American Association of Oral Biologists Bylaws

Article I. NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the American Association of Oral Biologists.

Section 2. The purpose of this organization shall be to:

1. Provide a forum for the promotion of Oral Biology as a biomedical discipline, and to educate both professional and public audiences about the nature of Oral Biology.


2. Promote the teaching of Oral Biology to students of dentistry, and to other health sciences students, as a fundamental part of health science education.


3. Establish guidelines for programs leading to advanced education and to graduate degrees in Oral Biology.


4. Encourage and promote research in Oral Biology.


5. Contribute to the communication of research findings in Oral Biology, and to communication of the accepted body of knowledge in Oral Biology, to various agencies and the public.


6. Provide liaison for oral biologists with the various agencies with which oral biologists interact, e.g., dental schools, the American Dental Association, the International and American Associations for Dental Research, the National Institutes of Health, the American Association of Dental Schools, and industry.
7. To receive by gift, devise, bequest, or otherwise, money or other property, or any estate therein, legal or equitable, and to hold the same and distribute it, or the income therefrom, for the pursuit or promotion of the foregoing purposes.
8. To pursue all appropriate activities to carry out these purposes.

Article II. MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.  There shall be four types of membership in this organization:

• Founder
• Full
• Associate
• Student

Members of AAOB in any of the four categories can be appointed or elected on the Boards, and serve on the committees of this organization.

Section 2.  A candidate for membership shall complete the online application and submit payment of the dues. The payment will be cleared by the Secretary and by the Treasurer. The Membership Committee will review the application material, and may subsequently request further information from the applicant. When adequate information has been received on the candidate, the Membership Committee will vote for acceptance to membership in the Association.

Section 3. AAOB Membership:

Founder Members:The initial members of the Association shall be known as the Founders. The Founders are those members who launched the Association by their approval of this document, and/or through their participation in the Inaugural Meeting (see Article XI).  Founder members have full membership in this organization.

Full Members: The following criteria shall be met for eligibility for full membership:

1. A candidate shall have demonstrated interest and competence in the field of Oral Biology, defined by having accomplished one or more of the following

• The candidate shall have conducted original research in Oral Biology.
• The candidate shall have published the results of original research in Oral Biology in a peer-reviewed refereed journal of science.
• The candidate shall have received a doctoral degree in Oral Biology, or its equivalent, from a recognized graduate program in the discipline. Candidates to full membership should hold either a Ph.D. or its equivalent, or a joint D.D.S. (or its equivalent)/Ph.D. (or its equivalent) 

2. The candidate shall have contributed to the advancement and understanding of the field of Oral Biology or shall have functioned in a formal capacity in the teaching of Oral Biology.

Associate Members: Individuals may be recommended for Associate Membership by the Membership Committee, upon application, provided they meet one of the following criteria:

1. The candidate is a practicing dentist with either an MS degree in Oral Biology, or a strong interest in Oral Biology as documented by either having participated or actively participating in research in the field (e.g., through a practice-based research network).

2. The candidate has contributed to the dissemination of fundamental and clinical knowledge in Oral Biology by means of scholarly publications, teaching, and/or Continuing Education programs.

• stellar publications and research in the field
• premier teaching and training in oral biology and
• extraordinary service to AAOB.

• stellar publications and research in the field, and
• premier teaching and training in oral biology.

Other requirements for nomination, and the process for appointment and confirmation shall be identical to that of Regular Fellows.

The process of nomination of AAOB Fellow and Honorary AAOB Fellow shall be as follows; Candidates for the appointment of AAOB Fellow or Honorary AAOB Fellow shall be nominated by either another AAOB Fellow or Honorary Fellow, or by an AAOB Board member.

• Candidates may provide an up-dated Curriculum Vitae, although their reputation shall precede them. 
• The nomination shall consist of a letter addressed to the Board of AAOB, which details the grounds for nomination.  
• The nomination shall be seconded by no less than two and no more than five letters further supporting the nomination. 

• Founder $ 150.00
• Full $ 150.00
• Associate $ 150.00
• Student $  50.00
• Fellows $    0.00 

Dues shall be payable during the month of January of each calendar year, so as to provide the Budget Sub-committee and the Membership committee with a report of the final and definite tally of membership and dues paid/owed for the calendar year at the annual Board meeting. 

Dues of foreign members shall be paid in US dollars.

Initial dues from new applicants shall be paid online by credit card through the PayPal account of AAOB maintained by the Budget Sub-committee. Subsequent yearly renewal dues shall be paid through the same online venue.

Dues shall include free subscription to the journal of AAOB, the Archives of Oral Biology (AOB). Members shall be reminded of their yearly renewal by email and through a notice that will appear in AOB, which will be redacted by the Membership Committee.

Members shall have the option to pay full dues inclusive of AOB subscription as listed above, or dues discounted 50% and exclusive of AOB subscription.  Dues amounts will be reviewed on a yearly basis as a standard item of discussion of the annual Board meeting.

Following approval of the report by the Board, the Treasurer shall make the necessary payment to Elsevier, the publishing house of AOB, corresponding to the paid full dues, including AOB subscriptions.

1. By resignation.


2. For non-payment of dues and/or assessments for two years. Such termination shall be automatic and effective on notification by the Secretary.

   A member dropped for this cause may reinstate his/her membership by payment of all dues and assessments from the time of initial delinquency.

3. For violation of the Bylaws, unprofessional conduct, or other just cause. Action for expulsion under this rule must originate in the Board of Directors, which must provide reasonable opportunity for the member to appear before it on his/her own behalf. Following such hearing, the Board of Directors then may report its recommendations for action to the membership at an annual meeting, again providing reasonable opportunity for the member to appear or to be represented. A two-thirds vote of the members present and voting shall be required for expulsion.

Article III. OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1. The Association's full operational period commenced in 1990, at which time there were in place activities or programs directed towards achieving each of the stated purposes of the Association (Article I).

Section 2. The governance of the Association are carried out by a Board of Directors, the composition and duties of which are specified in the remainder of these Bylaws.

Section 3. The Association elects, by majority vote, the following officers for the terms indicated, with the exceptions of the Directors At-Large, who are appointed by the President, and the Editor (or one of the co-editors) of the Archives of Oral Biology.

President: One year term, may not be re-elected

President-Elect: One year term, ascends to Office of President

Secretary: Two year term, may ascend to Candidate to Office of President-Elect 

Treasurer: Two year term, may ascend to Candidate to Office of President-Elect

Program Officer: Two year term, may ascend to Candidate to Office of President-Elect 

Foreign Officer: Two year terms, may be re-elected once – Acts as host of the association Board meeting when IADR meeting is held outside US.  May ascend to Candidate to Office of President-Elect

Elected Directors (two): Two year terms, may ascend to Candidates to Office of Program Officer, Treasurer or Secretary

Directors At-Large (two): One year - Appointed by the President. May be re-appointed by succeeding President, and may ascend to Candidate to Office of President-Elect 

Award Chair: One year term, appointed by the President, may be re-appointed by succeeding President, and may ascend to Candidate to Office of President-Elect 

Publication Officer: (Ex Officio) Position to be held by the editor-in-chief of the Archives of Oral Biology (or one of its co-editors-in-chief), or one of his/her delegates. May also hold other elected or appointed offices in the Association.

Student Officer:  One year term, may not be re-elected.

Section 4. Election Procedures

1. All elections shall be by mail ballot, and shall be conducted by the Nominating Committee (see Article VI.) The Nominating Committee shall, by mail ballot, present a slate of one or two nominees for the office of President-Elect and one or two nominees for the remaining elected Offices. The slate shall include at least two nominees for the Office of President-Elect.


2. Each Elected Director may be elected to succeed himself/herself once only. An Elected Director may be nominated for the Office of President-Elect. If there should occur any vacancy on the Board of Directors, the unexpired term will be filled from the membership by vote of the Board of Directors, unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws.


3. Each year, one Director shall be elected for a one-year term. Two additional Directors At-Large shall be appointed or reappointed by the incoming President. Thus, four Directors shall serve continuously.

Article IV. DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Section 1. The President shall be the Presiding Officer at all meetings of the Association The President at his/her discretion may surrender the chair to the president-Elect, the Secretary-Treasurer, or to another member during any session. The President shall also chair the Board of Directors, the governing body of the Association.

Section 2. The President-Elect shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President. He or she will succeed to the Office of President in the year subsequent to his/her election as President-Elect.

Section 3. The Secretary-Treasurer shall preside at all meetings of the Association in the absence of the President and President-Elect. He or she shall keep minutes of all meetings, keep all records, and prepare and bring to each meeting of the Association a correct official list of the members of the Association. In addition, he or she shall keep all necessary financial records, disburse and receive monies and send out notices of dues.

Section 4. The primary function of the four Directors is to help serve as the basis of the Board of Directors, the governing body of the Association. The Elected Directors provide, in addition, a potential reservoir of individuals for higher office in the Association. The Directors shall also function in a formal capacity on the Bylaws Review Committee, and as the Membership Committee (see Article VI). All members, including Past-Presidents are eligible for appointment as Directors At-Large.

Section 5. In addition to the duties usual to their respective offices or designated elsewhere in these Bylaws, the officers functioning as the Board of Directors, shall perform the following duties:

1. Set the agenda for the Annual Meeting of the Association.


2. Prepare an annual budget to conduct the business of the Association, and submit same to the members for approval (see also Article VII).


3. Set the dues of the Association according to the budget, and submit same to the members for approval (see also, Article VII).


4. Select places and times for all meetings of the Association.


5. Approve, as appropriate, the Annual Scientific Program (see also, Article VI).


6. Transact all business of the Association not specifically reserved to the general membership.

Section 6. Vacancies due to resignations or other reasons shall be filled in the following manner:

1. President - The President-Elect shall serve as President for the unexpired term and shall thereafter remain in office for the following term.


2. President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, Program Officer, and Directors. When a vacancy occurs, the Board of Directors shall appoint a successor to complete the unexpired term; however, in this event, an appointed President-Elect shall not automatically succeed to higher office, unless confirmed by the membership.

Article V. MEETINGS OF THE ASSOCIATION

Section 1. There shall be one Annual Meeting of the members of the Association for the official transaction of business. The time and place of this meeting shall be selected by the Board of Directors. All members of the Association shall be notified by mail and invited to each Annual Meeting for the purpose of transacting the business of the Association; such notification and invitation shall occur no less than forty five (45) days prior to the Annual Meeting.

Section 2. In addition to the conduct of business, the Annual Meeting may be the occasion of a scientific meeting as may be recommended by the Program Committee and Board of Directors and sanctioned by the members during the business meeting.

Section 3. Non-members may attend scientific sessions of this Association and present papers under conditions specified by the Board of Directors.

Article VI. COMMITTEES

Section 1. Board of the Association.

The Board shall be chaired by the President of the association, and serve as the governing body of the Association. It shall consist of the 14 members as follows:

• Immediate Past President
• President
• President-Elect
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Program Officer
• Foreign Officer
• Elected Directors (2)
• Directors  At-Large (2)
• Award Chair
• Publication Officer
• Student Officer

The Budget Sub-Committee of the Program Committee shall be chaired by the Treasurer, and constituted by the two Elected Directors, the Foreign Officer, and the Student Officer.  The charge of the Budget Sub-Committee is to set and analyze the membership dues and charges (e.g., journal subscription), articulate and bring forward a development & sponsorship program (e.g., student travel grants to yearly meeting), and assess and evaluate the financial feasibility of the scientific program.  

In joint session of these two sub-committees, co-chaired by the Program Officer and the Treasurer, the final proposal for the scientific program of the Association shall be drafted for submission to the Board no later than January 31st of each calendar year. The Board will review the proposal before discussion at the annual Spring Board meeting held in conjunction with IADR. Upon approval of the Scientific Program, the Committee shall subsequently arrange for, and coordinate all activities to implement this program.

The President and the President-Elect are ex-officio members of the Program Committee.

Section 4. Bylaws Review Committee. 

The Bylaws Review Committee shall be chaired by the Treasurer, and constituted by the two Elected Directors, the two Directors At-Large, and the Secretary.  The Committee’s charge is review the Bylaws in light of current needs of the Association, and current scientific trends, and to regular recommendations to the Board regarding the adequacy of the Bylaws including suggested revisions.

The President and the President-Elect are ex-officio members of the Bylaws Review Committee.

Section 5. Recognition Committee.

The Nominating Sub-Committee of the Recognition Committee shall be chaired by the Secretary, and constituted by one of the two Elected Directors, one of the two Directors At-Large, the Foreign Officer, the Student Officer, and the Publication Officer. The Nominating Sub-Committee’s charge is to disseminate, review, collect and tally the nominations submit the candidates for the offices on the Board, and tally election results. 

The Award Sub-Committee of the Recognition Committee shall be chaired by the Award Chair, and constituted by the other of the two Elected Directors, the other of the two Directors At-Large, the Foreign Officer, the Student Officer, and the Publication Officer. The charge of the Award Sub-Committee is to deliberate upon yearly award to be given to members of the Association in recognition to a) contribution to the field, b) service to the Association, c) Fellows and Honorary Fellows, and d) (student award) potential and creativity, to submit the nominees to the Board, and to disseminate the news through the journal. 

The President and the President-Elect are ex-officio members of the Recognition Committee.  

Section 6:  In all committees and sub-committees, voting shall be won by the majority (51% or more).

The President, or his/her delegate (e.g., President-Elect), or Chair of any given committee shall have the tie-breaking vote. 

Email vote is acceptable for all issues on the agenda of any the committees and sub-committees of the association, unless so stipulated following an emergency executive ad-hoc caucus of the Immediate Past President, the President and the President-Elect to be called and chaired by the President.

Section 7. Additional Ad Hoc Committees may be appointed by the President at his or her discretion, for periods not to exceed two years. However, any Ad Hoc Committee can be re-appointed by a subsequent President, when appropriate.

Article VII. BUDGET. DUES AND ASSESSMENTS

Meeting expenses and other operating expenses that are necessary for the orderly operation of the Association, as defined in Article I, shall be determined by the Board of Directors as a budget, and after being pro-rated among the entire membership, such expenses shall be assessed as dues. The budget and dues must be approved by the members present and voting at the Annual Meeting. Full members are required to subscribe to Critical Reviews in Oral Biology and Medicine.

Article VIII. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in Sturgis'' Rules of Order or its equivalent shall govern this Association in all cases in which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with the Bylaws or special rules of order of the Association.

Article IX. AMENDMENTS

These By-Laws may be amended only by two-thirds vote of all members in attendance at an Annual Meeting provided that notice of such amendment(s) is mailed to all members at least 60 days prior to such Annual Meeting. Amendments may be proposed by the Executive Committee (two-thirds), or by petition of any ten members of the Association to the Board during the Annual Meeting. Amendments proposed by petition shall be prepared as a secret ballot for vote by the members as part of the business agenda at the next Annual Meeting following such petition.

Article X. RATIFICATION OF BYLAWS AND INAUGURAL MEETING

Section 1. These Bylaws shall be ratified by a three stage process. The first step shall consist of seeking the initial approval of individual oral biologists, in an orderly manner. The immediate predecessor of this Bylaws document was circulated to individual oral biologists in the United States for signatures of approval of the formation of this Association for the general purposes outlined in Article I. Following a formative period of five year, individuals who signed the original By-laws document shall be known as the "Founders of the Association of Oral Biologists" provided such individuals support the Association as evidence by paying the official dues assessed to all members. Original signers who may be in arrears shall have until December 30, 1995 to certify their status as Founders and members in good standing. As of January 1, 1996, any individuals listed as Founders who are not due paying members shall be deleted from the list of Founders.

Section 2. The second step, and first approval of the Bylaws occurred at the Inaugural Meeting of the Association, held in March of 1988 in the city of Montreal, Canada. Following the initial approval of the Association as an organization, and the ratification of the initial Bylaws, the first item of business was the election of a Pro-Tem Governing Committee. The date of inception of the organization shall be considered to be March, 1988.

Section 3. The third step was a review and revision of the original Bylaws by the Pro-Tem Governing Committee following the Inaugural Meeting. The Bylaws as amended was reconsidered by the Founders at the First Annual Meeting in 1989. The Founders shall formally vote to ratify these Bylaws (dated February, 1989), as presented, or amended at this First Annual Meeting in March of 1989. The Bylaws was also revised in 1992 and 1998 at the 4th and 10th Annual Meetings, respectively.

Article XI. FOUNDERS OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ORAL BIOLOGISTS

By virtue of their signatures of approval, and actual support as outlined in Article X, Section 1, the signatories of the predecessor of this document shall be known as the Founders of the American Association of Oral Biologists, and their names shall remain affixed to these Bylaws permanently. This list of Founders, shall be included in Article XI arranged in alphabetical order of the last names. The original of this document with the actual signatures shall be maintained as a permanent historical record of the Association's beginnings by the Secretary-Treasurer. Founders shall have immediate status as Full Members of the Association as signatories, and shall be able to ratify such standing by becoming dues paying members during the initial five year formative period of the Association.

A. Birk Adams

Michael C. Alfano

Olav Alvares

Raymond Bieber

Henning Birkedal Hansen

Mark A. Bishop

Louis Blanchet

Arnold S. Bleiweis

Robert J. Boackle

Barbara D. Boyan

David G. Brown

Donald Brunette

Jarvis T. Chan

Alfred E. Ciarlone

Don B. Clewell

Charles M. Cobb

Mustafa Kh. Dabbous

Beverly A. Dale-Crunk

Paul J. Desjardins

M.W.J. Dodds

Frank Dowd

John C. Drach

J. David Eick

Kenneth R. Etzel

Dennis E. Feely

Susan Fisher

Marion E. Frank

Franklin Garcia-Godoy

Jonathan Garlick

Greg R. Germaine

Lorne Golub

Dana Graves

John S. Greenspan

Mark C. Herzberg

Thomas B. Higerd

Stanley Holt

Jeanne M. Iverson

Kenneth T. Izutsu

John J. Jandinski

Dorthea A. Johnson-Alvares

Joseph A. Kanapka

Hershall W. Kaufman

Israel Kleinberg

Dennis E. Lopatin

Ingvar Magnusson

Irwin D. Mandel

T.F. McNamara

Bernard J. Moncla

Paul A. Moore

Gregory Mooser

John P. Naftel

Frank G. Oppenheim

Jerry Pollock

N. S. Ramamurthy

Michael J. Reed

Barry Rifkin

Francisco Rivera-Hidalgo

Murray R. Robinovitch

Joel D. Rudney

John D. Rugh

David H. Shaw

John F. Sheridan

Zia Shey

Quenton T. Smith

Richard P. Suddick

Edward A. Sweeney

Lorne Taichman

Alan N. Taylor

Joseph Travers

Peter F. Van der Ven

Arthur Veis

Kathleen Dobrosielski-Vergona

Eileen L. Watson

Mark Wolff

Chou Bing Wu

James A. Yaeger

A. Moneim Zaki

Domenick T. Zero