APM Policy on Special Interest Groups (SIGs)

Definition:  A special interest group (SIG) is a group of Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine members who have gathered around a shared interest in a particular clinical, scientific, or educational area as it relates to psychosomatic medicine (e.g., international issues, HIV/AIDS, bioethics, children and adolescents, neuropsychiatry, psychotherapy).

Establishment:  To launch a new SIG, at least ten (10) members of the Academy will be required to officially support the application by committing to attend the next annual meeting and to be an ongoing active participant in the SIG. In rare circumstances, the Academy president may waive the requirement for ten founding members when an under-represented vital group in the APM requests a new SIG (e.g., the Pediatric C-L group). For all new SIGs, founding members will be required to complete a Statement of SIG Support.

A SIG is proposed to the Governance Committee of the Academy, via its Executive Director, through a written request (please use the online SIG Request Form). The request includes the area of interest and title of the SIG, the reason for establishing the SIG, and the specific request from the Academy for resources (e.g., web page, listserv, meeting time at the annual meeting). The Governance Committee reviews the application and makes a recommendation to the executive Council of the Academy, which will vote to determine whether to formally establish the group. The full Academy Council, at its next regularly scheduled meeting, ratifies the establishment of this group.

Duration:  Each SIG is set up with an open timeframe. A SIG may officially request to disband at any time and/or the Council may choose to disband a specific SIG, at the recommendation of the Governance Committee, if it is not meeting its responsibilities or because of inactivity.

Activities:  Each SIG chooses its own Chair and rules of operation, as well as the agenda for its meetings and the content of its activities. All APM members are welcome to join individual SIGs or to attend their meetings. It is the intent that the majority of ongoing SIG members be Academy members while recognizing the value of welcoming interested non-members of the APM. The count of members/non-members will be included on an annual report to the Governance Committee, and it is hoped that non-member participants will decide to join the APM as either associate or full members.

The Academy facilitates the establishment of a listserv for the group, a web page on the academy website, as well as the provision of up to three hours of time in an appropriate meeting room during the Academy’s annual meeting.

Responsibilities:  SIG chairs will submit annual reports and meet with the APM Secretary (or his/her designee) at the annual meeting. The Secretary will compile the reports and bring SIG updates and issues to the APM Council. The reports will include names of members in attendance at the annual meeting, a synopsis of the groups’ activities for the year, and an update of the SIG contact information to be posted on the Web. Any special requests for the upcoming year need to be submitted to the Governance Committee two months prior to the annual meeting; the Governance Committee will make recommendations to the Council, and the Council will have the authority to determine whether sufficient resources exist to approve the request. As an official component of the Academy, each SIG agrees to abide by appropriate rules of conduct and not to abuse the resources provided it by the Academy.
 

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