CTTSS Bylaws

CTTSS Bylaws (Revised in May 2020)

Article I—Name

The name of this organization shall be the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section, also known as the “CTTSS”, a Specialty Section of the Society of Toxicology.

Article II—Objectives and Purpose

The objectives of the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section shall be:

To serve as the focal point for interaction of members of the Society of Toxicology interested in clinical and translational toxicology.
To increase awareness among Society members of the impact of acute and chronic poisoning as seen in clinical practice; to highlight shortfalls in the available diagnostic and treatment methods, especially therapeutic interventions; to identify uncertainty in regards to the pathogenic processes in some intoxications and to stimulate research that will enhance the diagnosis and treatment of patients with acute or chronic poisoning.
To act as a resource to the Society in the area of human toxicology.
To develop, propose, and sponsor state-of-the-art symposia, workshops, and continuing education courses at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology in order to emphasize the latest developments and issues in clinical and translational toxicology.

No part of the net earnings of the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to it members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the Specialty Section shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes herein-above set forth.

No substantial part of the activities of the corporation shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation and the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Article III—Membership

Members in good standing of the Society of Toxicology shall become members of the Specialty Section upon payment of dues.

Article IV—Officers, Councilors, and Representatives

Section 1. The Executive Committee (EC) of the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section shall be comprised of the President, Vice President, Vice President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer and three Councilors. Only Full, Associate, Retired, or Emeritus members in good standing of the Society of Toxicology and the Specialty Section shall be eligible for election as officers in the Presidential or Treasurer chain.

Section 2. There shall be a Postdoctoral (postdoctoral fellow/researcher; fellow in clinical/medical toxicology) Representative and a Student (medical student; graduate student; medical resident) Representative, who shall act as liaisons between the postdoctoral fellows and students, respectively, and the Executive Committee.

Section3. Officers, Councilors, and Representatives shall take office on May 1 following the SOT Annual Meeting at which their election is announced or one month after the Annual Meeting if it is held, any year, after April 1.

Article V—Election of Officers

Section 1.The President shall serve for a term of one year, becoming Past President/Councilor in the following year. The President shall preside at all meetings.

Section 2. The Vice President shall accede to the office of President after serving one year as Vice President. The Vice President shall serve in the absence of the President.

Section 3. The Vice President-Elect shall be chosen by a vote of the membership and shall accede to the office of Vice President after serving one year as Vice President-Elect. The Vice President-Elect shall serve in the absence of the Vice President.

Section 4. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be chosen by a vote of the membership for a term of two years.

Section 5. There shall be three Councilors. Two of these Councilors shall be chosen by vote of the membership for a term of two years. One Councilor shall be elected each year. The third Councilor shall be the immediate Past President, who will serve a term of one year.

Section 6. The Postdoctoral and Student Representatives shall be elected by a vote of the membership for a term of two years each.

Section 7. Elections shall be held annually by email ballot prior to the SOT Annual Meeting.

Section 8. In the event of a vacancy in an elective office, other than the Presidency or Vice Presidency, the Specialty Section's Executive Committee may make an appointment or may provide for a special election to fill the vacancy until the unexpired term is completed. In the event of a vacancy in the Presidency, the Vice President accedes to that office until the unexpired term of the Presidency is completed and shall serve as President the following year; similarly, the Vice President-Elect accedes to the office of Vice President, should that office become vacant, until the unexpired term of the Vice Presidency is completed and shall serve as Vice President the following year.

Section 9. A special election must be held to fill the office of Vice President-Elect should the office become vacant; however, the Executive Committee may make an appointment to fill the vacancy until such time that an election can be conducted.

Article VI—Administration

Section 1. The Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section shall be governed by the Executive Committee (EC) except as otherwise herein expressly provided.

Section 2. The Executive Committee shall consist of four officers and three Councilors. The President of the Specialty Section shall serve as Chair of the Executive Committee. Four members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

Section 3. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section and of the Executive Committee and shall perform such duties as may be directed by the Executive Committee. In the President's absence, the succeeding order of officers shall preside.

Section 4. The Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section shall comply with the following provisions in order to retain its status as an authorized body within the Society of Toxicology.

The Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section shall provide annual reports of its activities for the current year as well as plans of programs, activities, and finances for the following year. Annual reports shall be submitted to the Society of Toxicology by the required date of each year.
Annual reports shall be reviewed by the SOT Council, which shall consult with the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section as necessary.
Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section policy statements must be reviewed and approved by the Society of Toxicology Council prior to release.

Section 5. The Secretary/Treasurer shall have fiduciary responsibilities for all monies of the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section and shall authorize all disbursements as appropriate. The Secretary/Treasurer shall transmit to the successor in office all funds and property of the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section in his/her possession. The Secretary/Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all transactions of all meetings.

No funds shall be expended by or in the name of the Chapter to the extent that the expenditure, if made by the Society of Toxicology, would represent use of funds for a purpose or purposes not within the Society’s exempt purposes under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Any Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section funds or other property remaining at the time of termination or abandonment or dissolution of the Specialty Section shall be turned over to the Society of Toxicology and shall become a part of the Society’s general funds.

Section 6. The responsibilities of the Executive Committee are summarized as follows:

Immediate Past President. The Immediate Past President provides experiential guidance to the Executive Committee.
President. The President provides leadership and direction for the future of the Specialty Section. The President represents the Specialty Section at the SOT Annual Meeting and other meetings. The President is the final decision-maker for the Specialty Section. The President is responsible, with input from the Secretary-Treasurer, for organizing through the SOT the Executive Committee meeting at the SOT Annual Meeting.
Vice President. The Vice Presidentis a standing member of the Program Committee. They may attend SOT-sponsored meetings of Specialty Section Officers throughout the year and at the Annual Meeting. The Vice President shall be the ToXchange Community Site Administrator; duties include monitoring Forum Discussion, posting documents (such as meeting agendas and minutes) to the File Library, etc. A more detailed list of responsibilities and policies can be found in the Guidelines to the Administration of Sites on ToXchange for Regional Chapters, Special Interest Groups and Specialty Sections on the SOT website.
Vice President-Elect. The Vice President-Elect is the Chair of the Program Committee and, as such, determines the process of proposal selection and communicates those selections to the membership. The Vice President-Elect may attend SOT-sponsored meetings of Specialty Section Officers throughout the year and at the Annual Meeting.
Secretary-Treasurer. The Secretary-Treasurer is responsible for coordinating the finances of the Specialty Section with the SOT Headquarters, and provides a financial report at the Annual Meeting. The Secretary/Treasurer will also oversee the newsletter.
Councilors. Councilors provide general scientific and organizational guidance for the Specialty Section. The first-year elected Councilor shall solicit nominees and preside over the selection of the Specialty Section’s Career Achievement Award, which may be awarded to a member of the Specialty Section at the annual business meeting. The second-year incurred Councilor shall solicit and preside over the selection of the Specialty Section graduate student and postdoctoral fellow awards presented at the annual business meeting. The 3rd Councilor will be an incurred position and held by the Immediate Past President. The Immediate Past President/ third Councilor provides experiential guidance to the Executive Committee.
Postdoctoral Representative. The Postdoctoral Representative serves in an advisory capacity to the Executive Committee on mechanisms by which the Specialty Section could help serve postdoctoral needs in terms of education and mentoring.
Student Representative. The Student Representative serves in an advisory capacity to the Executive Committee on mechanisms by which the Specialty Section could help serve student needs in terms of education and mentoring.

Article VII—Meetings

Section 1. Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section meetings shall be held at least annually and as dictated by the scientific and educational programs of the Specialty Section. The time and place of each meeting shall be established by the Executive Committee and be communicated to the membership at least one month before each meeting.

Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President at any time, with the approval of the Executive Committee or the presentation of a petition to the President, signed by 20% of the members of the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section in good standing.

Section 3. A quorum shall consist of 20% of the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section members in good standing.

Section 4. Executive Committee meetings shall be held at the discretion of the President at any time during the year provided a notice of at least seven (7) days is given.

Article VIII—Dues

The dues are established by SOT Council and are the same for all Specialty Sections. A request for variance from the established rate shall be directed to SOT Council. Special fees outside of the dues structure can also be collected if pre-arranged through the Specialty Section Liaison.

Article IX—Committees

Section 1. The Vice President elect shall be the Chair of the Program Committee and designate its members which may include members of the specialty section in good standing that are outside of the Executive Committee. The Program Committee shall develop scientific and educational programs and will complete arrangements for speakers and for meeting places and provide the Secretary/Treasurer with the program. The Secretary/Treasurer will, in turn, notify the membership.

Section 2. The President shall appoint any other committees as required by the By-Laws and shall automatically become an ex-officio member of such committees. Members of such committees serve at the discretion of the President.

Article X—Amendments

Section 1. Amendments to these By-Laws may be presented by any member in good standing at any regular meeting of the Clinical and Translational Toxicology Specialty Section or any special meeting called for that specific purpose. They shall be presented in writing and shall be offered to the membership present at that meeting on motion for consideration and circulation to the membership. A simple majority shall be necessary to pass the motion.

Section 2. Amendments accepted for future consideration and circulation shall be forwarded to the Specialty Section Staff Liaison to be circulated with a ballot to all members in good standing. A two-thirds affirmation vote of the ballots returned within 30 days shall be necessary for adoption of any amendment.

Section 3. Amendments to these By-Laws must be approved by the SOT Council before they become effective. This is done to insure that future changes in these By-Laws will have the same force as the original document, which was so approved.