Bylaws

Rules that regulates our actions as a society. 

Revised May 18, 2023

Bylaws International Hip Society

ARTICLE I: NAME, SEAL, PURPOSE

SECTION 1 The name of this organization shall be "The International Hip Society."

SECTION 2 The Society shall have a circular seal which shall include the name of the Society and its year of incorporation.

SECTION 3 The purpose shall be:

A. To further the development and dissemination of knowledge, research and study on the afflictions of the hip.

B. To provide an appropriate educational setting that will maintain the highest level of professional standards that will lead to continuous advances in professional knowledge and treatment of disorders of the hip.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1 There should be five categories of membership in the Society: Active, Senior, Associate, Emeritus and Honorary.

SECTION 2 Membership in the Society should be by invitation and is contingent upon continuing compliance with the laws of the Society.

SECTION 3 The active membership should be limited to 100.

SECTION 4 Membership initiation fee and members yearly dues will be determined by the officers.

SECTION 5 Active Members:

A. Qualifications:

B. Rights and Duties:

SECTION 6 Senior Members

A. Qualifications

B. Rights and Duties:

SECTION 7 Associate Members:

A. Qualifications:

B. Rights and Duties:

SECTION 8 Emeritus Members:

Emeritus Membership may be conferred by the Executive Committee at the request of any member no longer active in the practice of Orthopaedics. Emeritus Members shall have the privilege of attending all meetings of the Society including business meetings. They are not eligible to vote and they may not hold office or propose new members. They do not sustain a penalty for failure to attend meetings. They are not required to pay dues.

SECTION 9 Honorary Members:

Individuals may be elected directly to the Honorary membership (3/4 vote) if they have made notable contributions in the view of the Society to the understanding or treatment of disorders of the hip joint. Honorary members shall not hold office, vote, propose new members or attend business meetings. Honorary members are not required to pay dues or attend meetings.

SECTION 10 Election of Members:

A. Active, Senior and Associate Members:

An individual may be proposed for active, senior or associate membership by any two active or senior members of The Society.

The proposers shall submit the following to the Secretary and the Chairman of the Membership Committee before September 15:

A. A detailed letter of recommendation by the proposers explaining why the proposed new member should be considered for membership.

B. A complete curriculum vitae of the proposed new member.

C. The Executive Committee of The Society shall consider all candidates for membership and shall recommend candidates for membership for e-mail voting. A membership sub-committee from a specific country may be appointed by the Executive Committee to review candidates from that country for membership prior to the voting in order to advise the membership prior to the elections.

D. Active and Senior members shall annually (October/November - deadline December 1) vote by e-mail on the names of the proposed new members put forward by the Officers. A three-quarter affirmative vote shall elect.

E. Once elected, the individual will be invited to the next meeting to present a paper at which time his/her membership will become official.

F. All new members should be sent a certificate of the membership signed by the President and a copy of the By-Laws of The Society.

ARTICLE III: OFFICERS AND THEIR DUTIES

SECTION I Officers:

The officers of The Society shall be the President, President Elect and Secretary/Treasurer, and the past President.

SECTION 2 Election of Officers:

A. No member shall be eligible for office who has not been an active member of The Society for at least five years.

B. The President and President Elect shall hold office three years. Because transfer of these offices shall take place at a meeting of The Society (see Article VI) this period may vary slightly so that transfer takes place at a meeting most nearly equal to a three year period after the election of the officers. There must be at least two meetings in the period.

C. The President and President Elect shall not be eligible for re-election.

D. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be eligible for re-election on a maximum of two occasions.

E. At a business meeting of The Society, the Nominating Committee shall put forward names to The Society for the President Elect and the Secretary/Treasurer.

F. Election of officers shall be by secret ballot of the voting members present at the business meeting and a simple majority shall elect.

G. The new officers assume office immediately following the close of the meeting at which they were elected.

H. In the event of the death, resignation or incapacity of the President Elect or the Secretary/Treasurer, the Officers shall be empowered to appoint an active member of The Society to hold this office until the next business meeting of The Society when new officers shall be elected as above. The President shall automatically be succeeded by the President Elect.

SECTION 3 Duties of Officers:

A. President:

B. President Elect:

C. Secretary/Treasurer:

ARTICLE IV: COMMITTEES

SECTION I Executive Committee:

There shall be an Executive Committee composed of the President, President Elect, the past President and the Secretary/Treasurer. In addition, there will be two at-large members on the executive committee. One at-large member is appointed by each President, for a term of six years so that there shall be a three year overlap of the at-large members.

Meetings of this committee shall be convened by the President. A quorum shall consist of the President and two other members of the committee.

The committee shall have the power to act on the Society's behalf between business meetings.

SECTION 2 Nominating Committee:

A Nominating Committee shall be elected on the first day of a meeting of the Society when officers are to be elected.

This committee shall have three members, elected or appointed as follows:

A Chairman appointed by the President of the Society, two members elected by the active membership of the Society.

The Nominating Committee shall prepare a list of nominees for the post of President Elect and Secretary/Treasurer. The Chairman of the Nominating Committee shall furnish this list to the President on the second day of the meeting of the Society at which officers are to be elected. When this has been done, all members of the Nominating Committee shall resign.

SECTION 3 Membership Committee:

A Membership Committee is appointed by the Executive Committee. The Membership Committee consists of three active members, preferably with an even geographical representation. This Committee shall review new applications and make a recommendation for membership (or not) to the Executive Committee prior to October 15. A new member of the Membership Committee shall be appointed every two years for a term of two years. Each member may be reappointed twice. It is the expectation that for the third of his or her two-year terms the Membership Committee member shall serve as Chair of the Membership Committee.

ARTICLE V: MEETINGS

The time and place of the meetings of the Society shall be decided by the President.

In general, it is the intention of the Society to hold a meeting approximately once every twelve to eighteen months.

At least, alternate meetings should be held in private, attendance being limited to Members and their guests. Other meetings may be held in association with the meetings of other societies, at the invitation of those societies.

Business meetings of the Society shall take place at the same time as the scientific meetings.

The program of the scientific meetings and the agenda of the business meetings shall be prepared by the President with the aid of the Secretary.

ARTICLE VI: RESIGNATIONS

Any member may resign from the Society by giving written notice of such intention to the President.

ARTICLE VII: GUESTS

The President may invite guests to meetings of the Society.

Members of the Society may invite one guest. Before notifying their proposed guest, Members shall submit the names of guests whom they propose to invite to the President. The President shall decide whether or not he wishes a particular guest to be invited to the meeting of the Society. Only when the President has approved the name of the proposed guest, shall the Member invite the guest.

In general, guests will be selected in so far as they may be able to contribute to the scientific meeting of the Society. Their total number shall be decided from meeting to meeting by the President but in general it shall not exceed approximately ten guests at any one meeting.

ARTICLE VIII: DISSOLUTION

The Society may be dissolved only by the unanimous decision of all the active Members.

ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1 All proposed amendments to the By-Laws must be signed by three (3) Active Members and submitted in writing to the Secretary/Treasurer of the Society.

SECTION 2 The By-Laws may be amended by:

A. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the voting Members present at a general business meeting when written notice of the proposed changes has been given to voting Members three (3) months prior to the Annual Meeting, or

B. Unanimous vote of those present at a General Business Meeting.

C. A two-thirds affirmative vote of the voting Members via an electronic vote, with a two (2) week voting time period.