ISE Constitution

Approved in August, 2013.

1. NAME

The Society shall be known as:
"The International Society of Electrocardiology" hereinafter referred to as "The Society".

2. PURPOSE

The Purpose of the Society shall be to promote the advancement of the science of Electrocardiology and in furtherance thereof:

1. To facilitate the dissemination of new knowledge in Electrocardiology,
2. To encourage new research in the field,
3. To sponsor the International Congresses on Electrocardiology,
4. To assist with satellite meetings related to Electrocardiology, by promoting meetings, lectures, discussions, seminars, conferences, and by any other appropriate means.

3. MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Society shall be open to all interested persons either medically or scientifically qualified in Electrocardiology.

4. OFFICE-BEARERS and COUNCIL

The Office-bearers of the Society shall be the President, President-elect, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Except for the case of the first President of the Society, the President shall succeed to his office from that of President-elect.

The President-elect shall be elected to serve during the two years of office of the President, so that the term of President-elect and subsequent Presidency will be four years.

The Secretary and the Treasurer will initially hold Office for a period of two years. The Secretary and Treasurer will be required to be re-elected, if either or both are willing to continue in office, when the election for President Elect is held.

The Office-bearers shall be elected by the Council at the Annual Meeting of the Council and will serve for their defined period of Office, being eligible for re-election for further, not necessarily contiguous, periods of Office, subject to the conditions relating to duration of membership of the Council. In the event of a mid-term vacancy on the Council or the Executive Committee, the Council shall have power to co-opt a member to fill this vacancy, such co-opted member to hold office for the remainder of the term and to be eligible for re-election for one further term only.

The Membership Board, as hereinafter defined, shall, subject to the approval of the Society, nominate Members of the Council.

The Council shall consist of a maximum of twenty members. Members of Council will serve for a term of four years, being eligible for re-election for a further two terms with a majority open ballot of the Society Members. After finishing the third 4 years term, Council Membership can only be prolonged in the cases of present or former Office Bearers of the Society, or in the cases of Members whose continuing active contribution to the Society is unambiguously acknowledged by majority vote of the Council. In the latter cases, prolongation of Council Membership also requires a special vote, necessitating approval by two-thirds of the Society Membership present at the Annual General Meeting.

Nominations of members for election to the Council shall be made by two members and submitted by them jointly in writing with the consent of the nominee to the Secretary two calendar months prior to the Annual General Meeting. The secretary will pass this request on Membership Board.

Council Members are to be elected as individuals. A wide representation of individuals from different continents shall be sought. Moreover, special care should be devoted to ensuring a broad representation of the scientific sub-specialities that are relevant to Electrocardiology. Council Members will not be entitled to nominate an alternate to attend or cast a proxy vote at Council Meetings. A Council Member who is absent without valid reason from three consecutive Council Meetings will be deemed to have resigned, and the Council may co-opt a member to fill the resultant vacancy.

The Editor of the Journal of Electrocardiology will be a member of the Council, ex officio, for the duration of holding this office. The Council will meet regularly, normally during the Annual International Congress on Electrocardiology and at such other times of the year and at such locations as shall be considered appropriate by the Council. The Council will determine the location of each Annual Congress and will nominate an individual, to be known as local President, to preside over that Annual Congress.

5. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Council will set up an Executive Committee, consisting of the President, President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Past-President and other Members of Council as required to establish a Committee of seven members

The function of the Executive Committee shall be to ensure the efficient management of the business of the Council and the Society, and generally to promote the work and aims of the Society between the Annual International Congresses on Electrocardiology.

For Office-Bearers the duration of membership of the Executive Committee will normally be for the period of their Office. The other members of the Executive Committee will be appointed by the Council for a period of two years and may be reappointed for three further two-year periods by a single majority vote of the Council.

6. MEMBERSHIP BOARD

The Council will set up a Membership Board consisting of the President, or failing whom the President-elect, and two other Members of Council, nominated by the Council. The Membership Board will consider nominations for election to the Council. In addition, subject to the approval of the Council, the Board has the power to make its own nominations for election to the Council. The term of office on the Membership Board should not exceed five years excepting if a member becomes an office bearer, in which case it may be necessary to extend the term until the period of being an office bearer ceases.

7. HONORARY/FOUNDING MEMBERSHIP

The category of Founding Member will be open to individuals who initially assisted in the organisation of the Society. Such members will be permitted to attend Council meetings but will not be entitled to vote, or to be an office bearer or a member of any of the Council sub-committees. Honorary Membership of the Council may be offered to retiring members of the Council who have expressed a willingness to assist actively in the further work of the Council. Such members shall not be entitled to vote at Council meetings or to be an office bearer or to be a member of any sub-committee.

8. WORKING GROUPS

The Society may authorise the setting up of Working Groups to organise separate Satellite Meetings, to advise on sessions for the Annual International Congress on Electrocardiology and wherever possible to establish co-operative studies. The Working Groups shall have a Chairman who shall hold office for a term of four years.

The first Chairman of a Working Group shall be appointed by the Council, subsequent Chairmen being elected by the Working Groups. The Chairman of a Working Group may hold office for two consecutive terms only. Working Groups will be considered to be affiliated to the Society and their members deemed to be members of the Society.

9. SECRETARIAT

A Central Secretariat shall be established, normally in the office of the Secretary, in order to facilitate the keeping of the Minutes of the Society and the Council, the issue of intimations and notices to, and correspondence with Council members, together with the issue of abstract forms and collation of replies for distribution to the local Congress Organiser.

10. ACCOUNTS

The Treasurer shall maintain the Accounts of the Society, and be responsible for all expenditure and the collection of subscriptions. The Treasurer shall present to the Annual General Meeting of the Society a professionally audited Profit and Loss Account and Balance Sheet of the Society. As long as the Society is constituted in Scotland, the Treasurer will be responsible for submitting an annual return to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

11. SUBSCRIPTION

A lifetime membership fee will be payable by members, the amount of which will be $25.00. The fee will be non-refundable. The amount payable may be altered at an Annual General Meeting of the Society. Payment may be made by Bankers Order, Direct Debit, Visa or any other such mechanism as agreed by the International Council. The Executive Committee retains the power to waive the fee in individual cases of special difficulty.

12. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

An Annual General Meeting of the Society shall be held each year during the Annual International Congress on Electrocardiology to receive the Reports of the Office-bearers, including the Secretary’s Report, the Treasurer's Financial Report and Accounts and to fill, by election, vacancies on the Council.

13. CONSTITUTION

The Constitution of the Society may be altered only by a majority of two-thirds of the members present at the Annual General Meeting of the Society. An intimation of any such proposed change must be sent in writing to the Secretary not less than one month prior to the Annual General Meeting, the Secretary sending notification thereof to members not less than 2 weeks prior to the Annual General Meeting.

14. DISSOLUTION

In the event of the dissolution of the Society, any assets remaining after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities shall not be paid or distributed among the members but shall be given or transferred to a charitable organisation having objects similar to those of the Society.