membership in the section. Any individual who is delinquent for additional fees for section activities shall have their name submitted to the Board of Directors by the Treasurer and subsequent action will be decided upon by a vote of the Board of Directors. This individual will be barred from further section activities until all unpaid dues or fees are paid. If the Board of Directors should decide upon inactivating this individual’s membership as a result of unpaid fees, the New York section will submit this individual’s name to the AUA for action.
  4. Qualifications for membership in each of the indicated categories (a) through (i) shall be as stated in Article III, Sections 6 through 14 of the AUA Bylaws.
  5. Doctors of Osteopathy who complete AOA-approved urology residency programs and are certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Surgery are eligible for Associate member status as stated in Article III in the AUA Bylaws.

Section 3. Voting Status and Rights

Only Active and Senior members shall be eligible to vote. All members shall be entitled to receive the latest available copy of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, and the Roster of Membership. All voting members of the New York Section will also be members of AUA and AUAER with rights and obligations as defined in Article III of the AUA Bylaws.

Section 4. Notification of Election

All members shall be elected at the Section’s Annual Business Meeting, except for Resident/Fellow members who shall be approved by the Board of Directors periodically throughout the Association year. Every newly elected member of this Section shall be officially notified of his or her election by the Secretary and provided with a copy of these Bylaws. The AUA shall also be notified of the new member’s election.

Section 5. Transfer of Membership

A member in good standing of the American Urological Association and of another Section of the AUA who moves his or her residence or practice into the territory of this Section, and who meets all membership qualifications, is automatically eligible for membership in this Section upon completion of a transfer application and presentation of credentials to the Board of Directors of this Section. These credentials shall include his or her previous Section records, and a letter from that Section’s Secretary indicating that the applicant is an active member in good standing.

Section 6. Resignation, Expulsion, Rebuke and Reinstatement

  1. Any member who has complied with all the requirements of these By-Laws during the life of his or her membership may resign by written notification to the Secretary, who shall officially acknowledge the receipt thereof. The Section Secretary shall notify the Secretary of the AUA of such resignation.
  2. Any member expelled by the AUA shall automatically have his or her Section membership terminated. In addition, a member may be expelled by the Board of Directors of the Section upon conviction of a serious crime, or upon revocation, suspension or surrender of his or her license to practice medicine for reasons of improper or unethical conduct, upon withdrawal of certification by the American Board of Urology, or on other grounds stated in Article X, Section 2 of the AUA Bylaws. The expulsion of a Section member shall be promptly reported to the AUA Secretary, with a statement of reasons thereof.
  3. The reinstatement of suspended members to good standing in the Section shall rest in the hands of the Board of Directors of the Section which may recommend the reinstatement of expelled members who have been previously conditionally reinstated by AUA pending approval by the New York Section; such an action must be ratified by a three-fourths vote of the Board of Directors.
  4. Rebuke to a Member
    1. It is the responsibility of any Section member to notify the section of any sanction by the OPMC or any other state or federal governing body within 30 business days of such notification.
    2. Grounds for a rebuke may include, but are not limited to:
      1. Inappropriate advertising which is defined to include misleading, untruthful, or unfounded or unproven claims or other similar misdemeanors;
      2. Expulsion from a hospital staff for grounds involving improper or unprofessional conduct, or breach of the applicable code of ethics, or departure from professional or ethical standards of practice or conduct:
      3. Other professional misconduct or breach of appropriate ethical standards not warranting automatic expulsion
    3. Three rebukes over any time period shall be grounds for automatic expulsion or denial.Any member or prospective member issued a rebuke shall be notified of this action by the Section President.
    4. Appeal of a rebuke shall be by written communication to the Executive Secretary of the section by registered mail.
    5. The NY Section of the AUA reserves the right to refer any incident related to professional conduct as stated above to the Judicial and Ethics Committee of the American Urological Association.

ARTICLE III: DEFINED DISTRICTS OF THE NEW YORK SECTION

The total geographic area of the New York Section is comprised of 5 districts defined as

District I: Long Island (Nassau/Suffolk)

District II: Brooklyn, SI, Queens

District III: Manhattan

District IV: Westchester, Rockland, Bronx, and other northern or western geographies located within the geographic boundaries of the Section.

District V: New Jersey

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1. Officers

The officers of the Section shall be a President, a President-Elect, an Immediate Past President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, the Secretary-elect and Treasurer-elect (alternating years) and a Historian. The President and President-Elect shall be elected for terms of one year at the Annual Meeting. The Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected for terms of two years at the Annual Meeting, and the Historian for a term of three years. All candidates for these offices must be Active or Senior members, and a slate will be presented according to the procedures prescribed in these Bylaws (article 5, section 4.4), and elected by a majority of the members present and voting at the Members Only Meeting.

In the instance of an active of god, where the New York Annual meeting needs to be cancelled or postponed, the terms of the President, President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer may need to be extended so that the current President can preside over the Annual Meeting. In this case, the President would call for an Executive Session of the Board of Directors and this decision would need to be approved by the board by a simple majority. The membership would be notified electronically.

Section 2. Board of Directors

The Section shall be administered by a Board of Directors comprised of 17 voting members: the Section President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, Treasure-elect or Secretary-elect (alternating years), historian , 5 District Representatives, 2 members at large, the representative to the AUA Board of Directors, and a Socioeconomic representative. 10 members of the Board of Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. All members of the board are equal voting members, totaling 17 in number. The Board of Directors shall meet periodically upon call of the President or a majority of its members, and shall have responsibility for administration of the Section, including evaluation of all financial affairs of the Section, preparation of a yearly budget, and recommendations to the membership at the annual business meeting of the Section for approval of said budget. The Board of Directors shall also recommend applicants for membership in the Section, in accordance with these Bylaws. Finally, the Board of Directors shall comply with the conditions of the Section charter, as specified in Article II, Section 4, of the AUA Bylaws. Any member of the Board of Directors retains the right to register his/her vote via proxy in either writing or electronically with the Executive Secretary of the NY Section. All Board Members, including Officers, must reside or work within the Section’s boundaries and a Board Member relocating out of Section during his or her term must resign his or her seat upon departure.

Section 2A. Executive Session of the Board of Directors- At the request of any member of the Board of Directors, the President can call an executive session of the Board. At this time all individuals except for members of the Board of Directors must excuse themselves from the meeting unless asked to remain by Board Members.

Section 3. President

The Term of the office shall be one year. The term will coincide with the Annual Meeting of the American Urological Association. The President shall arrange for and preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors and at scientific and business sessions of the Section. The President shall be responsible for arranging all educational meetings and gatherings of the Section during the term of his presidency. The President shall call special meetings of the Board of Directors as necessary. The President shall direct to the attention of and convene the Judicial & Peer Review Committee when any violation of the Bylaws or matters requiring discipline of members is raised. The President shall receive reports of the standing and special committees and make recommendations to the Board. Immediately upon assuming office The President shall appoint the committees specified in Article V, Standing Committees. The President shall appoint any other committees that are needed to carry out the business of the Section. The President shall convene at least every three years an ad hoc by-laws committee, chaired by the Section secretary who will review, receive and recommend changes in the Bylaws. The President shall be responsible, with the approval of the Board of Directors, for appointing the Chairs, Co-Chairs and Judges for any and all meetings scheduled and produced during his or her Presidential year.

Section 4. President-Elect

The President-Elect shall assist the President in the performance of his duties, and in the absence of the President, shall preside. In the event of the President’s resignation or removal the President-Elect shall assume the office of the President for the unexpired term. The position of the President-elect will be automatically filled by the retiring Secretary or Treasurer in alternating years. If neither the Secretary nor Treasurer has served a full term when the President-elect position must be filled, the one who has held his or her position the longest will fill the President-Elect position. It is the responsibility of the President-elect to submit for approval their selection for the site and the budget of the annual meeting no later than the fall Board of Directors meeting of this term. This proposal is subject to the approval of the Board of Directors by vote

Section 5. Immediate Past President

The Immediate Past President shall be a member of the Board of Directors, and shall be a member of the Nominating committee. The Immediate Past President shall be responsible for selecting candidates to be nominated for Honorary Membership.

Section 6. Past President

After serving for one year as Immediate Past President, an individual shall assume the role of Past President for one year.The Past President shall be a voting member of the Board of Directors

Section 7. Secretary

The Secretary shall serve a term of two years, alternating in time with the term of office of the Treasurer.The Secretary shall receive and give prompt attention to correspondence and keep accurate records of the same. The Secretary shall obtain records of the proceedings of all committees so that the Secretary may have in his/her possession a record of all the activities of the Section. The Secretary shall keep an accurate list of (a) members in all categories, (b) applications for membership and (c) members suspended or expelled. The Secretary shall receive applications for membership and shall bring them, when complete, to the attention of the Board of Directors.The Secretary shall send notices of stated and special meetings of the Section to all members of all committees, standing and special. The Secretary shall keep the minutes and all records of the Executive and Scientific sessions of the Section. The Secretary shall keep a file of the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws.The Secretary shall annually obtain the reports and records of the activities of all committees, and bring them to the attention of the President. The Secretary shall prepare an application form for all categories of membership that will be approved by the Board of Directors. Upon completing the findings in any given case of disciplinary action by the Board of Directors, the Secretary of the Section will immediately forward the findings and verdict of the Board of Directors to the Secretary of the AUA, in order that the records of the parent organization shall show proper correction. The Secretary shall officially notify the AUA Secretary prior to AUA’s Annual Meeting, the names of the candidates endorsed by the Board of Directors of the New York Section of the American Urological Association, Incorporated, for election to (a) the AUA Board of Directors, (b) the AUA Editorial Committee, (c) the AUA Nominating Committee, and (d) Active and Associate membership in AUA, (e) or any other such requests that he/she may receive.The Secretary shall serve on the Section Secretary’s Membership Council of the AUA. The Secretary shall publish and send newsletters to all members at such intervals as directed by the President of the Section. The Secretary shall reserve in advance the meeting places for the Board of Directors meetings and other regular meetings of the membership to be held through the year. The seal of the New York Section, AUA, Inc. will be kept in the office of the Section Secretary.The Secretary shall serve on the AUA Section Secretary’s Membership Council as the NY Sections representative. The Secretary shall be the Section’s representative to the AUA’s By-laws Committee, or his/her designee who must be a member of the Section’s By-laws committee and appointed by the Section President to serve as an alternate.

Section 8. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall serve a term of two years, alternating in time with the term of the Secretary.The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all property of the Section.The Treasurer shall keep an accurate account of all financial transactions of the Section. The Treasurer shall disburse monies of the Section, as directed by the Section President and Board of Directors. Payment shall be made only by checks drawn on the accounts of the Section. The Treasurer shall collect the annual dues for each member from the AUA.The Treasurer shall collect all assessments levied on the members of the Section.The Treasurer shall prepare a list of all members who are delinquent in the payment of dues or assessments, and present this list to the Board of Directors for their action. The Treasurer shall have an annual audit of the Section’s financial status prepared by a certified public accountant, review it with the audit committee per article V, section 1, and present the results of such audit to the Board of Directors when available and to the members of the Section at the Annual business meeting. The Treasurer shall be the Chairperson of the Finance Committee.The Treasurer shall be the New York Section’s representative to the AUA Investment Committee. The Treasurer shall prepare a quarterly report on the status of the Section’s investments.The Treasurer is required to be a signatory on all checks issued by the Section over $1000 in value.

Section 9. Treasurer-Elect

A Treasurer-Elect shall be elected to serve with the Treasurer during his/her final year in office. The Treasurer-Elect should be a past member of the board of directors. Only current board members who are completing his/her current two year term are eligible. Upon elevation to the position of Treasurer-Elect, the position so vacated should be filled with a representative from the same district or a newly elected member-at large. The Treasurer-Elect shall be elevated to the office of Treasurer without again standing for election.

Section 10. Secretary-Elect

A Secretary-Elect shall be elected to serve with the Secretary during his/her final year in office. The Secretary-Elect should be a past member of the board of directors. Only current board members who are completing his/her current two year term are eligible Upon elevation to the position of Secretary-Elect, the position so vacated should be filled with a representative from the same district or a newly elected member-at large. The Secretary-Elect shall be elevated to the office of Secretary without again standing for election.

Section 11. Representative to the AUA Board of Directors

The duly elected Representative to the AUA Board of Directors will represent the New York Section on the Board of Directors of the American Urological Association, Incorporated. The Representative to the AUA Board of Directors will become liaison officer for the New York Section to the national organization. The Representative to the AUA Board of Directors shall attend all AUA Board of Directors meetings and will transmit to and report on instructions, concerns and requests from the Section to the national Board of Directors. The Representative to the AUA Board of Directors shall render a report of the proceedings of each AUA Board of Directors meetings to the Section Board of Directors. The Representative to the AUA Board of Directors shall advise the President of the Section as to all transactions affecting the Section, which may transpire at intervals between stated meetings of the AUA Board of Directors. The Representative to the AUA Board of Directors shall be reimbursed by the Section for expenses incurred in attending any special meetings of the AUA or its Board of Directors when not covered by the parent organization. The Representative to the AUA Board of Directors shall be elected for a term of two years and be eligible for re-election for one additional term. The previous NYS Representative to the AUA Board will serve as the alternate for a term of two years and is eligible for re-election for one additional term. The Section’s Alternate Representative shall be a non-voting member of the Board of Directors. The Representative to the AUA Board of Directors and the alternate must be a prior President of the New York Section. The representative to the AUA Board of Directors is a voting member of the Board of Directors.

Section 12. District Representatives

One representative from each of the five districts as defined in Article III will be nominated to the Board of Directors. These voting positions hold a term of 2 years renewable for an additional term of 2 years.

Section 13. Members-at-Large

The nominating committee will select two members-at-large each serving a term of 2 years, renewable for an additional 2 years. The two members at large must represent different districts of the NY section. These members are voting member of the Board of Directors.

Section 14.Historian

The Historian will be appointed by the Board of Directors for a term of three years and may be reappointed for one additional term. The Historian is a voting member of the Board. The Historian shall prepare an accurate history of the Section, shall keep records of changes in the Section pertinent to its history, and shall make an annual report of these to the Board of Directors. Such a report should include changes in the leadership of Clinical Departments and Training Program during proceeding year. The Historian shall prepare for publication any historical issue relative to the Section that shall be desired by the Section. The Historian shall maintain the archives of the Section in the Section offices.The Historian shall record and report the deaths of all members of the Section. The Historian shall be responsible for, and assist with, the preparation of all eulogies.Any funds for these purposes must be voted by the Board of Directors.The Historian shall recommend members for honorary membership.

Section 15. Socioeconomic Representative

The Socioeconomic representative will be nominated via the usual nomination process and serve a 2 year term, renewable for an additional 2 years. The Socioeconomic representative is a voting member of the Board.This representative will be responsible for providing the Board of Directors and the membership with a report of the socioeconomic factors that are affecting Urology. This representative is required to attend the Joint Advocacy Meeting, and attend the national socioeconomic meetings as defined by nomination to the respective national committees.

Section 16. Executive Secretary

The Executive Secretary shall be the chief administrative officer of the Association, and shall report directly to the Board of Directors. The Executive Secretary need not be a physician or a member of the Association. The Executive Secretary shall, in consultation with the President, arrange an agenda for each meeting of the Board of Directors. The Executive Secretary shall have the authority and ultimate responsibility to carry out all policies and programs of the Association within the framework of the budget and subject to the direction of the Board of Directors. At the direction of the secretary or the President, the Executive Secretary shall reserve in advance the meeting places for the Board of Directors meetings and other regular meetings of the membership to be held through the year. At the direction of the treasurer, the Executive Secretary shall verify that all taxes, reports and filings are submitted in a timely fashion and present this to the Board of Directors.

Section 17. Vacancy

Vacancies that occur, for any reason, in the various Offices, Board of Directors or Section Representatives on any AUA Committee may be filled for the remainder of the unexpired term of office upon nomination and approval by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

Section 18. Officer Vacancies

Vacancies in offices must be filled by the Board of Directors for the unexpired term except the office of the President. The President-Elect automatically becomes President when that office has been vacated. No member will hold two elected offices at the same time. If the office of the Secretary becomes vacant, that position will be filled by the Secretary-Elect. If the office of the Treasurer becomes vacant, that position will be filled by the Treasurer-elect. If no individual holds the elect position at the time a vacancy in the office of the Secretary or Treasurer occurs, the Board of Directors will appoint someone to the position until such time as an election can be held.

Section 19. Term of Office

All officers shall hold office for one year or until their successors are elected, except as otherwise indicated herein. The Secretary and Treasurer will change office in alternate years.The start of all terms of all officers will begin at the conclusion of the AUA Annual Meeting.

Section 20. Recusal or Expulsion/Replacement of Members of the Board of Directors

A member of the Board of Directors must voluntarily recuse himself from both discussion and vote on any matter coming before the Board in which he/she has a personal or financial interest greater than, apart from, or contrary to that of the Association as a whole, or a noted conflict of interest. The Board shall have the power, by a two-thirds vote of its membership (excluding the member in question), to disqualify a member from voting on any matter in which he/she is believed to have a significant conflict of interest. By the same two-thirds vote, the Board shall have the power to expel one of its members for serious conflict of interest or other grave misconduct, or for chronic absenteeism or severe and continuing disability rendering the member unable to participate in the business and function of the Board.Should a member of the Board be expelled, he shall be replaced, if a district representative by another individual from the same district. If an officer is expelled, the nominating committee will reconvene to propose another individual. If the secretary or treasurer elect were to be expelled, the secretary elect or treasurer elect will assume the responsibilities of the vacated Board member.

ARTICLE V: COMMITTEES AND REPRESENTATIVES

The Standing committees of the Section shall be as follows:

  1. Audit Committee
  2. Finance Committee
  3. Judicial and Ethics Committee
  4. Nominating Committee
  5. Bylaws Committee
  6. Program Committee

Section 1. Audit Committee

The Audit Committee shall consist of two active members in good standing in the Section, who shall be appointed by the President, and who shall serve for two years. It shall examine the audits submitted by the certified public accountant retained by the Section. It shall examine the accounts of the Treasurer. It shall verify submission of all appropriate tax documents. The audit committee shall present an annual report to the Board of Directors

Section 2. Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall consist of the Treasurer, who shall be the Chair, the President, the Immediate Past-President and the President-Elect and a Section representative on a rotating basis. The Finance Committee shall study and evaluate all financial affairs of the Section and make recommendations to the Board of Directors. The Committee shall set up a budget for the various activities each year, and on the basis of the projected budget, make recommendations to the Board of Directors regarding dues for the ensuing year.

Section 3. Judicial and Ethics Committee

Every 4th year the Chair will be approved by the Section President after the recommendations of the nominating committee are considered and will serve a four year term. The President will also appoint a non-board of director’s representative, a board member, and one of the members-at-large. The immediate past President will also serve on this committee. The Judicial and Ethics Committee shall investigate (a) all controversies arising from the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws of this Section and (b) all questions which involve alleged violation of medical ethics and (c) all questions involving membership in the Section, or the rights and standing of members, whether in relation to other members, to the Section, or to the public. In cases of investigation of individual members, any Committee member from the same district as the individual being investigated must recuse himself from the deliberations. In this situation, the President of the Section shall appoint an additional member bringing the number of members for deliberation to five. The Judicial and Ethics Committee shall report to and make recommendations to the Board of Directors. The Chair of the Judicial and Ethics Committee shall be recommended as the Section representative to the AUA Judicial and Ethics Council subject to the approval by the President of the AUA

Section 4. Nominating Committee

  1. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the Immediate Past-President, one District Representative assigned annually in rotation, and either the Secretary-elect or Treasurer elect.The members of the Nominating Committee are not eligible for consideration for the positions under consideration.The Nominating Committee will consider institutional, academic and practice diversity.
  2. The Chairman of this Committee shall be the Immediate Past-President.
  3. Prior to the meeting of the Nominating Committee, the general membership shall be notified via email of the available vacant positions on the Board of Directors. Nominations will be accepted for 2 weeks via certified mail addressed to the Executive Secretary of the section. Each nomination must be accompanied by a supporting letter outlining a rationale for the nomination. Nominations can only come from within the nominees own district or from self-nomination.
  4. It shall be the duty of the Nominating Committee to meet and present to the Board nominees who are Active or Senior members in good standing in the Section for the following offices:
    1. President
    2. President-Elect
    3. Secretary
    4. Treasurer
    5. Secretary-Elect/Treasurer-Elect (alternate years)
    6. Members of the Board of Directors (5 district representatives and 2 members-at-large)
    7. Representative to the AUA Board of Directors and one Alternate.
    8. Resident Representative
    9. Socioeconomic representative
    10. Historian
    11. Chair of the Judicial and Ethics Committee (every 4th year)
  5. The nominations shall be presented to the Board of Directors of the Section for approval. The slate will then be presented for consideration at the Members Only Meeting of the New York Section. Those elected to office by the membership shall assume office on the day immediately following the last day of the subsequent AUA Annual Meeting.

Section 5. Bylaws Committee

The Bylaws Committee shall become familiar with the activities of the Section and the applicability of the Articles of Incorporation and the Bylaws. The Bylaws Committee shall consist of the Secretary of the Section as Chair, the Section Secretary-elect, the Section Representative to the AUA Bylaws Committee and 3 active or senior members who shall be appointed by the President. The term of the 3 committee members is staggered initially and serves 2, 3 and 4 years. Thereafter, the term of each committee member shall be 3 years. The Bylaws Committee will report as needed to the Board of Directors. Every five years, or as directed by the President of the Section, the Committee will undertake a thorough review of the Bylaws. Any rewrite of the bylaws will then be presented to the Board of Directors who shall vote on the rewrite.

Section 6. Program Committee

The Program Committee for the Section’s annual meeting shall consist of the President and his or her appointed Program Scientific Chair. The Program Chair shall be nominated by the President and approved by the Board of Directors. The program chair is responsible for and shall in consultation with the president arrange the scientific program for the Annual Meeting.

Section 7. Resident Committee

The Resident Committee shall consist of one representative from each of the residency programs within the Section. The candidate will be nominated by each program’s director. The chair of this committee will be selected by a vote from the representatives of each program. This committee shall meet no less than yearly with a meeting always occurring on the day of the Valentine Essay Contest. This committee shall submit their minutes to the executive Secretary of the Section which will then be submitted to the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE VI: DUES

Section dues will be recommended annually by the Board of Directors, subject to membership approval at the Annual Meeting and are due to be paid on or before January 1 of each year. Dues shall be reviewed annually and adjusted as necessary in accordance with the annual budget in order to pay annual expenses. Special assessments may be levied by the Board of Directors for special needs or extraordinary purposes and are due and payable immediately. Contributions may be accepted from outside agencies as permitted by law and in compliance with the AUA conflict of interest and commercial support policies. Initiation fees may be charged to persons applying for membership. Members may be dropped from the rolls, upon adequate notice, for non-payment of dues. A member suspended for non-payment of dues or assessments may be reinstated by vote of the Board of Directors upon payment of all dues and assessments in arrears and the reinstatement fee.

ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS AND REVISIONS

Any changes in the Bylaws will be presented by the Bylaws committee to the Board of Directors for further review. The Board will approve or deny these changes. Any changes will then be presented at the Annual Members Only Meeting, and at that time approved by a two-thirds vote of the members voting. The general of the membership of the Section can request changes to the bylaws by putting this request in formal writing to the Secretary of the Section at least 90 days prior to the Annual Members Only Meeting.

ARTICLE VIII: NOMINATIONS FOR ANNUAL AWARDS, DISTINCTIONS OR CITATIONS

At the fall meeting of the Board of Directors, the Board shall nominate individuals for the annual awards and distinctions or citations. All awards or recommendations for such awards will be voted upon by the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE IX: ELECTION OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE AUA

The President of the American Urological Association is to be proposed for nomination by the New York Section of the AUA when directed to do so by the American Urological Association. The President will serve one year as AUA President-Elect, one year as President, then one year as Immediate Past President. The candidate must have the capacity to:

  1. Act as chairman of the AUA Board of Directors and carry out the procedures of regular Board meetings
  2. be an effective communicator and express enthusiasm/interest in the position
  3. act as an AUA spokesperson and receive appropriate training
  4. regularly compose and review correspondence, articles and reports

The candidate may not serve as an expert witness for either the plaintiff or defendant in medical liability cases while serving as a member of the Board. If elected the candidate must fully divest themselves of significant relationships for the term of their position or office with the pharmaceutical and device industries including any governance or role in a Pharma company, any role as a consultant or advisor to Pharma, and any role as a paid lecturer or paid attendant at Pharma event.

The candidate must be active in the practice of Urology or if retired, not more than five years have passed since retirement. The candidate must have verbal and written communication skills, have the time to devote to the Presidency and have a vision for the sustenance and growth of American Urology.

The Board of Directors will identify qualified candidates. All candidates must have served as President of the New York Section. Nominations should come from the Section Board of Directors, Executive Committee and Nominating Committee.Individuals pursuing this position must submit a CV and a 500 word Statement of Interest. The Board of Directors reviews all candidates and narrows it down to a maximum of 3 finalists for a vote from the Section membership.The Board of Directors should carefully review the Job Description and objective evaluation forms provided by the AUA. These forms and listed criteria are provided to help for an objective review and can serve as a basis for discussion and identifying the strongest candidates. The AUA may be consulted to verify information or answer questions about any candidates if needed.Each of the final candidates’ statement of interest are posted on the section website for the appropriate voting period (and or in printed or electronic newsletters).Membership of the New York Section will conduct its vote by electronic balloting. A quorum of 10 percent of the voting members in the Section is required. An individual must receive a majority plus 1 vote to win the election.

ARTICLE X: QUESTIONS OF PARLIAMENTARY ORDER

All questions of parliamentary order not provided for in these Bylaws shall be determined by the Parliamentary usage as contained in Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure.