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About AAOS / Meet the AAOS / AAOS Policies / Organizational Policies / Committee Appointment Regulations & Procedures

Committee Appointment Regulations & Procedures

Revised September 2022

The overall purpose/mission of the Committee Appointment Program Committee (CAPC) is to:

  • Oversee the AAOS Committee Appointment Program (CAP);
  • Solicit involvement of Fellows in the AAOS volunteer structure;
  • Recommend to the Board of Directors the charges of and appointments to the various AAOS committees, councils and
  • Oversee the evaluation of committee and council volunteers.

Definitions

1. Council: An organizational subdivision that encompasses a major functional area of the AAOS. It is created by the Board of Directors and its existence is not time-limited. A council’s function is to plan, organize, direct, and evaluate an entire category of AAOS programs, products, and services. Examples of councils include the Advocacy Council, Education Council, Membership Council, and Research and Quality Council. 

2. Committee: An organizational entity subordinate to a council. (In some cases a committee may report directly to the Board of Directors.) Its members are elected or appointed to investigate, report on, or act upon a particular issue; therefore, its scope is narrower than that of a Council. Its existence is not time-limited. Examples include the Annual Meeting Committee and the Patient Safety Committee.

3. Advisory Board: A group of volunteers that advises the entire AAOS on a narrow topic. An example is the Diversity Advisory Board.

4. Project Team/Task Force: A group of volunteers working together temporarily until some goal is achieved. Its scope and function are narrower than those of a committee, and its existence is time-limited. A project team/task force may be created by the Board of Directors, Council Chairs, or Committee Chairs.

For purposes of these regulations and procedures, the term “committee” includes Advisory Boards and Project Team/Task Force.

Posting and Appointment Procedure

  • Positions on Councils, Advisory Boards, and Committees, as well as volunteer liaison positions, will be posted on the Committee Appointment Program System for a period of time and advertised in AAOS Headline News Now and other vehicles available to the AAOS.
  • Council Chair Appointments: The Presidential Line will recommend Council Chair appointments to the Committee Appointment Program Committee.
  • Committee Chair Appointments: The appropriate Council Chair will recommend committee chair appointments to the Committee Appointment Program Committee.
  • Committee Appointments: After consultation with the Council Chair, the appropriate committee chair will rank the applicants in order of preference and submit his/her ranking to the Committee Appointment Program Committee. 
  • Only Active Fellows are eligible for appointment as chair, vice chair, or chair-designee to Councils, Committees, Advisory Boards, Project Teams, Oversight Groups, Section Leaders. In situations where a non-Active Fellow is the more qualified candidate, the CAP Committee has the discretion to appoint a non-Active Fellow.
  • Only Active Fellows are eligible for appointment as AMA Delegates, editors-in-chief and deputy editors of AAOS publications, members of the Orthopaedic Video Theatre Committee, and members of Content Committees.
  • Only Allied Members are eligible for appointment as Allied Health Member representatives.
  • Appointments approved by the Committee Appointment Program Committee to Councils, Committees, and Advisory Boards, must be ratified by the Board of Directors.

Committee Appointments

  • Except for new committees starting mid-year and replacements for unexpired terms, terms begin and end at the close of the Annual Meeting.
  • Committee appointments are limited to appointment to one committee unless mandated by the position or exempt from the “one-committee rule.” For example, a committee chair’s appointment to the council may be mandated by the structure of the council. This does not count as far as maximum number of committee appointments.
  • Fellows serving as editor-in-chief or deputy editor of AAOS publications are mandated by the “one committee rule,” and will not be eligible to serve or be considered for any additional committee appointments while serving in this role.
  • Committee members will be reminded in the appointment letter that they may not be eligible for other committee appointments during the current term of committee service unless the committee is included in the following “exempt list”.
  • The following units/positions are exempt from the “one-committee rule:”
    • Judiciary Committee
    • Committee on Professionalism
    • Bylaws Committee
    • Resolutions Committee
    • Central Instructional Courses Committee
    • Central Program Committee
    • Nominating Committee
    • Political Action Committee (PAC) of the Association
    • Elected officers of the Board of Councilors (BOC)
    • Elected officers of the Board of Specialty Societies (BOS)
    • Coding, Coverage, and Reimbursement Committee
    • Governance Committees
    • Project teams
    • Liaison positions
    • Registry Program Committees
    • Members serving on the evaluation committees are allowed to serve on another non-evaluation committee.
    • Members serving on the program committees are allowed to serve on another non-program committee.

Additional exceptions are rare and must be approved by the Committee Appointment Program Committee.

  • The following guiding principles may be considered when populating volunteer and leadership positions:
    • Ethnic diversity
    • Geographical diversity
    • Gender diversity
    • Experience
    • Qualified candidates with experience and proven leadership
    • Orthopaedic specialty
    • Practice profile
    • Understanding of governance unit
    • Past member evaluations

Terms for Chairs and Members

Council Chairs: Two-year term; renewable for one additional two-year term.

Committee Chairs: Two-year term; renewable for one additional two-year term unless noted in the exception list below.

Notes:

  • A committee member serving in his or her first term who becomes chair will begin a new term and be eligible for one additional reappointment. This will result in a maximum term on the committee of either six or nine years, depending on the tenure of the committee.
  • A committee member serving in his or her second term (i.e., has already served one term on the committee) who becomes chair will begin a new term and will be eligible for reappointment to a second term as chair. This will result in a maximum term on the committee of eight years. For those committees that have three-year terms, there will be a maximum tenure of nine years. This will allow the member to serve either two, three-year terms as a member and one, three-year term as chair; or serve one, three-year term as a member and serve two, three-year terms as chair. For chair positions on the Education Assessments and Examinations Committee and its Committees reporting under this structure, these individuals are eligible for a three-year appointment with an additional three-year reappointment for a maximum tenure on the committee as a member/chair of twelve years.
  • A committee chair serving on an Evaluation Committee will be allowed to continue in the role of chair after completing tenure if a new chair is not immediately identified and so long as an active search continues for a new chair. Succession planning will be strongly encouraged.
  • Chairs of the Committee on Professionalism and Judiciary Committee will be appointed for an initial two-year term and eligible for additional two-year reappointments for a maximum term of ten years.
  • Officers of the Political Action Committee of the AAOS will be appointed for a four-year term and eligible for an additional four-year reappointment for a maximum term of eight years.
  • AAOS Now and OrthoInfo Editors-in-chief will be appointed for a two-year term (as documented in a written agreement) and eligible for additional two-year reappointment.
  • JAAOS Editor-in-chief will be appointed for a three-year term and eligible for an additional three-year reappointment.
  • Only Active Fellows are eligible for appointment as chair, vice chair, or chair-designee to Councils, Committees, Advisory Boards, Project Teams, Oversight Groups, Section Leaders. In situations where a non-Active Fellow is the more qualified candidate, the CAP Committee has the discretion to appoint a non-Active Fellow.
  • Only Active Fellows are eligible for appointment as AMA Delegates, editors-in-chief and deputy editors of AAOS publications, members of the Orthopaedic Video Theatre Committee, and members of Content Committees.
  • Only Allied Members are eligible for appointment as Allied Health Member representatives.

Committee Members: Two-year term; renewable for one additional two-year term.

Notes:

  • Committee members serving on a committee have the opportunity to be considered for a chair position only within the committee they are currently serving when the members are in mid-term of their current position with the exception of the Evaluation Committees as indicated below. This will allow for experienced members to advance within the committee with the least amount of disruption.
  • If a committee member is recommended for reappointment to his/her original committee and also recommended for appointment to a new committee, the member will be contacted to determine committee preference as committee service is limited to one committee unless the committee is included in the exception list.
  • Committee members may not resign from one committee in mid-term to accept an appointment to another committee with the exception of members serving on the committees reporting to the Education Assessments and Examinations Committee. Members serving on Evaluation Committees are allowed to move between other Evaluation Committees at any time during the committee service.
  • Committee members serving on an Evaluation Committee may move from a committee member position at any time to be appointed as chair of another Evaluation Committee. The committee member will be required to apply for the chair position through the CAP System and be considered by the Committee Appointment Program Committee per protocol.
  • Committee members will be reminded in the appointment/reappointment letter of their commitment to fulfill their current term of service following the initial appointment or reappointment in order to maintain continuity on the committee.
  • Once the maximum term of appointment is completed, the members may not be re-appointed to the committee for at least four years.
  • Some committee positions are appointed by related organizations, and thus, these are termed “slotted seats” (e.g., the specialty societies’ seats on the Coding, Coverage and Reimbursement Committee), and the appointing organization will be allowed to determine the tenure of the member.
  • Members of the Committee on Professionalism and Judiciary Committee will be appointed for an initial two-year term and eligible for additional two-year reappointments for a maximum term of ten years.
  • AMA Delegates will be appointed for a three-year term and eligible for two additional three-year reappointments for a maximum term of nine years. If the individual serving is applying for an AMA leadership position, the maximum term of service will be 12 years.

Exceptions to the two-year terms for Committee Chairs and Committee Members:

The following positions have three-year terms, renewable for a second three-year term:

  • Board of Councilors
  • Board of Specialty Societies
  • Education Assessments and Examinations Committee and its Committees reporting under its structure
  • Program Committees reporting to the Central Program Committee

The following positions have two-year terms and members are eligible for a limited number of terms up to a maximum tenure on the committee of ten years:

  • Committee on Professionalism
  • Judiciary Committee

The following committees have five-year terms with no eligibility for reappointment:

  • Central Program Committee
  • Central Instructional Courses Committee

The following committee has a one-year term. In order to serve again, an individual must be an Active Fellow and must not have served on the previous three Nominating Committees (among other conditions identified in the Association bylaws):

  • Nominating Committee

Liaison Appointments

The AAOS has a number of liaison positions with outside organizations. Some of these positions are appointed directly by the AAOS; others are nominated by the AAOS and may or may not be selected by the requesting organization. Service as a liaison will not prevent a member from serving on other committees. The appointment process for liaison positions is similar to the appointment process for committee positions. Positions will be posted on the CAP. If time permits, applications will be reviewed by the Medical Directors and recommendations will be made to the Committee Appointment Program Committee by the Council Chairs.

When a requesting organization does not notify the AAOS in time to allow the routine Committee Appointment Program process to be used, these positions will still be posted on the CAP System; however, the Abbreviated Committee Appointment Program (ACAP) process will be used to recommend nominations to the organizations. For the ACAP process, applicants will be solicited through the CAP System. Applicants will be required to also submit a CV and letter of interest. All materials will be compiled by the Governance Coordinator. The Governance Coordinator will prepare an unbiased executive summary of all the applicants for consideration by the Medical Director.

The Council Chairs will then review the information and rank the individuals for nomination. The President and Committee APpointment Program Committee Chair will make the recommendation. Nominations from the ACAP Process will be presented to the CAP Committee as a consent agenda item to formally document the nominations.

Initial Committee Member Terms on Newly Created Committees

For new committees, the initial terms of the members will be staggered to allow for proper rotation. The following procedure for staggering terms should be used, unless terms are otherwise determined by the Committee Appointment Program Committee:

  • Chair: The first chair of the committee should be appointed for a two- or three-year term, depending on the term length of the committee; renewable for one additional two- or three-year term.
  • Committee Members: For the first term of the committee, the number of committee members should be divided equally by two or three. Names from each of the two or three groups should be selected randomly for an initial one-year, two-year, or three-year term (each renewable for one additional two- or three-year term). The selection of terms will be by a staff member not involved with the committee. Names and a number equal to the initial term of service will be pulled from the “hat.” Standing committee term rules apply after the first full two- or three-year term of the committee.

Procedures

Procedures for Replacing a Council Chair Who Resigns

Occasionally a council chair chooses to resign prior to the end of his or her term. If the tenure remaining is short, then he or she should be asked to complete the term. If this is not possible, the Presidential Line will make recommendations to the Committee Appointment Program Committee for a replacement. The new council chair will finish the un-expired term and then be eligible for two additional two year terms.

Procedures for Replacing a Committee Chair Who Resigns

Occasionally a committee chair chooses to resign prior to the end of his or her term. If the tenure remaining is short, then he or she should be asked to complete the term. If this is not possible, then the Committee Appointment Program Committee will appoint an experienced member of the committee to serve as the interim chair. If no experienced member is available, the Committee Appointment Program Committee will appoint that committee’s previous chair or someone with similar experience to complete the unexpired term of the committee chair. At the end of the original chair’s term, the chair position will be posted on Committee Appointment Program and the appropriate appointment process will commence. 

Committee Service as a Priviledge

Service on any AAOS committee, council, work group or task force is a privilege, not a right.  AAOS has sole discretion to revoke or otherwise limit the privilege of participating in these AAOS governance units, activities or programs.

Procedures for Removing Committee Members for Disruptive Behaviors, Other Concerns

Any committee member behaving in a disruptive manner and/or in violation of AAOS policies or values will be notified by the committee chair that the Committee Appointment Program Committee will review his or her continuing participation on the committee.  The CAP chair will provide the individual with a written summary of the disruptive behavior at issue, identify the AAOS policies or core values implicated, and notify the individual of the CAP chair’s recommendation to remove the member from the committee. The committee member will be provided three (3) business days to provide a written statement for review by the Committee Appointment Program Committee, and/or provide notice of his/her resignation from the committee.  If the committee member fails to respond within the timeframe permitted, the Committee Appointment Program Committee shall base its decision solely on the chair’s recommendation.  The committee chair will notify the member of the final decision of the Committee Appointment Program Committee which will be effective immediately.   

Procedures for Removing Absent or Inactive Committee Members

If a committee member does not attend or does not actively participate in committee meetings, the chair should speak privately with the individual to determine if there are scheduling conflicts or other matters that are preventing attendance or participation. If there are, dialogue should take place between the chair and committee member to determine if these issues can be resolved. If not, the chair should recommend that the committee member resign from the committee. If this is acceptable to all parties, the chair will then submit the resignation letter to the Committee Appointment Program Committee along with a request that the committee member be replaced. If approved, the open position will be posted on the Committee Appointment Program.

If the committee member declines to resign, the committee chair should notify the council chair. The committee member will be given an opportunity to communicate, in writing or in person, with the council chair as to whether he or she wishes to maintain the position. Depending on the outcome of this communication, the council chair and committee chair will jointly file an in-depth memo with the Committee Appointment Program Committee recommending that the member either be retained or be dismissed. If the Committee Appointment Program Committee approves the recommendation, a letter will be sent to the committee member either notifying that he/she is either being retained or asked to immediately step down. If the committee member steps down, the open position will be posted on the Committee Appointment Program.

When a Chair Chooses Not to Reappoint a Member

If an inactive committee member is nearing the end of his or her term, the chair may choose not to reappoint the individual. Although it is commonly known that committee members are eligible for reappointment after one term, the chair should notify the non-participating member that he or she will not be reappointed and provide the reason why. The chair must then complete a performance evaluation that will accurately reflect the individual's performance and the evaluation will be stored in the Committee Appointment Program system for future reference. The vacant committee position should be appropriately posted on the Committee Appointment Program.

Committee Consultants

  • Committees and Advisory Boards in need of a consultant(s) should provide the Committee Appointment Program Committee with a proposal explaining what the consultant(s) will do for the committee.
  • Consultants may serve up to six consecutive one-year terms and may be eligible for reappointment on an annual basis.
  • Any committee making use of a consultant must provide substantive justification on an annual basis for the reappointment of the consultant, as well as information on the costs involved.

Duties and Responsibilities

Committee Chairs

  • Scheduling and presiding over committee meetings;
  • Ensure that committee’s activities are aligned to the priorities of the AAOS Strategic Plan;
  • Assigning, monitoring, and following up on members’ assignments;
  • Maintaining knowledge of various Academy processes as they relate to committee work;
  • Ensuring that the staff liaison delivers the agenda materials with sufficient “lead time” so that the members have an opportunity to thoroughly review them and be appropriately prepared for the meeting (the AAOS standard is to deliver agenda materials two weekends before the meeting);
  • Communicating regularly with the staff liaison regarding committee matters; and
  • Ensuring that the committee meets its deadlines.

Committee Members

  • Participating in meetings and conference calls;
  • Carrying out specific assignments related to the committee’s work;
  • Contributing to the work of the committee; and
  • Meeting committee deadlines.

Staff Liaisons

Staff liaisons are recommended by department directors and approved by the Chief Executive Officer.

Responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:

  • Serving as resource person to the unit, and to other staff members dealing with the unit;
  • Holding regular conferences with the chair between the times that the council/committee is in session;
  • Coordinating and overseeing arrangements for all meetings;
  • Preparing and distributing meeting agenda materials to members prior to the meeting so that members will have sufficient time to thoroughly review the agenda;
  • Preparing minutes of the meeting in accordance with standard Academy formats and securing the approval of chair;
  • Distributing minutes in a timely and orderly fashion; and
  • Assisting in preparation of reports for the Board of Directors.

Ex-Officio Committee Members

As stated in the Academy Bylaws Paragraph 5.9.b: “Only committee or task force members duly appointed or elected who are Fellows or Members shall be entitled to vote within the committee or task force. Whenever a member of a committee or task force specified to be ex-officio, it is specifically understood that an ex-officio member does not have the right to vote unless otherwise specified by the Board of Directors.”