This section shall be known as the Cellular Therapies Section of the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) and shall be subject to all provisions of the Bylaws of the AABB.
The purpose of this Section is to represent the interests of Individual Members of the AABB who are concerned with the medical, clinical, educational, scientific, technical, operational, quality, and regulatory aspects of cellular therapies. Specifically, it should be an official channel of communication between the Individual Members of the cellular therapies community and the AABB Board of Directors, its officers and committees; to advise the AABB Board of Directors and its officers on matters relevant to the Association; and identify new or emerging areas in the field that have importance for the cellular therapies community.
The activities of the Section are intended to be broad and shall include assignments approved by the Cellular Therapies Section Coordinating Committee (CTSCC), which will benefit the AABB, the cellular therapies community and the patients and donors we serve.
The activities of the Section are subject to the approval of the Board of Directors of the AABB.
Membership shall be open to any Individual Member of the AABB. Membership in another section shall not exclude an individual from membership in the Cellular Therapies Section. In order to become a member of the Section, individuals must complete a Section Membership registration form.
There shall be a meeting of the Section at the time of each Annual Meeting of the AABB.
The membership of the Section may be subdivided into two or more Subsections according to the direction of the CTSCC in order to enhance the participation of Section members along lines of specific professional interest. Subsections will be led by a Leader selected from the CTSCC and an Associate Leader selected from the Subsection. The CTSCC shall review the subsections on a periodic basis for their continued relevance.
Additional or new Subsections also may be created on petition to the CTSCC by 15 or more Section members of their interest in creating a distinct Subsection with professional responsibilities that do not substantially overlap existing Subsections.
The CTSCC shall be elected from Individual Members from the Section.
The CTSCC shall consist of 16 Individual Members from the Section, except as provided in Chapter IV, Section 4. This membership shall include the Leaders of each Subsection plus additional members elected by the Section membership as a whole. At least one Member shall be elected who is from outside of the United States and represents the international membership of the Section.
Nominations for vacant positions for CTSCC officers shall be elected from CTSCC members.
Nominations for vacant non-officer CTSCC positions shall be elected from members of the Section.
Elections to fill these positions shall be held annually via a method determined by the CTSCC.
Committee members, except for the Chair, shall serve for a three-year term , and shall not be elected to more than two terms in succession. If elected to the Chair, a member may serve a third term, which shall be two-years. In such instances, the total membership of the CTSCC shall be 17.
The CTSCC shall meet at least annually and as needed to complete its charges. The time of such meetings shall be determined by the CTSCC Chair. The order of business of the Committee shall be conducted under the Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure.
Should vacancies of position(s) on the CTSCC occur, the position shall be declared vacant by the CTSCC at its next regular monthly meeting. Selection of member(s) to fill vacant position(s) shall be made from the list of those who received the next highest votes in the most recent CTSCC election. If no candidate can be identified through the election process, the remaining members of the CTSCC, by majority vote, shall elect an individual who meets all requirements for service on the CTSCC. The selected individual will complete the unexpired term of his or her predecessor on the CTSCC.
For the purposes of initially constituting the Section, the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and other members of the CTSCC shall be elected by the Section membership. Members of the CTSCC shall be elected for one, two or three year terms, which terms shall be randomly assigned. A slate of officers and a slate of other candidates shall be proposed to the Section for this election. Three positions will be open for general nominations.
Officers of the Section shall be a Chair, a Vice-Chair and a Secretary.
The Chair of the Section shall be elected by the members of the CTSCC and shall serve for a two-year term but not more than two terms in succession. The Vice-Chair and Secretary of the Section shall be elected by the members of the CTSCC.
The duties of the Officers shall be as follows: The Chair shall serve on the AABB Board of Directors and shall attend all of the Board's meetings as the official voting representative of the Section. The Chair shall be required to report the activities of the Section to the AABB Board of Directors at each Board Meeting and to report the activities to all members of the CTSCC following each Board Meeting. The Chair shall direct and coordinate the activities of the Section and the CTSCC. The Vice-Chair, in the absence of the Chair, shall perform all duties of the Chair. Should the office of Chair become vacant for any reason, the Vice-Chair will serve as Chair until the next meeting of the Section. The Vice-Chair shall be the CTSCC representative to the other Section Coordinating Committees. The Secretary shall keep a summary of all meetings of the CTSCC, and the Section Meeting, and shall be responsible for maintaining an action list of all assignments and projects delegated to Section Members.
The CTSCC shall encourage participation from all Section Members.
The CTSCC will consider undertaking projects requested by Section Members that are within the capabilities of the Committee.
The Section Guidelines may be amended by recommendation of the CTSCC with approval of the Section Membership and the AABB Board of Directors.
Staff Assistance: A member of the AABB National Office will be designated to provide support to the CTSCC.
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