Article I. General
Section 1. The name of this Organization shall be the Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists (AMLI). The Organization shall be incorporated in the State of Oklahoma as a non-profit Organization 501(c)(6).
Section 2. The mission of the Organization shall be to bring together professional and technical staff engaged in the practice and study of medical laboratory immunology, to improve the practice of clinical immunology laboratory testing by encouraging education and training of all members, maximizing the quality of test procedures, promoting the exchange of information, supporting clinical research efforts, and improving patient care.
ARTICLE II. Membership
Section 1. Categories of Membership and Eligibility
- Fellow Membership
Regular doctoral members who hold diplomate status from one of the qualifying boards for medical laboratory immunology such as D(ABMLI) or DMLI (ASCP) automatically qualify for Fellow membership status. Fellows have the same rights as regular doctoral members.
- Regular Doctoral Membership
For individuals with an earned doctorate or higher degree in science, medicine, or academic equivalent, and who are engaged in professional activities commonly associated with medical laboratory immunology, pathology and laboratory medicine. Regular members have the right to vote, make nominations, hold elected office, and Chair, serve and vote on committees.
- Regular Non-Doctoral Membership
For clinical laboratory scientists (CLS; medical technologists) who are interested in the field of medical laboratory immunology and would like to engage in additional educational and professional networking opportunities. Non-doctoral members are eligible to vote in AMLI elections and may serve as CLS Councilors or members in specific committees as approved by Council.
- Trainee Membership
For individuals who are engaged in full-time undergraduate, graduate, or post graduate studies (residents and fellows). “Full-time” represents any combination of course work, teaching and/or research assistantships or fellowships that the respective institution considers a full-time load. Trainees are not eligible to vote in AMLI elections or hold office in the Organization. Trainees must submit current proof of academic status (letter from mentor, professor, or program director) with their membership application. No individual may remain in this category for more than 5 years.
- Emeritus Membership
A Fellow or Regular member in good standing for at least 5 years who has retired or attained the age of 65 may apply to the Secretary for emeritus membership status. Members who desire such status because of prolonged disability from work may also apply. Emeritus members are exempt from dues but shall have the privilege of attending the Business Meeting of the Organization.
- Honorary Membership
Recommendation can be made by the Council after being proposed by at least 2 Council members, to extend honorary membership to individuals as a tribute to their contributions to the field of medical laboratory immunology. Honorary members are exempt from dues and the Annual Meeting registration fee.
- Corporate Membership
Any firm, association, corporation, or institution, or subdivision thereof, desiring to support the Organization may become a Corporate Member. Corporate membership must be renewed every year by December 31st for the upcoming financial year. Corporate members have priority with regard to meal seminars at the annual meeting.
Section 2. Procedure and Notification of Membership
Candidates for AMLI membership shall apply following instructions provided on the AMLI website to the Administrator. Applications must include a completed application form, a curriculum vitae and cover letter highlighting the applicant’s interest and/or experience in Medical Laboratory Immunology. In addition, candidates applying for trainee membership must submit a current support letter from their mentor or program director. The membership committee shall review the eligibility of the applicant and may grant by majority vote membership to eligible applicants. A list of new members shall be provided at the Annual Meeting.
Section 3. Membership Dues and Assessment
Annual dues are payable on or before December 31st [preceding the beginning of the fiscal year]. Dues for Regular, Trainee and other members will be established by the majority vote of the Council and changes may be made periodically as deemed necessary.
Section 4. Duration or Termination of Membership
Failure to pay dues when applicable shall annul membership. The Council may reinstate a member upon submission of application for reactivation of membership and payment of current dues.
Section 5. Benefits of Membership (Voting Privileges and Eligibility to hold office)
Only Fellow and regular members shall be eligible to become Officers of AMLI and possess voting privileges. Student, emeritus, honorary and corporate members shall have the privilege of attending Business Meetings of the Organization but shall have no vote.
ARTICLE III. Meetings of the Members
The AMLI shall hold an annual meeting of the Members at a time and place to be decided by the Council, for presentation and discussion of materials related to the goals, purposes, and interests of the Organization.
ARTICLE IV. AMLI Council
Section 1. Members
The AMLI Council shall be elected by and from the regular (doctoral and non-doctoral) members of the Organization. It shall consist of five (5) officers including the President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Past-President, together with four (4) councilors. At least one of the councilors should be a clinical laboratory scientist. Each member of the Council shall have one vote on all matters submitted for a vote. In addition, the Treasurer-Elect, Secretary-Elect, and Chairs of the Education, Information Technology (IT) and Diagnostic Immunology Quality Program Committees shall be non-voting ex-officio members of the Council.
Section 2. Duties
The Council shall be the active governing body of the Organization responsible for accomplishing the established goals and objectives. The AMLI Council shall maintain and adhere to a “Standing Policies and Procedures Manual”, be responsible for long-range planning as put forth by a documented, ongoing Strategic Plan, and have oversight of Committee functions.
Section 3. Meetings
The AMLI council shall hold a sufficient number of regular meetings to carry out its duties. Special Council meetings may be called by the President or President-Elect or upon request by a majority of the Council members. Notice of meetings of the Council shall be given at least one week in advance of the meeting. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Council, or in their absence shall appoint another Officer to preside. Regular and special meetings may be held in person (i.e., face-to-face), by telephone conference call, virtually or by any other communication technology permitted by the Act. Council members may not vote by proxy.
Section 4. Quorum
A majority of Council members (>50%), at least three (3) of whom shall be Officers and two (2) Councilors shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the Council. If a quorum is not present, the Council meeting can proceed but decisions where vote is required would have to be postponed for when a quorum is present.
Section 5. Absences, Resignation, Removal and Vacancies
Any Council member unable to attend a meeting shall in advance notify the President or President-Elect in writing, stating the reason for their absence. If a member is absent from three consecutive Council meetings for reasons that the Council fails to declare to be reasonable, their resignation may be deemed to have been tendered and accepted, if approved by a majority of the remaining Council members.
Any Council member may resign by providing written notice of resignation to the President or, in the case of the resignation of the President, to the President-Elect. Any Council member may be removed with cause by a vote of the Council members at a meeting called for that purpose.
Any vacancies that may occur in the Council (except for the President), by reason of death, resignation, removal or otherwise, shall be filled by a majority vote of the Council.
The person selected by the Council shall serve until the next annual election, at which time the membership shall elect a successor to complete the remaining term. The President-Elect shall fill a vacancy in the office of President.
Section 6. Officers of the Council
The officers of the AMLI Council shall have five (5) members: President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Past-President. The President shall serve for 2 years. The President-Elect serves 2 years in that office and becomes President in the third year. The Secretary and the Treasurer, respectively, shall serve for a term of 2 years and will not be elected in the same election year as the President and President-Elect. The Secretary-Elect and the Treasurer-Elect shall serve for 1 year before assuming the role of Secretary, and Treasurer, respectively. The Past-President will serve as a member of the Council for 2 years. Election shall be held by secret ballot. The term of office for all officers shall begin on January 1 following their election and terminate on December 31.
The Officers shall act for the Council in any urgent matters, with such actions then reported to the Council at the earliest opportunity.
Meetings of the Officers may be called by the President or President-Elect, and meetings shall be called upon written request of three members of the Officers. The President or, in their absence a designee, shall preside at all meetings of the Officers. The act of most of the Officers present at a meeting at which at least four members of the committee are present shall be the act of the officers. The Officer is to report its acts to the Council, which may choose to make such acts known to the membership.
Section 7. Councilors
There shall be three Councilors who shall serve terms of 3 years, one being elected each consecutive year. A fourth Councilor position shall be occupied exclusively by a member who has not earned a doctoral level degree who will also be elected and serve for a term of 3 years. A Councilor may not seek election to any office whose term would conflict with that of his Council position without first resigning his office in sufficient time to allow the Nominating Committee to consider nominations to fill the vacancy and the membership to elect a new Councilor at the time of the regular election. The term of office shall begin January 1 following the Annual Meeting at which the Councilor is announced.
Section 8. Limitations
No person who has served as President shall be eligible for re-election or appointment as President-Elect within 4 years after completing the term of office. The Secretary, Treasurer and Councilors shall not be eligible for re-election to the same office or position within 4 years after completing the term of office.
Section 9. Filling of Vacancies
Should a vacancy occur in any elected position, the Council, by majority vote, shall designate an active member of the Organization to fill the unexpired term.
ARTICLE V. Officers, Councilors and Staff of AMLI
The Officers of the Organization are the President, President- Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Past-President. Each Officer shall perform the duties prescribed by these Bylaws and by the Council under the governing structure adopted by the Organization.
Section 1. President
The President is the chief Executive Officer of the Organization. The President has the powers and the duties assigned to this office as well as others assigned to them by the Council. The President shall preside at meetings of the Organization. They shall also, at the annual meetings and at such other times as they shall deem proper, communicate matters to the membership or to the Council as may in their opinion tend to promote the welfare and increase the usefulness of the Organization. The President may designate the President–Elect or Past-President to perform their duties, in the event of temporary disability or absence.
The President shall hold an earned doctoral degree (doctorate in science, medicine, or academic equivalent), have at minimum five years of experience in the field of medical laboratory immunology, and must have served as President-Elect for at least 2 years. The President’s term is two years, following which they shall automatically succeed to the office of Past-President for two years.
Section 2. President-Elect
The President-Elect shall assist the President as necessary in the general operations of the Organization and oversight of the Council. If the office of the President should become vacant between elections, the President-Elect shall automatically fill the vacancy.
The President-Elect shall hold an earned doctoral degree (doctorate in science, medicine, or academic equivalent), have a minimum of five years of experience in the field of medical laboratory immunology and must have been an active member of AMLI for at least 4 years. The term of the President-Elect is two years, following which they shall automatically succeed to the office of President for another 2 years.
Section 4. Secretary
The Secretary shall have a minimum of three years’ experience in the field of medical laboratory immunology and must have been an active member of AMLI for at least 2 years. The Secretary’s term is three years, after having served as Secretary-Elect for the preceding one year. The Secretary shall give notice of all meetings of the Organization and have records kept of their proceedings. In the case of the absence of the Secretary, the presiding officer will designate another responsible party to perform the duties of the Secretary. The Secretary shall assist the Council in communicating with the membership and shall keep or cause to be kept a list of members; prepare or cause to be prepared an annual report of the Organization; distribute or cause to be distributed a list of committee assignments to all members following the annual meeting.
Functions of the office of Secretary may be delegated by the Council to the Organization’s administrative staff.
Section 5. Treasurer
The Treasurer shall have a minimum of three years of experience in the field of medical laboratory immunology and must have been an active member of AMLI for 2 years. The Treasurer’s term is three years, after having served as Treasurer-Elect for the preceding one year. The Treasurer shall keep or cause to be kept an account of all funds received and expended and shall make or cause to be made those disbursements authorized by the Council and AMLI Officers as Council may prescribe. They shall make a report at the annual meeting.
The funds, books and vouchers maybe subject to verification and inspection by the AMLI Council, individuals designated by the Council. Specific functions of the office of Treasurer may be delegated by the Council to a Certified Public Accountant. At the expiration of their office, the Treasurer shall deliver over to their successor, or, in the absence of Treasurer-Elect, to the President, all books, money and other property belonging to the Organization.
Section 6. Past-President
The term of the Past-President is two years. The Past-President’s role will be that of advisor and consultant to the Council.
ARTICLE VI. Permanent Standing Committees
Section 1. Membership Committee
This committee shall consist of the Secretary, who shall serve as the Chair, the Secretary-Elect who will serve as the Vice Chair, an AMLI councilor and at least one or more AMLI members as determined by the committee chair. The primary function of this committee is to determine eligibility of all those who apply for appropriate membership status in the AMLI based on criteria approved by the Council and consistent with Article II, Section 1 of the Bylaws. The Membership Committee may undertake appropriate activities to maintain the existing membership roster as well as to promote further growth within the Organization.
Section 2. Scientific Affairs Committee
The Scientific Affairs Committee (SAC) shall be responsible for the scientific content and quality of the Annual Meeting, symposia, workshops and special courses. The Committee shall be composed of the AMLI President, President-Elect, Past-President, Chair of the education committee, and a regional representative (if available). The regional representative is appointed by the Council and will advise the scientific affairs committee on access to local speakers and places of interest in the city of the annual meeting. The President will serve as the Chair, and the President-Elect as the Vice Chair. The President shall appoint a maximum of 10 members to the SAC.
Section 3. Nominating Committee
The senior member of this committee will be the President-Elect, who will serve as the Chair of this committee. The current President will serve as the Vice Chair. The committee will include two members appointed by the President, one who is a senior AMLI member and the other, an individual who has been an AMLI member for 1-3 years. Members will serve a term of 3 years. The two additional committee members appointed by the President may not currently be serving on the Council of the Organization.
Section 4. Finance Committee
This Committee will consist of the Treasurer, who will serve as the Chair, the Treasurer-Elect who will serve as the Vice-Chair, one AMLI officer and one or more AMLI members appointed by the Chair.
Section 5. Education Committee
This Committee will consist of Chair, a Vice Chair for CME, and a Vice Chair for Webinar appointed by the President. The Chair of the Education committee will serve as an ex officio member of the Council. He/she would appoint three other AMLI members (two regular and one clinical laboratory scientist) as members of the committee. Members will serve a term of 3 years.
The main responsibility of this committee is to generate medical laboratory immunology educational and training opportunities in support of the mission of AMLI. These activities may include in-person or online short courses, workshops, seminars, webinars, or other learning programs. In addition, the Chair of the education committee and the Vice Chair of continuing education shall support the scientific affairs committee in planning the AMLI Annual Meeting.
Section 6. Information Technology (IT) Committee
This committee consists of a Chair appointed by the President and up to 3 additional AMLI members selected by the Chair with approval of the Council. Members will serve a term of 3 years. The responsibility of this committee is to obtain appropriate materials including scientific publications, lectures for the Organization’s official website, listserv, and social media outlets. The Chair of the IT committee may either designate an appropriate committee member to maintain these sites and post appropriate materials, or, with Council approval, contract with an outside person or Organization to maintain the website. The IT Chair is an ex officio member of the Council. All committees would work closely with the IT committee to further AMLI’s mission through effective communications. The committee is expected to meet quarterly with an annual report submitted by the committee Chair to Council on or before August 1st.
Section 7. Long-Range Planning Committee
The long-range planning committee ensures the long-term success and efficiency of AMLI by promoting consistency between AMLI and the mission of the Organization. The committee makes recommendations to the Council regarding amendments needed and/or proposed to the AMLI Bylaws, the annual meeting, AMLI affiliate-Organization status, membership, and other related issues.
Committee members (up to 5) are appointed by the AMLI President and approved by the AMLI Council. Members of the committee should have a wide range of experience in the field of medical laboratory immunology to develop a long-range plan for the Organization. The committee is expected to meet at least once a year with an annual report submitted by the committee Chair to Council on or before August 1st.
Section 8. Grant-writing Committee
The Grant-writing committee’s mission is to seek out and apply for grants that address AMLI’s funding needs as identified by the Council. The Committee’s duties include researching and identifying potential funding sources or sponsors to support the education and professional practice of medical laboratory immunology which is vital to the mission of the Organization. The committee is expected to work closely with stakeholders in the community to write grant applications to meet the needs of the Organization.
Committee members are appointed by the AMLI President. Members of the committee should have a wide range of experience in the field of medical laboratory immunology. The committee is expected to set funding goals, meet at least three times a year with an annual report outlining challenges and accomplishments. The committee is expected to submit its report to Council on or before August 1st.
Section 9. Other Committees
These committees shall serve at the discretion of the President and may be formed to meet special needs or requirements
- Constitution and Bylaws Committee
This Committee will consist of the Past President, who shall serve as the Chair, the President, who shall serve as the Vice Chair, and the President Elect. This committee shall be convened only as needed and determined by the President with the advice of the Council.
- Government and Industry Liaison Committee
This committee shall include liaison members to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), College of American Pathologists (CAP) and other regulatory or professional institutions, and members who represent AMLI at other professional Organizations. The committee shall consist of 5 members and will serve as a conduit for information between AMLI and other regulatory and professional Organizations.
- Working Groups
AMLI members with interest in a specific aspect(s) of medical laboratory immunology may form working groups as defined by that group. The creation of a working group must be approved by the council following the establishment of the aims, terms of participation, scope, expectations and responsibilities.
- Diagnostic Immunology Quality Programs (previously Standards Committee)
The responsibility of this committee is to identify and evaluate appropriate sources of standard or reference reagents for clinical immunology assays. This committee may function as a center for the accumulation of information and resources concerning the comparative evaluation, standardization and quality control of diagnostic devices. These efforts may represent opportunities for participation in quality assurance programs and collaborative work among members of AMLI or between AMLI and other professional Organizations. The Chair of this committee serves as an ex officio member of the council.
Section 10. New Working Committees
Additional committees may be convened to conduct business in areas where members have special interests or when there are special needs concerning the Organization. Any member of the Organization is invited to join these committees and serve as long a term as is required. Chairs of the committees will be named by the President.
Section 11. Committee Procedures
Except as otherwise provided in these Bylaws, a majority of a committee shall constitute a quorum thereof, and the acts of the majority of those present at a meeting at which a quorum is present, shall be the acts of the committee. Meetings of each committee shall be called by the Chair of the committee. Each committee will meet at least twice a year with one meeting to be held concurrent with the AMLI annual meeting. Each committee Chair shall render reports of committee activities on or before August 1st and as needed by Council.
ARTICLE VII. Financial
Section 1. Financial Statement
All statements of net assets and related statements of income and expenditures and capital funds shall be reviewed annually by an independent Certified Public Accountant. A financial statement of the assets of the Organization shall be published annually. The AMLI treasurer is responsible for this task and must work closely with the Administrator and President to ensure that the records are complete by December 31st of each year. The financial status of the Organization should be reported to the Council annually by the Treasurer.
ARTICLE VIII. Amendments to the Bylaws
Section 1. Signatory Power
The President and Treasurer shall have signatory powers for the funds of the Organization.
Section II. Divestiture
It is intended that the existence of the Organization shall be perpetual. However, should the Organization be terminated for any reason, all residual funds shall be assigned to one or more non-profit Organization engaged in similar scientific activities. The Council will choose the non-profit Organization(s) to which residual funds will be disbursed.
Amendments to the Bylaws shall be made according to the same procedure as the amendments to the Constitution, except that a majority vote shall suffice for ratification both in the Council and by mail or electronic ballot.
ARTICLE IX. Contingency Election Plans
Elections for officers, Council members, or committee members as well as other matters requiring a vote of AMLI members are conducted at the Annual Meeting, if possible. If the elections cannot be held for any reason at the Annual Meeting, the Council by majority vote may authorize such elections to be conducted by polling members by mail or via the internet.
ARTICLE X. Publications
The Association of Medical Laboratory Immunologists is empowered to publish or to enter into agreements with others to publish journals, proceedings, manuals or other publications as may be authorized by majority of the Council.