By-laws

ARTICLE I: NAME AND LOGO, PURPOSE, SCOPE AND METHODS

SECTION 1: The name of the Society is “International Society for Auricular Reconstruction” (ISAR).  The logo of the Society shall be as above. The Society is a non-profit scientific organization.

SECTION 2: The purposes shall be:

1. To provide leadership and foster advances in ear reconstruction and atresia surgery.
2. To afford a forum for the exchange of knowledge pertaining to the practice of auricular reconstruction and atresia
3. To stimulate research, investigation, and teaching in the methods of preventing and correcting congenital and acquired auricular deformities and their associated hearing issues.
4. To enhance the study and practice of auricular reconstruction and atresia surgery.
5. To afford recognition to those who have contributed to auricular reconstruction and atresia surgery by extending to them membership in the Society.

SECTION 3: Auricular reconstruction and atresia surgery is that specialty in medicine which includes the investigation, preservation and restoration of ear form, function and wellbeing by medical, surgical and psychologic means.

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1: There shall be seven classes of membership in the Society:  Active, Associate, Training, Allied Professional, Honorary, Research and Life.

SECTION 2:For those categories of membership requiring an annual fee- this shall be subdivided according to primary place of residence and work in to: Category A- High and high-middle income countries and Category B- Low middle and low income countries as classified by the World Bank Group (https://datatopics.worldbank.org/world-development-indicators/the-world-by-income-and-region.html). If individuals change place of residence they may apply to the committee for a change of subcategory. If a countries economic status changes the subcategory will change accordingly.

SECTION 3: Membership in the Society is by invitation, is a privilege not a right, and is contingent upon continuing compliance with the By-Laws and Code of Ethics of the Society.  No person shall be elected or remain a member of the Society unless he or she is of good moral character and adheres to accepted principles of medical ethics.

SECTION 4: The candidates to be nominated for membership shall be approved by the Officers and Council members.

SECTION 5: Active Members

A.  QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Shall be legally qualified, reputable practicing clinicians who are active in restoration of form and function of the human auricle and who have made worthwhile contributions in this field of endeavor.
2. Shall have had at least six months’ training in ear reconstruction or atresia surgery at a program or institution recognized by the Society.
3. Shall be in active practice of surgical reconstruction or atresia surgery as part of a multidisciplinary team for a minimum of three years.
4. Shall have submitted a list of ear reconstruction operations performed in the previous two years which have been approved by the Society.
5. Shall have submitted a list of members of their multidisciplinary clinical team.
6. Shall have submitted a letter of sponsorship by an Active member of the Society.
7. Shall have submitted their CV.
8. Shall be an active member of a major society serving their specialty in their country.
9. Membership is not restricted to citizens of any specific country.
10. Under exceptional circumstances, these requirements may be waived by the Officers and Council.

B.  RIGHTS and DUTIES

1. May vote, hold office, and serve on committees of the Society.
2. After retirement from active practice, they shall not be required to pay dues or attend meetings; however, they shall pay a registration fee for meetings that they attend. They may become Life members (see Article II, section 12A).
3. If an Active member is still in active practice but no longer working in ear reconstruction or atresia surgery, they may continue their membership as an Associate member.
4. Payment of annual dues controls membership.

SECTION 6: Associate Members

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Shall be individuals who have contributed to the understanding and/or treatment of disorders of the auricular region. They need not necessarily be actively engaged in the practice of ear reconstruction; however, in many instances membership in this category will be considered a necessary step before becoming an Active member.
2. A surgical candidate shall be legally qualified, practicing surgeon who:
   1. Shall have had at least six months’ training in reconstructive or ENT surgery at a program or institution recognized by the Society;
   2. Shall have submitted a list of operations related to the field performed in the previous two years (see Appendix A);
   3. Shall have submitted a list of members of their multidisciplinary clinical team;
   4. Shall have submitted their CV including publications; and
   5. Shall be an active member of a major society serving their specialty in their country.
   6. Shall have submitted a letter of sponsorship by an Active member of the Society.
3. Membership is not restricted to citizens of any specific country.
4. Under exceptional circumstances, some of the above requirements may be waived by the Officers and Council.

B.  RIGHTS and DUTIES

1. May attend all scientific meetings and social functions of the Society.
2. May not serve on committees of the Society.
3. Cannot vote, hold office, or attend meetings of the Officers and Council.
4. Payment of annual dues controls membership.
5. After retirement from practice, they shall not be required to pay dues or attend meetings; however, they shall pay a registration fee for meetings that they attend. They may become Life members (see Article II, section 12A).

SECTION 7: Allied Professional Members

1. This category shall be reserved for those individuals who are members of a craniofacial team, but are not involved in surgery. This might include audiologists, prosthetists, psychologists, paediatricians, nurses, anaesthiologists and therapists
2. Rights and Duties are identical to those described for Associate Members.
3. Shall have submitted a letter of sponsorship by an Active member of the Society.
4. Allied professional membership may be considered a preliminary step before applying for research membership.
5. Shall pay a reduced annual fee as determined by the Officers and Council.

SECTION 8: Honorary Members

1. Honorary members shall be individuals the Society deems worthy of special honor because of notable contributions in the field or because of long activity in the interests of the Society. They are not required to attend meetings or pay dues, and they cannot vote or hold office in the Society.
2. They shall be sponsored by two Active members after favourable approval of candidacy by both the Officers and Council

SECTION 9: Research Members

Members in this category shall be individuals who have contributed to ear reconstruction and otology research in the field of  biology, tissue engineering, implantology,  morphology, genetics, therapeutics, anthropology,  psychologic research or related disciplines.

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Shall be legally qualified according to the following standards indicative of a serious interest in ear reconstruction.
2. Shall hold a PhD, MD, DVM, DDS, or DO degree or other advanced academic degree(s) in a field related to ear reconstruction and atresia research.
3. Shall have published at least two research papers in the field.
4. Shall have submitted a letter of sponsorship by an Active member of the Society.
5. Membership is not restricted to citizens of any specific country.
6. Under exceptional circumstances, the Officers and Council may waive the above requirements.

B.  RIGHTS and DUTIES

1. May attend all scientific meetings and social functions of the Society.
2. May vote, hold office, and serve on committees of the Society.
3. Shall pay annual dues set by the Executive Committee.

SECTION 10: Life Members

1. Members who are retired from active practice may transfer to this category by written request sent to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Society.
2. Life members may have previously been of any membership category.
3. New applicants for membership may not join the Society as Life Members. A minimum of five years of previous membership is required for transfer to Life membership.
4. If members in this category were previously Active members, they may attend business meetings, but may not vote or hold office.
5. No member in this category is required to pay dues; however, they will be required to pay registration fees for meetings they attend.

SECTION 11: Training Members

QUALIFICATIONS:

1. Shall be currently enrolled in a recognized training program in plastic surgery, craniofacial surgery, maxillofacial surgery, otolaryngology.
2. Shall have:
   1. submitted their CV including a list of publications.
   2. submitted a signed letter from their educational program director stating:
      1. institution in which the trainee is enrolled
      2. field of study;
      3. that the trainee is in good standing; and
      4.  expected date of completion of the training program.

2. At the conclusion of all training, Resident/Fellow members must reapply for Associate membership to continue membership in the Society.
3. Membership is not restricted to citizens of any specific country.
4. Under exceptional circumstances, some requirements may be waived by the Officers and Council.

B.  RIGHTS and DUTIES

1. May register for and attend all scientific meetings and social functions of the Society at the Resident/Fellow rate.
2. Must pay the Resident/Fellow registration fee for meetings they attend.
3. May not vote, hold office, or attend meetings of the Officers and Council unless invited.
4. Shall pay a reduced annual fee as determined by the Officers and Council.
5. May apply for travelling fellowship awards.

SECTION 12: Application for Membership

Completed applications for membership must be received digitally.

They will be reviewed by the Members of the ExCo and the elected ExCO for approval.

There is an ExCo meeting every month on average.

SECTION 13: Notification of Members

All new Members will receive a certificate of Membership signed by the President and Secretary General and a copy of the by-laws of the Society.

ARTICLE III: OFFICERS AND COUNCIL

SECTION 1: OFFICERS

The Officers of the Society shall be the President, the President Elect, the Secretary General, the Secretary General Elect, the Treasurer and the Treasurer Elect. The host of the forthcoming meeting is co-opted member of the Executive Council.

1.  Only a Full Member shall be eligible for Office.
2.  A term of Office shall begin at the close of the next ISAR Meeting.  The Nominating Committee will be the responsible entity to submit the new slate of officers to the Secretary General and the Executive Council.
3.  The Secretary General and the Treasurer are proposed by the Nominating Committee and approved by the Executive Council and voted upon by the General Assembly.  They are elected for a period of three years and cannot serve more than two consecutive terms in the same Office.
4.   The list of nominated candidates has to be approved by the Executive Council and voted upon by the General Assembly.
5.  Election of Officers shall be by ballot of the voting Members in attendance at the General Assembly and a majority shall elect.
6.  The President and the President Elect are elected for a period of the interval between two scientific meetings, and are not eligible for re-election in that function.
7. At the ISAR meeting before the end of the term of office of either the Secretary General or Treasurer a replacement shall be elected. The Nominating Committee that will propose such candidates will initiate this process.  The slate is presented to the Executive Council for approval.  Final vote of the approved slate will take place during the General Assembly. The Secretary General Elect and the Treasurer Elect will be fully involved in the work of the Secretary General and the Treasurer in their last year, but decisions and responsibilities are completely staying with the Secretary General and the Treasurer until the end of their term.

Six month prior to the Society Meeting, the Secretary General shall inform all the voting Members of the Society about all the vacancies. Members wishing to serve the Society on one of these positions are requested to put forward their names to the Secretary General Six months before the Society Meeting. The Secretary General forwards the list of candidates to the Chair and members of the Nominating Committee.  After the Nominating Committee considers all candidates they submit a slate to the Executive Council for approval and afterwards to the General Assembly for a vote. Election of Officers shall be by ballot of the voting Members in attendance at the General Assembly and a majority shall elect.

8. No Officers of the Society should serve more than two consecutive terms.
9. In case of any vacancy in the Executive Council by death, resignation, disqualification or any other cause, the remaining members of the Executive Council by affirmative vote of the majority thereof, may appoint a member to fill such vacancy until a qualified successor is duly elected.

10. Functions attributed to the officers:

A) The President:
Shall preside at the ISAR International Congress;
Shall make motions but will not ordinarily vote. In the event of a tie vote on any question, the President shall cast the deciding vote;
Shall have direct supervision of the affairs of the Society;
May appoint additional Committees for the transaction of certain business if so proposed by the Executive Council;
Shall be the Society’s liaison to other international organizations.

B) The President Elect shall be vested with all powers and shall perform all the duties of the President in the event of the latter’s inability to act, resignation, or otherwise and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the Executive Council.
The President Elect shall automatically assume the duties of the President when the President completes his/her term of office. The President Elect shall be in close contact with the President and Executive Council to guarantee efficient continuity.

C) The President and the President Elect are elected for one term, and are not eligible for re-election in that function. The President together with the President Elect will be responsible for external relations of the Society.

D) The Secretary General shall be responsible for the running of the Society and:
Shall be the principal executive officer of the Society;
Shall preside at the General assembly and at all meetings of the Executive Council;
Shall ensure that general charge and custody of the books, papers, records and archives of the Society are kept;
Shall keep and distribute the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Council and the General Assembly;
Shall generate all correspondence appropriately;
Shall maintain the updating of the web site;
Shall send all notices of meetings of the members and of the Executive Council;
Shall communicate all notices of the Scientific and/or Special Meeting to each member along with the program;
Shall notify all members of their status as Full, Senior or Honorary Members and see that an annual membership list is maintained;
Shall announce the names of all who ceased to be members since the last meeting at the next ISAR International Congress;
Shall circulate the names of candidates for election as potential members to voting members two months prior to the Election.

E) Secretary General Elect:
Shall be elected for the term of the Secretary General;
Shall be in close contact with the Secretary General and the Executive Council to guarantee efficient continuity;
Shall be vested with all powers and shall perform all the duties of the Secretary General in the event of the latter’s inability to act, resignation, or otherwise and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the Executive Council;
Shall automatically assume the duties of the Secretary General when the Secretary General completes his/her term of office.

F) The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial affairs of the Society, including:
The funds, receipts, and disbursements of the Society;
Collection of all dues, fees, and other demands owing to the Society;
Maintenance of the books of account, showing receipts and disbursements;
Check writing and orders for the payment of money, pay out and dispose of the same as the Executive Council and the Secretary General shall direct;
Provide a full report of the financial affairs of the Society at each meeting;
Treasurers financial report will be audited professionally.

G) Treasurer Elect:
Shall be elected for the term of the Treasurer.  The election will be initiated by the Nominating Committee and the slate will be submitted to the Executive Council for approval and then voted upon by the General Assembly;
Shall be in close contact with the Treasurer and the Executive Council to guarantee efficient continuity;
Shall be vested with all powers and perform all the duties of the Treasurer in the event of the latter’s inability to act, resignation, or otherwise and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be prescribed by the Executive Council;
Shall automatically assume the duties of the Treasurer when the Treasurer completes his/her term of office.

SECTION 3:  Executive Council

A)  The Executive Council shall consist of the President, the President Elect, the Secretary General, the Secretary General Elect, the Treasurer, the Treasurer Elect and Local host of the next meeting.

B)  The Executive Council shall serve as the administrative authority of the Society and shall consider all its activities and determine its policies.

C)  The Executive Council shall be empowered to accept, reject or defer an application for Membership in the Society.

D)  In case a ballot vote in the Executive Council shows an equal number, the President’s vote decides.

ARTICLE IV: COMMITTEES

Standing committees are:

Scientific Program Committee: The Scientific Program Committee consists of three members. The Local host as the Chair, President and the Secretary General Elect.
The scientific abstracts are submitted to the Local host, who forwards these to the reviewers. The Local host, Secretary General elect and the President arrange the schedule of the scientific program.

Membership and Nominating Committee: The Membership Committee consists of three members. The President as the Chair, the Secretary General and the President Elect. The members of the Membership Committee investigate the contents of each application and evaluate the contents according to the Guidelines Application Form.

ARTICLE V: MEETINGS

1. The ISAR International Congress shall be held every three years at the time and place designated by the General Assembly. The ISAR International Congress shall consist of a Meeting of the Executive Council and a Meeting of the Members with scientific, business and social programs.

2. Special Meetings: Special Meetings may be called by the President and the Officers and notices must be sent by email to all members at least 30 days prior to the date of the Meeting. Business to be transacted at a special Meeting will be stated in the notice.

3. Quorum: At least 25% of Members eligible to vote constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at a General Assembly Meeting, or a Special Meeting.

4. Full members wishing to be considered to host the next ISAR International Congress should submit their proposal in writing to the General Secretary 1 month prior to the forthcoming meeting. Candidate local hosts will make a presentation prior to voting in the General Assembly Meeting. The next ISAR International Congress will preferably be in another continent.

5. Full Members are encouraged to seek endorsement from the society for Educational Meetings held out with the ISAR International Congress by application to the General Secretary and agreed by the Executive Council.

ARTICLE VI: DUES AND FEES

1. Annual dues for Members are determined by the Executive Council upon proposal by the Officers and collected by the Treasurer. The business year is the calendar year.

2. The Treasurer shall notify all Members in areas of dues. Members delinquent of more than two years may be dropped from Membership by action of the Officers and Council. A letter advising them that they will be dropped if they do not pay must be sent to them by registered/certified mail at least three months prior to effectiveness of this decision.

3. Guest fees and registration fees for the ISAR International Congress shall be determined by the Treasurer in consultation with the Local Host.

4. Changes of dues must be proposed by the Executive Council and must be approved by two-thirds of the General Assembly before it can be levied on the Members of the Society.

ARTICLE VII: ETHICS AND DISCIPLINE

1. All members agree to follow the ISAR code of ethics. All disciplinary action against any Member (i.e. Full, Senior and Honorary), or candidate for Membership shall be by the Executive Council, which may censure, reprimand, suspend, expel or otherwise discipline a Member.

2. A Member may be disciplined for any of the following reasons:
a) A failure to comply with the reprimands contained in the by-laws of the Society.
b) Unauthorized use of the Society’s name, logo, or other symbols on stationary, publications, symposia advertisements, printed material or in any other manner.
c) Immoral, dishonorable, or unprofessional conduct considered prejudicial to the best interest or inconsistent with the purpose of the Society.

3. Complaints and procedure:
Any complaint against a Member, or Members, or all requests for disciplinary action against a Member, or Members, shall be made in writing, and addressed to the President of the Society who shall submit such complaints to the Executive Council.
a) If fewer than five of the Executive Council vote in favor of investigation of the charges for disciplinary action, the complaining Member should be notified that no action will be taken and the matter will be closed.
b) If at least five or more of the Executive Council vote in favor of the investigation of the charges for disciplinary action, a date shall be sent to consider those charges and the Secretary should notify the Member in question by registered/certified mail of the charges against him/her and shall specify the date, place and time of the Meeting when the charges will be considered.
c) Any such hearings may be conducted in a formal or informal manner as the Executive Council in their sole discretion decide and they may limit the amount of time allotted to any person appearing before it.
d) If at least three-quarters of the Executive Council present at the hearing vote in favor of disciplinary action, the Secretary General shall notify the Member, within five days of the disciplinary action to be taken by registered/certified mail.
The Membership status of any person involved in a disciplinary hearing shall not be altered during the pendency of the proceedings.

ARTICLE VIII: RESIGNATIONS

Any Members may withdraw from the Society after fulfilling all obligations and giving written notice of such intention to the Secretary General. This notice shall be presented to the Officers at the first Meeting following its receipt.

ARTICLE IX: ASSETS

None of the Society’s assets may be distributed or otherwise applied (on being wound up or at any other time) except to further its charitable purposes’

ARTICLE X: DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution or final liquidation of the Society, all of its assets remaining, after payment of its obligations have been made or provided for, shall be distributed to some other charity or charities (whether incorporated or unincorporated) whose objects are similar (wholly or in part) to the objects of the Society.  If no such charity is identified, then to some other charity with objects of the advancement of science and/or the advancement of education.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1: All proposed amendments to the by-laws must be signed by two voting members and submitted to the Secretary General of the Society at least six months prior to the next ISAR International Congress or three months prior to a Special Meeting convened for the purpose of amending the by-laws.

SECTION 2:  The Secretary General must notify the voting Members by email of the proposed amendment at least three months prior to the next ISAR International Congress or six weeks prior to a Special Meeting called for this purpose.

SECTION 3:The by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the voting Members present at the General Assembly or at a special Meeting convened by the President  Votes may be cast by secret ballot during the meeting or submitted electronically in advance, provided they are received at least 48 hours before the meeting.

Created 20th January 2013, Amended 9th April 2025

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