Report of the Ad Hoc Committee to Establish an International Council within the AAPM-C81E7CB4
Executive Summary
The Ad Hoc Committee recommends that the AAPM By-Laws be amended for the establishment of an International Council, making the focus of the new council equal in priority and membership support to the focus of the existing councils, and obviating the need for extensive changes to the Rules.The report compiles information regarding the rationale (motivation, history, and required resources), logistical considerations, and justification for the formation of the International Council. AAPM has been actively engaged in international affairs for much of its his history, and while much of the recent activity has involved efforts of the International Affairs Committee (IAC) and the International Educational Activities Committee (IEAC), AAPM working directly with a large number of other international organizations including the International Organization for Medical Physics (IOMP) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These international endeavors have had considerable impact on the research, education, patient care, industry relations, outreach and organizational partnerships of AAPM. Additionally, nearly 20% of AAPM membership consists of medical physicists living outside the US. These international members actively participate in all aspects of AAPM, including its two largest sources of non-dues revenue: Annual Meetings and our journals (Medical Physics and Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics (JACMP).
In view of the increasing importance of global activities for medical physicists, this Ad Hoc Committee considers the following guiding principles to be essential for the future of AAPM an its members:
- International partnerships strengthen the AAPM and, thereby, its membership.
- International collaborations strengthen the science, education, and professional practice of medical physics in the US.
- International collaborations have the potential for contributing to improved quality and safety in healthcare, not only in the US but also abroad.
While a By-Laws amendment may not be necessary in order to form the International Council, the Ad Hoc Committee highly recommends doing so for consistency with the other four councils that are all currently defined in the By-Laws. The Ad Hoc Committee acknowledges that under Article III. Section 2. G of the By-laws of the AAPM, the International Council could be established as an “Other Standing Committee as specified in the Rules”.
The Ad Hoc committee refers this report to Chairman of the Board, Cynthia McCollough, who formed the committee. The co-chairs of this Ad Hoc Committee are available to work with the Rules Committee on proposed rules changes.
Figure 1A. Existing organizational structure specifically showing international-related activities (in dark and light blue).
Figure 1B. Organizational structure with new International Council. Dashed lines represent communications between the boxes shown.Full report available in PDF here
Recommendations Regarding the Establishment of International Council with the AAPM
Membership: F. Fahey (Co-chair), J. Bayouth (Co-chair), C. Borras, J. Van Dyk, C. Orton, M. Mahesh, R. Jeraj, I.Sechopoulos, M. Bazalova-Carter, C. McCollough, S. Huq, D. Brown
1. Provide non-binding recommendations regarding potential leadership
The Ad Hoc Committee has developed recommendations regarding the potential leadership of the International Council specifically in regards to the selection of the Council Chair. Since it is essential that the Council get off to a good start, the selection of its inaugural leadership is of particular importance.
The Council Chair will coordinate and manage all Council operations and activities. The Council will meet preferably in person at least twice a year with additional meetings and conference calls as necessary. As with other councils, it is typical that an annual council retreat of 1 to 2 days may also be held. The Council Chair will develop the agenda and preside over these meetings. In addition, the Chair will develop an annual budget for the Council based on the input from committee chairs which will be presented to the Financial Committee.
The Council Chair will meet face-to-face with the chairs of the other councils and the AAPM executive committee at least twice a year along with additional communication as needed. The Council Chair is also an ex oficio, non-voting member of the AAPM Board of Directors, giving reports on the activities of the Council to the Board at least twice a year.
In this inaugural year of the Council, additional duties will fall upon the Chair. The Chair will need to name the chairs of all Council committees. The Chair should solicit the chairs of the other councils to provide the cross-council members for the International Council as established by Rules. Once the membership of the Council has been established, the Council should develop a list of responsibilities and expectations for the liaisons from other international organizations. In addition, standing operating procedures need to be developed and implemented that assure its proper and transparent management.
Given the unique circumstances regarding the establishment of the International Council, it is essential that the right person be named as its Chair. Thus, the Chair should be strong in specific areas. The Chair should be passionate and visionary about global health initiatives while, at the same time, being goal-oriented and well organized. The Chair should be well-established and highly recognized in regards to global health activities including training/education, research and collaborations with other international agencies and medical physics organizations. The Chair should have established connections with the leadership of AAPM’s international partners in medical physics such as IOMP as well as with IAEA, WHO and NGOs. The Chair should be well-versed in AAPM’s operational structure, and be well-connected with the leadership of AAPM’s sister societies that are also actively pursuing a global agenda. The Chair should lastly have strong relationships with AAPM’s corporate partners that have interest in seeing AAPM play an important role in the global arena.
2. Provide non-binding recommendations regarding 2021 budget
The Ad Hoc Committee developed recommendations for the international Council budget for the fiscal year (FY) 2021. These recommendations are based on the operational budgets of the other councils as well as the budget for international endeavors in FY 2020. Due to the COVID 19 virus, many of the scheduled international activities did not occur and thus the allocated funds were not expended. However, some of the activities that were cancelled in 2020 may take place in 2021 and be added to the activities originally scheduled for 2021. The international commitments already made by the AAPM were indicated in the FY 2021 budget proposals submitted by the current AAPM international committees. The following proposed budget is presented along the lines of the International Council standing committees with additional funds for council operations.
|
International Council Committee |
Proposed Funds |
|
Comm on Educational Activities |
$50,000 |
|
Comm on Training and Research Exchange Program |
$10,000 |
|
Comm on Professional Activities |
$12,000 |
|
Comm on Regional Needs Assessment and Collaborations |
$20,000 |
|
Comm on Material Donations |
$10,000 |
|
Comm on Communications |
$5,000 |
|
Comm on Scientific Innovation and Health Technology Assessment |
$16,000 |
|
International Council Operations |
$20,000 |
|
Total |
$138,000 |