The European Society
of Human Genetics

Task Descriptions

Task Descriptions of Board Members and President

The Board acts as the governing body of the Society. It makes all the decisions, and assumes responsibility for all matters except those specifically excluded by the Statutes. It is accountable to the membership. Click here to see current members of the Board.

The current President becomes Vice President at the end of the Annual Meeting held during the European Human Genetics Conference each year. Nominations are sought each year from ESHG members by direct mailing of Society members for the position of President Elect who automatically becomes the President the following year. A task description for our President is given below.

Nominations are also invited by the same means for members of the Society to stand for election to the Board. There are usually two vacancies on the Board to be filled by election. The term of office is five years - the task description of a Board member is given below.

Nomination Procedure

A nomination form will be mailed to all regular members of the ESHG or can be downloaded here. A person wishing to stand for Board Member or President-Elect must be nominated by two members of the ESHG. The nominee must give a 200 word statement as to why he/she wishes to be a Board member, which must be accompanied by a passport photograph/scanned photograph.

The date by which the completed nomination form must be received each year will be announced in the newsletter and on this site.

Task Description - President

The President is the senior executive of the Society.

A person is first President-Elect for one year, then President for the second year and finally Vice-President for the third year. Once a person has been elected President -Elect he/she shall automatically assume the position of President and Vice-President in the subsequent years, and will automatically start a complete term of five years as Board member on his/her election.

The President has an important pro-active role in advancing one or more aims of the Society (for example, education, political support, international liaison) and developing long term strategy in conjunction with the Executive and the Board. The advancement of one or more aims of the Society is made feasible by the three year period during which the elected person, will be first President-Elect, then President and finally Vice-President. The vehicle for developing his/her particular contribution is the Executive Committee, on which he/she will serve for the three year period.

The President is a member of all the Society's committees ex officio and will liaise with chairmen of committees over strategy. The President may ask another member of the Executive Committee to represent him/her at particular meetings. The Executive Committee will receive copies of all committee documents for information.

The President will help develop the agenda and chair three regular ESHG Board meetings, namely the second board meeting during the annual Scientific Conference, the Board meeting during the ASHG annual meeting and the first Board meeting at the Societys annual conference the following year.

The President will chair the Societys membership meeting at the end of his/her term of office, and usually gives a closing address at the ESHG conference.

The President will help develop the agenda and chair the Executive meetings of the Society which will meet on at least three occasions during the year.

The President, as the (automatic) ESHG member of the Executive of the International Federation of Human Genetics Societies, will be expected to attend the IFHGS meetings during the ESHG Conference and ASHG Scientific meeting.

The President, in discussion with the Executive, has a responsibility to ensure that suitable candidates are approached and proposed for election to the offices of the Society.

These responsibilities and duties of the President are in addition to those outlined in the task description of an ESHG Board member.

Task Description - Board Member

The ESHG Board member is an elected representative of the membership. Board members are elected for a 5-year mandate which begins with the annual meeting at which they are elected. Candidates for Board member must be nominated in advance by two ESHG members via this official nomination form. As of 2000, voting is accomplished prior to the annual conference by mail. New board members should be present at the membership meeting in order to introduce themselves to the membership.

A Board member volunteers his time and energy to the ESHG in exchange for the right (and duty) to participate actively in decision-making processes related to the ESHG. He or she works with the Executive Board and committees of the ESHG, including the Scientific Programme Committee and the Public and Professional Policy Committee. The role of the Board member is not a passive one!

Prior to being nominated as a Board member, the candidate needs to be aware of and accept the following responsibilities. An ESHG Board member is expected to:

  • Attend the two Board meetings held at the annual ESHG conference and the third Board meeting, generally held during the annual conference of the ASHG.
     
  • Prepare for these meetings by critical reading of documents received relative to the ESHG and its activities; it may also be necessary to respond to correspondence between official meetings.
     
  • Participate actively in discussions and the decision-making process during the Board meetings.
     
  • Accept tasks such as ad hoc committees or liaision roles (eg with national societies) which promote the ESHG with its scientific, socio-political and educational roles.
     
  • Contribute suggestions for scientific content of meetings, as well as candidatures for President, Board members and the Baschirotto award.
     
  • Actively solicit from ESHG members and potential members suggestions and criticism and transmit them to the Secretary General or other responsible person.
     
  • Contribute to the success of the Journal and Annual meeting by publicising, contributing and stimulating the contribution of high quality abstracts and papers.

There is no financial remuneration for either participation in meetings or for travel, although extra-ordinary Board meetings may imply reimbursement for travel expenses.

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