(Revised 2025)
The Constitution of the CHAPTER consists of the following nine ARTICLES:
Article I: Name
(Amended 12/12/2025) The name of this organization shall be “Penn-Ohio-West Virginia Chapter of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine”.
Article II: Purpose and Jurisdiction
Section 1: The purpose of this chapter shall be to encourage interest and training in the field of physics in medicine, biology and related areas.
Section 2: The jurisdiction of this chapter shall be confined to the areas of Western Pennsylvania, Eastern Ohio, and Northern West Virginia. At such time as the majority of the members residing in any of these areas may wish to form or be incorporated into a new chapter of the AAPM, the jurisdiction of the Penn-Ohio Chapter over the area shall cease.
Section 3: Said organization is organized exclusively for charitable, religious, educational, and scientific purposes, including, for such purposes, the making of the distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
Article III: Chapter Relationship
Section 1: The chapter shall function under the sponsorship of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine herein after called the Association.
Section 2: (Amended 12/12/2025) The Constitution, when signed by the duly authorized officers and charter members of the Chapter, and the duly authorized officers of the Association, shall admit the Chapter to the Association, and shall obligate the officers of both the Chapter and the Association in accordance with the provisions of both their Constitutions.
Section 3: The Board of Directors of the Association may dissolve the Chapter at its discretion.
Article IV: Membership
(Amended 10/09/2006) Membership in the Chapter shall be open to anyone with professional involvement in the field of Medical Physics.
Article V: Officers
Section 1: (Amended 12/12/2025) The elected officers of the Chapter shall include the President, President-Elect, Past-President, Secretary, Secretary-Elect, Treasurer, Treasurer-Elect, Board Representative to the Association, and Board Representative-Elect, with terms arranged such that not all positions are active concurrently (see Article V, Section 3).
Section 2: (Amended 12/12/2025) Nominations for an elected office may be submitted by at least two members of the Chapter by notifying the Chapter Secretary in writing (on paper or in electronic format) during the fourth quarter of the calendar year. No member shall be nominated without their consent.
The Secretary shall prepare a Ballot that will include the proposed nominees, a biographical summary of each nominee, and a write-in selection choice. The ballot will be distributed to Chapter membership via either postal service or secure electronic voting system. A plurality vote of the valid Ballots received will elect. The election must be completed by the end of the calendar year.
Section 3: (Amended 12/12/2025) Tenure of office for President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be three years, the first of which is served as position-elect. The President and Past-President assume their positions at the end of their tenure, i.e. the President-Elect succeeds to the office of President, and the President becomes Past-President.
The Board Representative shall serve for four years, the first of which is served as Board Representative Designate. After serving a full term, the Board Representative shall not be eligible for immediate re-election.
The term of office will begin at the start of the calendar year following the election results or immediately on vacancy.
Section 4: (Amended 12/12/2025) The Executive Board of the Chapter shall consist of all elected officers. They shall be responsible for the affairs of the Chapter.
Section 5: The President shall preside at all general meetings and Executive Board meetings of the Chapter. The President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President in the absence of the latter.
Section 6: (Removed 12/12/2025)
Section 7: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial transactions of the Chapter.
Section 8: The Secretary shall be responsible for the records of the Chapter affairs, membership records and correspondence of the Chapter.
Section 9: The Representative to the Association will represent the Chapter as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Association and if unable to be present at the Association Board sessions, the President of the Chapter shall designate an alternate representative.
Section 10: (Amended 12/12/2025) If any office becomes vacant, other than that of President or Past-President, elections to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term will be held at least 30 days following written notification to the Chapter membership. Prior to this election, an interim appointment may be made by the Executive Board.
If the office of the President becomes vacant during the year, the President-Elect will assume the duties of the President. If the office of Past-President becomes vacant during the year, the Executive Committee will decide who among the officers will assume the duties of the Past-President.
An individual who has filled such a vacancy as a Representative to the Association shall be eligible for immediate re-election to a regular three-year term. At the discretion of the Association an election to fill a vacancy in the office of Representative to the Association may be deemed the start of a full three-year term.
Article VI: Committees
Section 1. Membership of Committees shall be open to any class of membership in the Chapter.
Section 2. (Amended 12/12/2025) Committees of the Chapter will be established by the Executive Board as needed
Section 3. (Removed 12/12/2025)
Section 4. (Removed 12/12/2025)
Section 5. (Removed 12/12/2025)
Article VII: Meetings and Dues
Section 1: The business year of the Chapter will coincide with the calendar year.
Section 2: The Annual Business Meeting will be held in conjunction with a Chapter Meeting.
Section 3: The Executive Board shall establish the time and place of regular meetings.
Article VIII: Amendments
Section 1: (Amended 12/12/2025) Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by any member with the support of at least three additional members.
Section 2: (Amended 12/12/2025) Proposed Amendments meeting the criteria of Section 1 and submitted in writing to the Secretary at least 30 days prior to the close of Call for Nominations (see Article V, Section 2) will be included in the Member Ballot. The adoption of the proposed amendment will require an affirmative vote of 60% of the voting Members.
Article IX: Attestation
The Penn-Ohio-West Virginia Chapter of the AAPM is duly authorized by the Board of Directors of the AAPM to function as a Chapter of the Association in accordance with the provisions of the foregoing Constitution.
