Bylaws

ARTICLE - Ⅰ- NAME

• The name of the organization/corporation shall be the Asian Society of Penile Surgery, hereafter, referred to as ASOPS

ARTICLE - Ⅱ - PLACE OF BUSINESS

• The place of business of the Society shall be or such other address as may subsequently be decided upon by the Executive Board, and approved by the Registrar of Asian Society of Penile Surgery.

ARTICLE - Ⅲ - DURATION

• The period of duration of the corporation is perpetual.

ARTICLE - Ⅳ - PURPOSES AND OBJECTIVES

• The purposes and objectives of ASOPS are the following:

• ●To establish a scientific society to benefit the public by encouraging the highest standards of practice, education, and research in the field of male & female sexual function, dysfunction & reproductive health.
• ●To develop and assist in developing scientific methods for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of conditions affecting or associated with male & female sexual function, dysfunction & reproductive health.
• ●To promote the publication and encourage contributions to the medical and scientific literature in the field of male & female sexual function, dysfunction & reproductive health.
• ●To provide a forum for sharing experience and information for professionals from a range of specialties involved in the management of the male & female sexual function, dysfunction & reproductive health.
• ●To raise awareness and understanding of male & female sexual function, dysfunction & reproductive health. and its management options amongst healthcare professionals and the public & the media via press conferences, the printed word, the internet, etc;
• ●In furtherance of the above objects, the Society may:
○encourage and promote research into all aspects of sexual function & dysfunction, including, but not limited to, the cause, prevention , cure and the relief of debility associated with sexual dysfunction.
○network with local, recreational and regional health authorities, specialists, health care providers, voluntary welfare organizations and non-governmental organizations.
• ●To assist healthcare professionals to motivate men & women to seek help with respect to problems relating to their sexual function, dysfunction & reproductive health & to achieve this by faciliting the dissemination of accurate information about preventive and curative methods to patients and the public
• ●To provide and promote education concerning sexual health by the expansion, advancement and dissemination of knowledge concerning all aspects of sexual health.

• To encourage the medical profession to conduct research in this field & provide encouragement, support & financial help where applicable.

ARTICLE - Ⅴ - NOT FOR PROFIT

• The Society shall not engage in any business of any kind which is ordinarily carried on for profit and nothing in these Articles of Incorporation or in the By-Laws shall authorize the Society to do so. No part of any income shall ever inure to the benefit of any private member or individual.

ARTICLE - Ⅵ - MEMBERSHIP ELIGIBILITY AND RIGHTS

• Membership is open to all professionals working in the field of sexual medicine or related areas and who have appropriate qualifications in their discipline. Members shall be divided in the following categories:

• ●Active
• ●Honorary
• ●Temporary (All participants at a world Congress are automatically awarded a one year membership including a subscription to the journal
• ●Affiliate
• ●Corporate

• Section 1: Active Members.
  Active membership is restricted to health care professionals or basic researchers who can fulfill the following:

• ●Appropriate qualifications in their discipline
• ●An endorsement of his/her ethical, moral and professional standards by two (2) Active or Council Members.
• ●Completion of an application form which must be sent to the Secretary who shall secure that all information is in order.
• ●Active Members must be endorsed by the Executive Committee
• ●They shall be elected if they receive a simple majority of valid votes cast by the Members present at the Annual Business Meeting

• Section 2: Honorary Members.
  Honorary Membership may be conferred upon individuals who:

• ●have achieved prominence in the field
• ●have given outstanding service to the ASOPS.
• ●Outstanding Active Members of the Society who no longer practice their profession. They shall retain their previous rights in the Society.
• ●Honorary members shall be exempted from payment of all dues and assessments.
• ●With the exception of Active members achieving Honorary status, Honorary Members cannot hold office or vote.

• Section 3: Affiliate Members.
  Affiliate membership is primarily for health professionals still in training, non-health professionals or scientists who do not qualify for other categories of Membership. They shall be nominated by two (2) Active or Honorary members who shall furnish the Secretary with all pertinent information.

• ●Affiliate Members must be endorsed by the Executive Committee
• ●They shall be elected if they receive a simple majority of valid votes cast by the Members present at the Annual Business Meeting
• ●They shall pay the dues levied upon this category of membership.
• ●They shall not be eligible for office nor shall have right to vote.

• Section 4: Temporary Members

• ●Temporary membership shall be conferred to all participants at the annual Congresses of ASOPS. They will be automatically awarded a one year membership including a subscription to the journal. Temporary members shall have full voting rights

• Section 5: Corporate Membership
  Corporate Membership is primarily for Governmental,, non-governmental, voluntary organizations as well as pharmaceutical or healthcare industries with an interest in the sexual medicine. They shall be nominated by two (2) Active or Honorary members who shall furnish the Secretary with all pertinent information.

• ●Corporate Members must be endorsed by the Executive Committee
• ●They shall pay the dues levied upon this category of membership
• ●The will have a consultative non voting position on the executive board
• ●They shall not be eligible for office nor shall have right to vote.

ARTICLE - Ⅶ - OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

• Section 1: The management of this Society shall be vested in an Executive Committee composed of the elected officers of the Society, the immediate past President of the ASOPS, as ex- officio member, and the editor(s)-in-chief of the Society's Journal, as ex-officio member.



• Section 2: The Executive Committee of the ASOPS shall be the President, the President Elect, Past President, the Secretary-General, the Treasurer. The Council of the Executive Committee will consist of the Executive Committee & two voting members from each country, the first to be nominated (elected) by the respective national society & the second to be elected by the current council for a four (4) year term. All officers of the ASOPS must be active members of the society.



• Section 3: President

• ●The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Society. He/she shall be the Chair of the Executive Committee and shall preside over all meetings of the Executive Committee and the Annual Scientific Meeting.
• ●The President may call special meetings of the Executive Committee
• ●The President shall appoint Active Members to the vacancies on all standing committees and the chairpersons when indicated. The appointments shall include: 1. two (2) members of the By-Laws Committee, 2. two (2) members of the Development Committee (one of whom should be the Chair), 3. Two (2) members of the Program Committee, 4. One (1) member of the Local Arrangements Committee, 5. Two (2) members of the Nominating Committee, 6) a Research & Education Committee.
• ●He/she shall appoint special committees authorized by the Executive Committee.
• ●The President receives reports of all committees and makes recommendations accordingly.
• ●The President is an ex officio member of all committees.
• ●The President serves for a term of two (2) years and cannot be re-elected after his immediate term of office
• ●he term of the Presidency shall run from the end of the Annual Meeting to the end of the next such meeting.

• Section 4: President-elect

• ●The President-Elect shall be elevated to the office of President without again standing for election.
• ●The President-Elect is elected for a term of two (2) years and shall assume the Presidency two (2) years after his/her election.
• ●He/she shall serve for the President and preside in the absence of the President.
• ●He/she shall be present at the Annual Meeting occurring at the time of his/her installation and announce committee appointments of those members to serve during his/her term.

• Section 5: Past President

• ●The Past President shall be a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Nominating Committee

• Section 6: The Secretary-General

• ●The Secretary-General shall receive and give timely attention to correspondence and keep accurate records of the same and maintain the membership roster.
• ●The Secretary-General shall keep accurate records of all business activities including the minutes of the Executive Committee and all other committee meetings.
• ●The Secretary-General shall give notice of acceptance to new members
• ●The Secretary-General shall give a yearly report at the Annual Meeting including the minutes of all Executive Committee meetings
• ●The Secretary-General serves for a term of four (4) years and cannot be re-elected after his immediate term.
• ●The Secretary-General is an ex-officio member of all committees. In the event of incapacity of the Secretary-General, the Executive Committee shall appoint an interim Secretary-General to fill the remaining term or until the next Annual Meeting, whichever is the shorter period.

• Section 7: The Treasurer
  The Treasurer is the custodian of the funds of the Society. He/she shall be a Member of the Executive Committee.

• ●The Treasurer shall keep or cause to be kept true and accurate records of all transactions of the Society.
• ●He/she shall keep bank accounts in the name of the Society.
• ●The Treasurer shall disburse moneys of the Society. Payments shall be made only by checks or TT's (electronic telegraphic bank transactions which require prior authorisation by at least 2 signatories ie. President, Secretary-General or Treasurer) drawn on the accounts of the Society.
• ●He/she shall keep a list of all members indicating the state of their accounts with the Society
• ●He/she shall send due bills. He/she shall collect all dues and assessments levied on members of the Society.
• ●He/she shall have the books of the Society audited by a certified public accountant and shall present the report of this audit to the Executive Committee and to the membership at the Annual meeting.
• ●The Treasurer shall provide accurate and complete financial information to the Chair of the Audit Committee in a timely fashion.
• ●He/she shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Local Arrangements Committee.
• ●The Treasurer's term of office is four (4) years and cannot be re-elected after his immediate term

• Section 8: The Executive Committee

• ●The Executive Committee is responsible for the administration of the society.
• ●The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the President Elect, the immediate past-President the Secretary-General/Treasurer, and two voting members from each country represented in ASOPS as defined in Section 2, Article VII. The immediate Past-president current Editor-in-chief of the Society's Journal shall be ex-officio members of the Executive Committee.
• ●The Executive Committee shall select the time and place of each stated meeting
• ●The Executive Committee shall approve all applications for membership, before final election at the Annual Business Meeting
• ●The Executive Committee shall approve all changes in the bylaws before submission to the membership for final approval.
• ●The Executive Committee shall receive the report of the Nominating Committee and shall approve it prior to submission at the time of voting at the Annual Business Meeting.
• ●The Executive Committee may not transact business unless three persons eligible to attend are present

ARTICLE - Ⅷ - Annual MEETING

• Section 1: Any member wishing to host the meeting, at least four (4) years before the proposed meeting, must contact the President no less three (3) months before the Annual Meeting and submit pertinent documentation indicating that there are resources sufficient to support such a meeting. Depending on the quality and number of submissions the President shall appoint a Site Committee to present a report to the Membership at the Business Meeting. Otherwise the President or his/her delegate shall present a report on site for future meetings. Members of such committee shall made recommendations based on documentation submitted by the site. Site visits can be arranged but the trip must be borne by the members of the Committee or by the site(s) applying for the meeting.



• Section 2: The Annual Meeting of the Society shall be held at such time and place, as the Executive Committee shall designate. Official notice of the Annual Meeting shall be sent to each member at least ninety (90) days before the Meeting.



• Section 3: Scientific Sessions

• ●Scientific sessions shall be designated for the presentations fulfilling the aims of the Society
• ●their material that may be considered of interest to the Members by the Program Committee.

• Section 4: Business Meeting
  The Annuall Meeting shall have a Business Meeting. The Order of Business shall be:

• 1,Approval of Minutes of the Previous Meeting
• 2,Report of Officers
1,President
2,Secretary-General
3,Treasurer (and the Audit Committee)
4,Regional Representatives
• 3,Report of Standing Committees (presented by their respective Chairs who should move their approval):
0,Local Arrangements Committee
1,Scientific Program Committee
2,By-Laws Committee
3,Research and Education Committee
4,Publications Committee
5,Development Committee
6,Special Committees
• 4,Election of New Members
• 5,Old Business
• 6,New Business
0,Report of the Site Committee
• 7,Report of Nominating Committee
• 8,Election of Officers
• 9,Adjournment

ARTICLE - Ⅸ - COMMITTEES

• Section 1: The standing committees of this society shall be 1. Audit Committee, 2. By-laws Committee, 3. Development Committee, 4. Local Arrangements Committee, 5. Nominating Committee, 6. Publications Committee, 7. Research and Education Committee and 8. Scientific Program Committee.



• Section 2: The incoming President shall appoint chairpersons for each of the APSSAM standing committees.



• Section 3: The membership and duties of each of the committees is as follows:

• 1,The Nominating Committee.
  The Nominating Committee shall be composed of the Past President as Chairman, and 2 members-at- large elected by the membership at the Annual Business Meeting. Members of the Nominating Committee must attend the Annual Meeting in order for their vote to be recognized. If they cannot attend, the previous past-President(s) in succession will replace the absent member (s). The Nominating Committee shall meet to compose a slate of Active Members to present at the Business Meeting, as nominees for the following offices and representative positions:
1,One nominee for President-Elect
2,One Nominee for Secretary. (this may be every 4 years, and in case the secretary resigns etc the executive board elects one of its members to replace him)
3,One nominee for Treasurer (every 2 years)
4,Two members of the Audit Committee


• 2,The Audit Committee
0,The Audit Committee shall be elected by the membership from a slate presented by the Nominating Committee.
1,It will consist of two (2) Active Members who shall review the accounts of the Society and report to the Executive Committee and the membership at the Business Meeting. The Treasurer shall be an ex-officio member

• This committee will ensure that no part of the earnings of the Society shall inure to the benefit of any member or officer of the society (except as reasonable compensation for time spend for his work for the society and expenses as directed by the Executive Committee).



• Section 4: The Scientific Program Committee The executive committee will decide on the scope of the next congress and select the main areas to be dealt with in symposia, plenary, or as state of the art lectures.

• 1,The Committee shall consist of the Chair and three (3) members appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Committee and one member nominated by the Local Arrangements Committee of the site where the next meeting will take place. They will serve for two (2) years.
• 2,The Committee shall represent the interests of the ASOPS and membership in all matters pertaining to the scientific sessions of the Society.
• 3,They shall "meet" (in person, electronically, and/or by mail) at the call of the chair.
• 4,They must ensure that the scientific quality of the meeting is maintained by consideration of the format of the meeting, the facilities and by majority approval of all the abstracts and invited speakers.
• 5,Titles and summaries of the papers to be considered for presentation at the scientific sessions must be filed with the Program Committee no less than ninety (90) days before the opening of the Annual Meeting.
• 6,The time allocated for presentation of papers and posters, panel discussions and guest speakers shall be determined by the Program Committee
• 7,The Committee must present a report, through the Chair, at the Business Meeting.

• Section 5: Development Committee

• ●The Development Committee shall solicit financial support from industry and other potential contributors for the Annual Meeting, The Research and Education Fund and other activities of the Society
• ●The Development Committee shall consist of at least 3 members appointed by the President and endorsed by the Executive Committee. The President shall designate the Chairman.
• ●The Development Committee shall also select from application for local conference grants.

• Section 6: Publications Committee

• ●The Publications Committee shall consist of three (3) members of which one shall be the Chair.
• ●The Committee shall present a report of its activities at the Annual Meeting

• Section 7: Local Arrangements Committee.

• ●Under the direction of the President and with the cooperation of the Secretary, the Committee shall make all the necessary arrangements for the Annual Meeting.
• ●The Committee shall consist of no less than five (5) Active Members; at least one of who shall reside in or near the city where the Annual Meeting is to be held. The Chairman and other members shall be appointed by the President for a term of four (4) years. The Secretary/Treasurer shall serve as an ex-officio member.
• ●The Committee shall accurately record all transactions and make a final report to the Executive Committee.
• ●The Committee shall report to the Executive Committee and to the membership at the Annual Meeting.
○Other Committees
○Ad hoc Committees can be created and appointed by the President for specific purposes and limited time. The President shall seek approval of the Executive Committee for creation of an Ad hoc committee.

ARTICLE - Ⅹ - DUES AND ASSESSMENTS

• 1.The fiscal year of the Society shall date from January 1 to December 31.
• 2.The annual dues shall be set by the Executive Committee upon recommendation by the Audit Committee with approval by the membership at the Membership. Meeting at the Annual Meeting.
• 3.The dues shall include a subscription to the official journal of ASOPS.
• 4.The dues are payable in advance at the close of the fiscal preceding the Annual Meeting.
• 5.Active members are required to pay dues. Affiliate members shall pay assessments as requested by the Executive Committee and approved by the membership at the Annual Meeting. Honorary Members are not required to pay dues or assessments but are required to pay a registration fee at the Annual Meeting.
• 6.Any Member in arrears in his/her payment to the Society for twenty-four (24) months shall automatically forfeit all rights of Active Membership until the indebtedness is paid, unless otherwise ordered by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE - XI - RESIGNATIONS AND REINSTATEMENTS

• 1.The resignation of a Member shall be approved by the Executive Committee provided the Secretary/Treasurer attests of the resigning Member's good standing.
• 2.The request for reinstatement of a Member who has resigned, been suspended or expelled must be sent to the Secretary-General/Treasurer at least sixty (60) days before the Annual Meeting. The Secretary-General/Treasurer shall review the Member's file which led to the action taken and obtain all available facts in the interim.
• 3.Reinstatement requests shall be approved or disapproved by the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE - XII - LANGUAGE AND PARALMENTARY ORDERS

• 1.All official and scientific business of the ASOPS shall be conducted in the English language.

ARTICLE - XIII - MANNERS OF DISCIPLINE

• 1.Manners of discipline regarding individual Members of the Society shall be referred to an Ad hoc Judicial Committee appointed by the President, which will report his findings to the Executive Committee for action.
• 2.The Executive Committee has the power to remove an active member and terminate Membership for cause. A record of these deliberations will be kept. The concerned Member may appear before the Executive Committee to reply to any deliberation at that time.
• 3.Disciplined Member may appeal the decision of the Executive Council to the membership at the Business Meeting at the Annual Member. Two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the present active membership is required to sustain the Executive Committee decision. If the 2/3 majority is not observed, the decision by the Executive Committee shall be considered null and void.

ARTICLE - XIV - AMMENDMENTS

• 1.These bylaws may be amended by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Active Members present and voting at the Business Meeting of the Annual Meeting
• 2.Any proposed amendment of these bylaws must be made available to the membership at the first day of the Annual Meeting.
• 3.The bylaws may be suspended by a two-third (2/3) vote of the members that are present at a stated meeting for a specific purpose.
• 4.These By-laws shall be available to any member upon written request to the Secretary-General.