Cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery are specialties which encompass an extremely wide field of practice. These specialties require both cognitive and procedural skills for treating a broad spectrum of congenital and acquired diseases and deformities. In addition to comprehensive acquisition of general and specific surgical skills, osteopathic cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgeons are thoroughly trained in the basic sciences and in the understanding and application of the principles of osteopathic medicine. They are competent in the preoperative and postoperative care of surgical patients as well as in the technical performance of surgical procedures related to cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery.
The cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgeon is also trained and experienced in the management of the critically ill patient with multiple organ system failure including but not limited to cardiopulmonary resuscitation and management, nutritional support, the management of sepsis and coagulopathies, etc. Extensive and comprehensive residency training as well as continued post-graduate education, especially in cardiac, thoracic, or vascular surgery, is the basis for this definition.
ARTICLE III: PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES
To establish an organization as authorized by the ACOS to further the educational activities and the maintenance of quality in cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery.
To facilitate the quality of residency training and postgraduate education programs in the field of cardiac, thoracic, and vascular surgery.
To preserve the overall objectives, ideals and functions of the Discipline of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery as defined by this Article.
To maintain and promote the highest moral and ethical standards in the practice of cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgery.
This organization is being established as directed by the (ACOS) and shall preserve the overall objectives, ideals, and functions of the ACOS.
ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP
Membership in this organization shall consist of all members in good standing of ACOS whose practice encompasses the disciplines of cardiac and/or thoracic and/or vascular surgery and/or surgical critical care.
Section 1-Classifications of Membership
Active Member
Resident Member
Associate Member
Honorary Member
Retired Member
Life Member
Inactive Member
Section 2-Active Member Requirements
An Active Member shall be a graduate of an AOA accredited college of osteopathic medicine or LCME accredited college of medicine and have successfully completed a surgical residency training program either approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) or accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
Section 3-Resident Member Requirements
A Resident Member shall be a resident physician in good standing in an AOA-approved or ACGME accredited residency training program.
Section 4-Associate Member Requirements
An Associate Member shall be a member of the ACOS and shall be available to any nonsurgical physician and advanced practice providers.
Section 5-Honorary Member Requirements
Honorary Membership may be granted to any person who has contributed substantially to the ACOS, the discipline, and to the osteopathic medical profession and shall also be an honorary member of the ACOS.
Section 6-Retired Member Requirements
A Retired Member is any Active or Associate Member who has permanently retired from practice and does not qualify for Life or Inactive Membership.
Section 7-Life Member Requirements
A Life Member is any Active, Associate, or Retired Member who, during the year, will have reached the age of sixty (60) and has been a member for twenty (20) years.
Section 8-Inactive Member Requirements
A member who is temporarily not in surgical practice may be an Inactive Member.
Section 9-Revocation of Membership
Discipline membership shall be revoked for any ACOS member whose membership is denied, suspended, expelled, or terminated for any violation of the bylaws, code of ethics, or any lawful rule or practice duly adopted by the ACOS or any other conduct prejudicial to the interests of the ACOS.
ARTICLE V: MEMBER AWARDS
Section 1-Awards
Awards shall be determined by the discipline at the recommendation of the Executive Committee.
Section 2-Award Eligibility Requirements and Selection Process
The eligibility requirements and selection processes for awards shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VI: DUES
Section 1-Dues
The dues, and any special assessments in the discipline shall be determined, upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee, by an affirmation of three-fourths (3/4) of the voting members present during the annual CTV discipline business meeting.
Special assessments may be levied to meet emergencies or to secure special speakers for the discipline’s educational programs with the approval of the discipline’s Executive Committee.
Section 2-Delinquent Dues
The process for termination and reinstatement of membership for failure to pay dues or special assessments shall be determined by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE VII: OFFICERS AND CTV DISCIPLINE GOVERNOR
Section 1-Officers
The officers of the discipline shall be a Chair, Chair-Elect, Past Chair, and Secretary.
At the annual CTV discipline business meeting, once quorum has been established to conduct business, the required officer nominees, who have been promulgated by the Nominating Committee and approved by the Executive Committee, shall be elected to their respective office by a majority of the eligible voting members. Only members who are currently in active surgical practice or have been in active surgical practice in the last three (3) years and are a Fellow of the ACOS (FACOS), may be elected as discipline officers, and they may not be a member of an AOA specialty certifying board or the member of the Nominating Committee.
Sub section 2-Chair
The Chair shall be the principal elected officer of the discipline and shall preside at all meetings of the discipline and of the Executive Committee. In order to serve, the Chair must be a Fellow of the ACOS (FACOS). He/She shall be a voting member of the ACOS Board of Governors (BOG), an ex officio member of all discipline committees and shall execute all duties delegated to him/her by the Executive Committee. He/She shall also communicate to the ACOS and the BOG regarding the state of the discipline and may make suggestions to promote its welfare.
The discipline Chair shall serve one (1) term of two (2) years. The Chair may not succeed himself/herself.
If, for any reason other than a temporary disability or absence, the Chair would be unable or unqualified to serve, the Chair-elect shall assume the office of Chair for the balance of the Chair's term, and then will fulfill his/her elected term as Chair, as delineated in Article VII, Section 3.
Sub section 3-Chair-elect
A Chair-elect shall preside at all meetings of the discipline and of the Executive Committee in the event of the temporary disability or absences of the Chair and shall perform all duties delegated to him/her by the Chair. In order to serve, the Chair-elect, must be a Fellow of the ACOS (FACOS).
The discipline Chair -Elect shall serve one (1) term of two (2) years and shall assume the office of Chair at the end of the Chair’s term.
If, for any reason other than a temporary disability or absence, the Chair-elect would be unable or unqualified to serve, or if the Chair-elect succeeds to the office of the Chair, the Secretary shall assume the office of Chair-elect for the balance of the Chair-elect's term and then will fulfill his/her elected term as Chair-elect, as delineated in Article VII, Section 5.
If, for any reason other than a temporary disability or absence, the Chair would be unable or unqualified to serve, the Chair-elect shall assume the office of Chair for the balance of the Chair's term, and then will fulfill his/her elected term as Chair.
Sub section 4-Past Chair
Upon conclusion of their term as Chair, he/she shall become the Past Chair of the discipline. The Past Chair shall serve one (1) term of two (2) years. The Past Chair shall preside at all meetings of the discipline and of the Executive Committee in the event of the temporary disability, or absence from meetings, of the Chair AND Chair-elect. He/She shall have such other duties as the Chair or the Executive Committee may assign.
Sub section 5-Secretary
The Secretary shall ensure the accurate recording and maintenance of all proceedings of the discipline and the Executive Committee. He/She shall serve one (1) term of two (2) years.
He/She shall ensure that accurate records are kept of all discipline members and shall have such other duties as the Chair may assign. In order to serve, the Secretary must be a Fellow of the ACOS (FACOS).
If, for any reason other than a temporary disability or absence, the Secretary would be unable or unqualified to serve, the Chair, shall appoint a qualified member of the discipline to the office of Secretary, until the next annual discipline business meeting where an election for a Secretary shall be held.
If, for any reason other than a temporary disability or absence, the Chair-elect would be unable or unqualified to serve, or if the Chair-elect succeeds to the office of the Chair, the Secretary shall assume the office of Chair-elect for the balance of the Chair-elect's term and then will fulfill his/her elected term as Chair-elect.
If, for any reason other than a temporary disability or absence, the Chair AND the Chair-elect, would be unable or unqualified to serve, the Secretary shall assume the office of the Chair, for the balance of the Chair's term, and then fulfill his/her elected term as Chair. At the next annual discipline business meeting, an election for a Chair-elect AND Secretary shall be held. Any of the duties of the Secretary may, by action of the Chair, be assigned to the ACOS staff with the prior approval of the ACOS CEO.
Section 2- CTV Discipline Governor to the ACOS Board of Governors (BOG)
At the annual CTV discipline business meeting, once quorum has been established to conduct business, the CTV discipline Governor to the ACOS BOG nominees, who have been promulgated by the Nominating Committee and approved by the Executive Committee, shall be elected to the office by a majority of the eligible voting members. Only members who are currently in active surgical practice or have been in active surgical practice in the last three (3) years and are a Fellow of the ACOS (FACOS), may be elected as the CTV discipline Governor to the ACOS BOG, and they may not be a member of an AOA specialty certifying board or the member of the Nominating Committee.
The CTV discipline Governor shall not be considered a discipline officer.
The Election to the position of CTV discipline Governor, as a representative to the ACOS BOG, shall be for one (1) term of three (3) years. Governors may not serve more than two (2) successive terms, or three (3) successive terms provided one term is served as discipline chair.
The CTV discipline Governor is charged to represent the viewpoint of the majority of the discipline membership to the ACOS BOG. The CTV discipline Governor shall make a report of the actions of the ACOS BOG, that are approved for public distribution, to the discipline members at the annual discipline business meeting.
In accordance with the ACOS bylaws, if, for any reason other than a temporary disability or absence, the CTV discipline Governor to the ACOS BOG would be unable or unqualified to serve, the Chair will appoint a qualified discipline member to that position only until the time of the next annual discipline business meeting when an election shall be held to fill the CTV discipline Governor position.
ARTICLE VIII: Executive Committee
Section 1-Authority and Responsibility
The Executive Committee shall have supervision, control, and direction of the affairs of the discipline; shall determine its policies or changes therein within the limits of the ACOS’s bylaws and policies; shall actively pursue its purposes and shall have discretion in the disbursement of its funds. It may adopt such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as shall be deemed advisable, and may, in the execution of the power granted, appoint such agents as it may consider necessary.
All business conducted by the Executive Committee shall be reported by the discipline Chair, in conjunction with the CTV discipline Governor, to the discipline’s membership in a timely fashion. Business by the ACOS BOG, that is approved for public distribution, shall also be reported to the discipline’s members in a timely fashion.
Section 2-Composition
The CTV discipline Executive Committee shall be composed of the Chair, Chair-elect, Past Chair, Secretary, and the CTV Discipline Governor.
Section 3-Vacancies and Removal
A member of the Executive Committee may resign at any time by giving written notice to the ACOS CEO. Such resignation will take effect at the time specified therein or at the time of acceptance as determined by the Chair or the Executive Committee.
For just and reasonable cause, any member of the Executive Committee, including the Chair or CTV Discipline Governor to the ACOS BOG, may be removed by a majority vote of the Executive Committee members present at any meeting in which a quorum exists.
Any vacancy on the Executive committee, by definition would be either an officer or the CTV Governor and will be resolved by the processes delineated in Article VII.
All votes for the removal of any Executive Committee member must be given in written notice, including email, to the ACOS CEO within 72 hours.
Section 4-Executive Committee Meetings
During the year, the Executive Committee shall receive and act upon reports of standing committees that are required by the bylaws of the discipline and any special committees as directed by the discipline Chair. It shall transact such other business as has been delegated to it or which might be considered by the Executive Committee to be in the best interest of the discipline and the welfare of the discipline’s membership, and shall have general supervision and direction of the financial affairs of the discipline. The Executive Committee also shall meet upon the call of the Chair or a majority of the members of the Executive Committee. The times and places of the meetings shall be determined by the Executive Committee. Notice of all meetings of the Executive Committee shall be sent by email to each member of the Executive Committee not more than four (4) weeks and not less than two (2) weeks in advance of each meeting. A majority of the Executive Committee members shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Executive Committee.
Any action taken by the Executive Committee may be voted upon by email, provided that all members of the Executive Committee consent and no less than a majority of the Executive Committee vote in favor of the issue presented in order for approval.
Any candidates promulgated by the nominating committee for CTV discipline officer or CTV discipline Governor must be approved by the Executive Committee AND submitted to the ACOS CEO no less than (60) days prior to the election for distribution to the discipline membership.
Section 5-Compensation
Members shall not receive any compensation for their service on the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE IX: CARDIOTHORACIC AND VASCULAR DISCIPLINE BUSINESS MEETING
Section 1-Annual CTV Discipline Meeting
There shall be an annual CTV discipline meeting. Generally, the annual CTV discipline business meeting will be held during and co-located with the ACOS Annual Clinical Assembly (ACA).
Special member meetings shall be held at the call of the Chair. Virtual meeting, if necessary, will submit to the ACOS and CTV discipline's approved format.
Section 2-Quorum and Voting Privileges
Twenty-five (25) eligible voting members shall constitute a quorum at a CTV discipline business meeting. Only active members, life members, and retired members in good standing shall have the privilege of a vote at a member meeting. Resident members, Associate members, and Honorary members have no voting privileges but may attend all CTV discipline business meetings.
The Secretary and the Governor or one (1) other members designated by the discipline Chair (if the CTV discipline Governor is running for discipline office) shall be responsible for the counting of ballots and providing the results to the Chair for announcement to the discipline. ACOS staff may assist with this process if requested by the discipline Secretary.
Section 3-Order of Business
The order of business for the annual membership meeting shall be determined by the discipline Chair in conjunction with the ACOS CEO:
Any meeting called by the discipline Chair shall have an agenda established by the Chair. The order of business may be changed by a majority of the voting members present.
ARTICLE X: COMMITTEES
The following shall be the standing committees of the CTV discipline: 1) Bylaws committee, 2) Education committee, 3) Nominating committee. The committee members shall be appointed by the Chair-elect at the annual membership meeting. Appointees must be voting members in good standing but do not require the FACOS designation. All appointees are subject to a final approval by the Executive Committee. The appointments shall become effective when the next discipline officer assumes the office of Chair as delineated in Article VII.
Section 1-Bylaws Committee
The Bylaws committee shall consist of no fewer than three (3) members of the discipline, one of whom shall be designated committee Chair by the discipline Chair. This committee shall be charged with periodic review of the discipline's bylaws, proposing changes to the bylaws, preparing such changes and submitting them to the discipline Secretary no less than 120 days prior to the election for distribution to and approval by the discipline Executive Committee. The term of this committee will be for two (2) years, with a maximum of three (3) successive terms. If, for any reason other than a temporary disability or absence, the committee member would be unable or unqualified to serve, the Chair shall appoint a qualified member for the remainder of that term.
Section 2 – Education Committee
The Education Committee shall consist of no fewer than (3) members of the discipline, one of whom shall be designated committee Chair. Each committee member must also serve on the ACOS Continuing Education Committee. It shall be the duty of this committee to plan for the future educational needs of the discipline’s members using all approved resources to ensure approval by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®). The term of this committee will be for two (2) years, with a maximum of three (3) terms. If, for any reason other than a temporary disability or absence, the committee member would be unable or unqualified to serve, the Chair shall appoint a qualified member for the remainder of that term.
Section 3 – Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee shall consist of no fewer than three (3) members of the discipline, one of whom shall be designated committee Chair. No current member of the nominating committee is eligible for election as a discipline officer or as a CTV discipline governor. The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of nominees for each discipline officer position and CTV discipline Governor, as necessary, to the Discipline Chair no less than 120 days prior to the election. The term of this committee will be for two (2) years, with a maximum of three (3) terms. If, for any reason other than a temporary disability or absence, the committee member would be unable or unqualified to serve, the Chair shall appoint a qualified member for the remainder of that term.
Section 4 – Ad Hoc Committees
The discipline Chair may appoint, and discharge other committees as required to meet the discipline’s objective delineated in Article III, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE XI: RULES OF ORDER
All meetings of the discipline members and of the discipline Executive Committee shall be governed by the most current edition of Robert's Rules of Order-Newly Revised unless directly addressed in the discipline bylaws, which shall supersede.
ARTICLE XII - CODE OF ETHICS
The Cardiothoracic and Vascular Discipline of the ACOS subscribes to and adopts the Code of Ethics as determined by the ACOS; requires that all discipline members are familiar with the ACOS specified Code of Ethics; and that each member adhere to the provisions as set forth and as revised, amended, and/or interpreted from time to time.
All questions of ethics or discipline shall be directed to the ACOS Ethics Committee for investigation, deliberation, and recommendation to the ACOS Board of Governors.
ARTICLE XIII: AMENDMENTS
Approval of any amendments to these bylaws must be made during the annual CTV discipline business meeting by a majority of the voting members present. No proposition to amend shall be acted upon unless written notice thereof has been sent to the members not more than ninety (90) days and not less than thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting. These amendments will be effective upon approval by the ACOS Board of Governors.
The discipline bylaws shall be consistent with the bylaws, policies, and procedures of the ACOS, and are not effective until ratification by the ACOS Board of Governors. The administration of the discipline shall in no way conflict with the overall objectives, ideals, and functions of the ACOS.
ARTICLE XIV: DISSOLUTION
The discipline shall use its funds only to accomplish the objectives and purposes specified in these bylaws, and no part of said funds shall be distributed to any members of the Discipline. On dissolution of the Discipline, any funds remaining shall be distributed to one or more regularly organized and qualified charitable, educational, scientific or philanthropic organizations to be determined by the Executive Committee.
CTV Discipline Bylaws – (Approved Board of Governors March 6, 2021)