The name of the Society shall be THE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR EXPERIMENTAL MICROSURGERY (ISEM).
The purpose of this Society is to train and promote the art of microsurgical research activity worldwide. The goal of this organization is to bring scientists up to date and familiarize with current status of experimental microsurgery. These are the basis for learning the most complex and ever changing techniques in the fields of: neurology; plastic; and reconstructive surgery: transplantation and immunology; reproductive medicine and endocrinology; geriatric and pediatric surgery maxillofacial and ophthalmologic surgery and many more.
The Society will reach its goals by creating an always, updated network among the various medical specialties through courses, meetings, newsletters and publications.
(1) There shall be four types of Membership: Active (Full) membership, Trainee (Junior) membership, Emeritus membership, and Corporate membership
(2) Active Membership in the Society shall be open to all microsurgical research professionals (M.D.; Ph. D.; V.D.M..; D.D.S.). A candidate to the Active Membership should present credentials such as proof of microsurgical research publications or microsurgery-related interests and activity. The Active Membership shall be approved by the Executive Council of the Society which is made up of the immediate Past President and Present Officers (see Article VIII). Full members have full voting rights and are entitled to stand up for election as Councilors (including Executive council) and serve in the Committees. Trainee (Junior) members have full voting rights and can serve in the Committees but cannot be elected as Councilors. Trainee (Junior) members are either under the age of 35 or physicians and researchers in training (residents, PhD students, research technicians). Proof of status is required.
(3) Emeritus Members shall be ISEM members who have attained the age of 65, upon written request. They shall have the rights of Full Members (including receipt of any official journals and voting rights), but shall not be required to pay dues to the Association. Emeritus Members are not eligible for election as an Officer or Councilors.
(4) Corporate members are companies with a scientific, educational, diagnostic, technical, or clinical focus relevant to the activity of ISEM members. Corporate members will have privileged access to communicate with the ISEM membership areas of mutual interest and will benefit from the visibility associated with the Society and its experts.
(5) Every Member shall have the right to attend and participate in Business Meetings of the Association and be eligible for election as Councilor and Officer as well as participation in various Committees. All Members, except Emeritus Members, shall pay dues in such amounts and for such periods as the Council shall from time to time decide. Members in training or below the age of 35 as well as non-academic research personnel (i.e., biomedical analysts, laboratory assistants) shall pay a lower yearly fee as decided by the Council.
Dues of the Society shall be assessed by the Executive Council and shall be payable within two months after receiving the notification each year. Failure to pay dues for two consecutive years shall automatically consider the Member out of the Society.
The President and the President Elect shall stay in office for two years. The President Elect shall automatically succeed the President. President Elect, Secretary, Corresponding Secretary and Treasurer may be elected by simple majority of members. Secretary and Treasurer may be re-elected for a maximum of three consecutive terms. The candidates to the position of President and President Elect must have been Members of the Society for at least four years.
In the case of a President Elect who does not fulfill his duties the Secretary will automatically fill the vacancy.
T(1) The Executive Council shall be formed by the Immediate Past President, President, President Elect, Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer.
(2) The Council shall have 20 members appointed for a period of 6 years. Past Presidents should be considered Councilors ex officio and shall have full voting rights.
3) Councilors may candidate for Executive Council positions. At least three months, but no more than twelve months before the Business Meeting of Members to be held at the time of the biennial Congress the Secretary shall notify the Members stating the offices among the elected Officers and the Councilors to be filled by elections and requesting submission via email of nominations to fill such vacancies. The deadline for receipt of nominations shall be one month from the date of the request for nominations. A person shall be nominated if his/her name is submitted with a written signature or email of support from at least two voting Members, along with a five-line summary (100 words) of the nominee's curriculum vitae and the nominee's acceptance to stand for election. The Secretary collects the nominations, verifies eligibility and organizes the voting.
4) After serving one term as Councilor, the member may not succeed himself/herself in a consecutive term. However, the member may seek re-election after 2 years of vacancy.
The Headquarters of the Society shall be the Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A. for the convenience of the location, the use of U.S. currency and a center of correspondence.
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Society. In the absence of the President, the President Elect shall preside and the Secretary shall preside the meeting in the absence of both President and President Elect.
The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of the meetings of the Society, and the Membership registration in conjunction with the Membership Chairman if so created, the record of all correspondence pertinent to the wellbeing of the Society, including educational material. The Secretary shall keep the record of transactions pertinent to donations and extra incomes, other than regular membership dues collection. The Treasurer shall transfer all records of annual dues, collection no later than July First of fiscal year to the office of the Secretary. The Secretary notifies the Membership of any events pertaining to the activity of the Society such as Elections or meetings not less than ten days nor more than 60 days before the meeting by means of electronic correspondence and/or Newsletter.
The Treasurer shall send out annual statements on membership dues to all Members within each January, reminding memos shall be accompanied for delinquency if there is any. The Treasurer shall be ex-officio a member of the Membership Committee.
The Society shall meet every other year. The Meeting site shall be selected by nomination from members, enforced by the Executive Council Members. At the biannual Congress, the Society will present the Sun Lee Award to not more than two senior members in good standing who have made outstanding contributions to the Society, long lasting involvement and promotion of experimental microsurgery, excellence in microsurgical research, training and mentorship, as well as contributions and achievements benefited the scientific community worldwide. Nominations should be sent to the Secretary not less than a year before the congress. The Secretary collects the nominations, verifies eligibility and organizes the voting. The Award is represented by a memorial plaque bearing the figure of ISEM Founding President Sun Lee and a Diploma. The Awardee/s is/are chosen following a voting procedure by the ISEM Board members. The Secretary collects the nominations from ISEM members, verifies eligibility and organizes the voting.
Vacancies occurring in the Office of the Society, other than that of the President, shall be filled by the appointment of the President until the next Meeting.
T(1) The Executive Council shall create and organize several committees to coordinate the various aims and activities of the Society and engage the membership.
(2) The Educational Committee is aimed to provide network, expertise and resources for microsurgical training and its members should be part of established training programs; the Scientific Committee provides expertise for microsurgical research and initiates common scientific projects involving the membership of the Society; the Membership committee is aimed to promote the Society, recruit new members, maintain an updated list of the membership (including the membership fee) and issue a Newsletter.
(3) The Chairman of a committee shall be elected for one term of two years. Each committee should include 6-8 members, both councilors and regular members (at least two). Each committee should present a yearly report in the Newsletter.
This Constitution shall take effect immediately from time of adoption and shall not be amended except by resolution dependent on the vote of two thirds of the Active Members present at a given meeting or through a mail ballot.
At each Congress, the Congress Host shall document all proceedings, publish and share with Members at expenses by donation, from the Treasurer's account or an actual cost to assess to each participant.