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CONSTITUTION

  1. Purposes and Mission Statement

    1. Purposes

      1. The AAPI–MSRF is a national organization representing medical students, residents, and fellow physicians of South Asian/Indian descent in the United States of America.

      2. The AAPI–MSRF will promote, uphold, and maintain the highest standards of ethics in the practice of medicine and in medical education.

      3. The AAPI–MSRF will provide a channel of networking, support, and open communication among its members.

      4. The AAPI–MSRF will actively work to represent its members and their professional needs in both political and social domains.

      5. The AAPI–MSRF will provide non-profit group service to the community at large and host other activities by local chapter affiliates.

    2. Mission Statement

      1. The AAPI–MSRF is a national organization that will promote the professional, political, and social goals of South Asian/Indian descent medical students, residents, and fellow physicians in the United States of America, today and in the future.

    3. English is the official language.

  2. Membership

    1. Eligibility (AAPI-MSRF Full Member and will be hereby referred to as “AAPI-MSRF”)

      1. Medical Student: A student presently enrolled in a medical or osteopathic college that is accredited by the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association, or their equivalent in the United States of America (USA)

      2. Resident Physician: A physician who is currently enrolled in an accredited residency program in the USA

      3. Fellow: A physician who is currently training in an accredited clinical fellowship program in the USA

    2. AAPI-MSRF India Allied Membership

      1. Medical graduates, medical students, residents, and clinical fellows of Indian origin within 10 years of their graduation from India who intend to pursue USMLE with the goal of becoming a licensed physician in the United States and have attended at least one AAPI conference.

      2. AAPI-MSRF India Allied Members CANNOT stand for AAPI-MSRF elections and CANNOT vote in the election.

      3. AAPI-MSRF India Allied Members will be given preference to volunteer in AAPI events held in India.

    3. Discrimination

      1. Within the AAPI-MSRF community, members shall not be discriminated against because of race, color, gender, age, handicap, religious preference, disabilities, or sexual orientation.

    4. Local Chapter Affiliation.

      1. Members may organize into local groups by charter as affiliates to the national organization.

  3. Article III: Board

    1. Composition of Executive Committee

      1. Ultimately all decisions made and voted on by AAPI-MSRF board are under the discretion of a majority vote of AAPI-MSRF Executive Committee, based on the best interest of the AAPI-MSRF board.
      2. President

      3. President Elect

      4. Vice President

      5. Chairs

        1. Secretary

        2. Treasurer

        3. National Convention Chair (2)

        4. Public Relations Chair

        5. Research Chair

        6. Fundraising Chair 

        7. Service Chair

        8. Social Media Chair

        9. Mentorship Chair

    2. Board Meetings

      1. Meetings will be held monthly at a predetermined time, based on the convenience of all members.

      2. Special meetings may be scheduled with 15 days notice after being called by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

      3. It is expected that all members will attend 2/3 of all meetings. If a board member fails to attend 2/3 meetings, they will be given a warning. If it is repeated again, the member can be removed at the discretion of the President, President-Elect, and Vice President with a majority vote.

      4. Each member will have one (1) vote.

      5. By majority vote, the executive committee may institute/amend the organizational policy, approval for disbursement of organizational funds, approve chapters, awards, and honors, and oversee the maintenance of organizational records, property, and equipment.

      6. By majority vote, the executive committee may suspend or cancel any chapter affiliates, remove any officer of the organization, or terminate any membership.

    3. Board Elections

      1. Nominations must be submitted verbally or in writing to the current President of AAPI-MSRF no later than 15 days prior to the National Convention.

      2. To run for election for President and President Elect, nominees must be an AAPI-MSRF board member for at least one year.

      3. Elections will happen live and virtually during the National Convention.

      4. All official AAPI – MSRF members in attendance at the General Body Meeting before the Election proceedings will have one (1) vote. Remote voting may be allowed if the member is a board member who has been actively involved or if it is an AAPI-MSRF member who has attended at least 2 past meetings. Members who want to vote remotely have to be present virtually during the vote and send the vote confidentially to the outgoing President.

      5. No proxies will be accepted.

      6. Nominees with the majority vote at the General Body Meeting shall be elected. If there is no majority, the nominee with the least number of votes shall be eliminated, and a new vote shall be taken. This process will continue until one nominee receives the majority vote.

      7. Newly elected executive committee members shall assume the duties of their positions at the close of the annual AAPI – MSRF National Convention.

    4. Executive Committee Officers

      1. President

        1. Qualifications

          1. An active member of AAPI – MSRF.

        2. Duties.

          1. Presides at the Annual Executive Committee Meeting and the General Body Meeting.

          2. Serves as the official representative of AAPI – MSRF and contact person for the AAPI Executive Director.

          3. Must attend or send a representative to two (2) AAPI Governing Body Meetings. Must submit a written report to AAPI President and Executive Director fifteen (15) days before all AAPI Governing Body Meetings that will not have representation by AAPI – MSRF.

          4. Works closely with the other executive officers in carrying out the routine objectives and plans of the organization at a national level.

          5. Serves on the Executive Committee.

          6. Term of office shall be one (1) year.

      2. President-Elect

        1. Qualifications

          1. An active member of AAPI – MSRF

        2. Duties

          1. Serves on the Executive Committee Meeting and General Body Meeting.

          2. Performs the duties as assigned by the President.

          3. If the President is unable to or unwilling to perform the duties of the position, the President-Elect will assume the duties of the President.

          4. Serves on Executive Committee.

          5. Works closely with the other executive officers in carrying out the routine objectives and plans of the organization at a national level.

          6. Term of office shall be one (1) year.

      3. Vice-President

        1. Qualifications

          1. Active member of AAPI – MSRF

        2. Duties

          1. Performs the duties as assigned by the President.

          2. In the event that the President-Elect is unable or unwilling to perform the duties of the position, the Vice-President will assume the duties of the President-Elect.

          3. Serves on Executive Committee

          4. Works closely with the other executive officers in carrying out the routine objectives and plans of the organization at a national level.

          5. Term of office shall be one (1) year.

      4. Secretary

        1. Qualifications

          1. Active member of AAPI – MSRF

        2. Duties

          1. Oversees the preparation of the proceedings for the AAPI – MSRF Executive Committee Meeting and General Body Meeting.

          2. Oversees the maintenance of all historical organizational records.

          3. Needs to create a database of all members and chapters of AAPI-MSRF.

          4. Updates and present the updates every quarter at the monthly meetings in September, December, March, and June.

          5. Records the AAPI – MSRF Executive Committee Meeting and General Body Meeting minutes and will publish them within thirty (30) days.

          6. Term of office shall be one (1) year.

          7. Works closely with the other executive officers in carrying out the routine objectives and plans of the organization at a national level.

      5. Treasurer

        1. Qualifications

          1. An active member of AAPI-MSRF

        2. Duties

          1. Serves as Chair of the Finance and Budget Committee.

          2. Creates and updates a Google sheet listing finances of AAPI-MSRF.

          3. Updates the Google sheet monthly and presents updated budget/funds at each monthly meeting.

          4. Term of office shall be one (1) year.

          5. Works closely with the other executive officers in carrying out the routine objectives and plans of the organization at a national level.

  1. National Convention Chairpersons (Two)

    1. Qualifications.

      1. Active member of AAPI – MSRF

      2. Must be situated near the projected site of the next annual AAPI – MSRF National Convention

    2. Duties

      1. Organizes the details of the convention with regard to registration, publicity, accommodations, the research forum, speakers/workshops, travel, entertainment, etc.

      2. Provides monthly reports to the Executive Committee Officers on the progress of the Convention starting ten months before the projected date of the convention.

      3. Utilizes members of the Executive Committee to assist in planning for the Convention and will work in conjunction with the convention chairperson of the AAPI Convention and the AAPI Executive Director.

      4. Serves on Executive Committee.

      5. Term of office shall be one (1) year.

  2. Research & Publications Committee Chair

    1. Qualifications

      1. Active member of AAPI – MSRF

    2. Duties

      1. Works with the Academic Committee to help them with the AAPI journal and any activities related to research

      2. Responsible for any and all research convention at the AAPI conference

      3. Term of office shall be one (1) year

  3. Public Relations Committee Chair.

    1. Qualifications

      1. Active member of AAPI – MSRF.

    2. Duties.

      1. Conducts all activities with purposes related to publicity, media coverage, and the overall presentation of the organization to others.

      2. Updates and maintains the AAPI-MSRFwebsite.

      3. Directly responsible for the organization name, symbol, and any insignia pertaining to AAPI–MSRF.

      4. Serves on the Executive Committee.

      5. Works closely with President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer in carrying out the routine objectives and plans of the organization at a national level.

      6. Term of office shall be one (1) year.

  4. Social Media Committee Chair.

    1. Qualifications

      1. Active member of AAPI – MSRF

    2. Duties

      1. Updates and Maintains all AAPI-MSRF social media accounts

      2. Creates a social media team approved by the AAPI-MSRF Executive Committee to help with growing the social media reach.

      3. Serves on the Executive Committee.

      4. Works closely with President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer in carrying out the routine objectives and plans of the organization at a national level.

      5. Term of office shall be one (1) year.

  5. Membership Committee Chair. 

    1. Qualifications

      1. Active member of AAPI – MSRF.

    2. Duties.

      1. Develops, maintains, and updates a database of all members and chapters of AAPI-MSRF under the supervision of the Secretary.

      2. Presents the updates every quarter at the monthly meetings in September, December, March, and June along with the Secretary.

      3. Coordinates the activities of the local AAPI-MSRF chapters.

      4. Serves on the Executive Committee.

      5. Works closely with the President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer in carrying out the routine objectives and plans of the organization at a national level.

      6. Term of office shall be one (1) year.

  6. Service Committee Chair.

    1. Qualifications

      1. An active member of AAPI–MSRF.

    2. Duties.

      1. Develops and coordinates service projects both in the United States and abroad.

      2. Works closely with President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer in carrying out the common objectives and plans of the organization at a national level.

      3. The term of office shall be one (1) year.

  7. Committee Members

    1. Committee Chairs are responsible for recruiting committee members with approval from AAPI-MSRF Executive Committee.

    2. Committee Chairs can select a Vice Chair at their discretion.

      1. Vice Chairs are not obligated to attend board meetings but they can serve as a proxy for their Chair in the Chair’s absence for extenuating circumstances.

      2. They can attend as a proxy no more than one out of three meetings per quarter.

    3. Committee membership is a volunteer role and committee members do not participate in board meetings.

    4. Committee Chairs are responsible for organizing committee meetings with committee members at the frequency they deem necessary.

    5. Committee Chair is responsible for delegating tasks to committee members and all oversight of task execution.

  8. AAPI Pre-Med Board

    1. Volunteer Board consisting of those interested in attending medical school.

    2. Board members have no voting rights within AAPI-MSRF, YPS, AAPI, and are under the discretion of the AAPI-MSRF board.

    3. AAPI-MSRF board members will vote for AAPI Pre-Med volunteer board members.

    4. They will not attend AAPI-MSRF board meetings and will run and attend their own board meetings.

    5. Positions available are equivalent AAPI-MSRF board position:

      1. President

      2. President Elect

      3. Vice President

      4. Secretary

      5. Treasurer

      6. Co-Chair of National Convention 

      7. Chair of Public Relations Committee

      8. Chair of the Research Committee

      9. Chair of the Fundraising Committee

      10. Chair of the Service Committee

      11. Chair of the Social Media Committee

      12. Chair of Mentorship

  1. Code of Conduct

    1. Participants should declare conflicts of interest and conduct themselves in a manner that is attuned to the highest professional ideals. Participants should maintain a dialogue that is relevant and respectful of the rights of others. You understand that when you submit comments, posts, or images on AAPI digital platforms, you will not:

      1. Spread false and/or defamatory information.

      2. Include content that is discriminatory, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, sexually-oriented, threatening, invasive of a person’s privacy or right to publicity, or otherwise violative of any law.

      3. Infringing on copyrights, trademarks, or trade secrets.

      4. Post content that includes private and/or personal information, such as home phone numbers and email addresses.

      5. Seek medical advice (consult your personal physician) or disclose personal health information.

      6. Promote commercial services and products or causes.

      7. Post in a manner that would constitute spamming (e.g., posting with such frequency or repetitiveness that others may be discouraged from posting, posts that are irrelevant to the topic and/or the AAPI-MSRF’s mission, and “follow me” posts) or trolling (defined as comments that appear intended to send the discussion in a fruitless direction).