ARTICLE 2 – MEMBERSHIP

1.01       Classes of Membership.  There shall be the following classes of membership in the Society:

a.            Individual Member

b.            Honorary Member

c.             Emeritus Member

d.            Member-in-Training

e.            Corporate Member

1.02       Individual Member.  Any physician who holds a degree of Doctor of Medicine or basic scientist who holds a degree of Doctor of Philosophy may be eligible for consideration for membership.  Physicians must hold a valid and unrestricted license to practice medicine.

a.            In addition, the following criteria for physicians should be met:

1.            at least one year of post-residency training or experience with special emphasis on diseases of the posterior segment.

2.            authorship, as first or corresponding author, of at least three publications related to imaging of posterior segment diseases that have been published within the preceding four years in a refereed, peer reviewed journal;

3.            recommendation for membership by two Individual Members of the Society.

b.            Basic scientists with PhD degrees should have:

1.            an interest in retinal imaging;

2.            authorship, as first or corresponding author, of at least three publications related to imaging of posterior segment diseases that have been published within the preceding four years in a refereed, peer reviewed journal;

3.            recommendation for membership by two Individual Members of the Society.

c.             The Membership Committee has full discretion in weighing the merits of each application, particularly the number and impact of scientific publications, and other criteria in making final recommendations for membership to the society.

d.            Certain candidates for membership who have made major contributions in the field of interest of the Society may be admitted to the Society on recommendation of the Membership Committee without fulfilling the previously mentioned criteria.

1.03       Honorary Members.  Any person who has singularly distinguished him/herself in the field of macular or retinal-vascular diseases may become an Honorary Member upon the unanimous recommendation of the Executive Committee.  Honorary membership is awarded to the recipient for life.

1.04       Emeritus Members.  Any Individual Member who has been accepted through the application process, may, upon attaining the age of 70, request that their membership be converted to Emeritus status. Emeritus Members must have retired from clinical practice.

1.05       Member-in-Training.

a.            Following criteria must be met to be eligible for consideration for special, early-career membership.

1.            A current MD student, physician, or basic scientist in active fellowship or residency training with special emphasis on diseases of the posterior segment; OR

a current PhD student in training or in postdoctoral with special emphasis on diseases of the posterior segment.

2.            Recommendation for membership by at least one Individual Member of the Society.

b.            Membership in the Member-in-Training category is valid for the duration of the fellowship or residency and expires on the date the fellowship or residency ends. At an appropriate future date, the candidate may apply as an Individual Member (see Individual Member section above).

1.06       Corporate Members.  Corporations with an interest in the advancement of retinal imaging are eligible to become members.

a.            A Corporate Representative’s affiliation with IntRIS ceases if they leave the Company they were selected to represent. These individuals may become Corporate Representative again if they are later employed by the same or a different Corporate Member.

b.            Corporate Representatives are not Individual Members and, therefore, do not have the right to vote, submit an abstract, present at meetings, endorse candidates, or serve on the EC or and other committees except the Industry Committee. Corporate Representatives may not present at meetings outside of special sessions designated for industry presentations, except as nominated by the Meetings and Programs Committee and approved by the Executive Committee.

c.             Corporatate representatives who wish to have full membership privileges and meet the criteria may also apply for Individual Membership.

1.07       Definition of Members.  A Member is defined as a person who satisfies the requirements of membership, affirmatively accepts the society’s invitation to become a member, and maintains a relationship with the society by having a significant organizational attachment demonstrated by affirmation of membership, paying of dues, and direct participatory rights in meetings. Unless otherwise specifically designated, the term “members” shall include Individual Members, Honorary Members, and Emeritus Members. Corporate Membership is associated with a company, not an individual, and Corporate Representatives are not Members. Members-in-training are not Members.

1.08       Voting and Holding Office in the Society.  Only Individual Members of the Society in good standing are considered “active” and are entitled to vote on any matter or to hold any office in the Society.

1.09       Election of Members.  Election of members to the Society shall be as follows:

a.            Any individual who feels that he/she may be eligible for membership may complete an application online.

b.            The candidate for the Society must be endorsed by two Individual or Honorary Members of the Society.  Individual and Honorary Members are restricted during each voting period to endorse only one candidate for the Society. This restriction will not apply to Executive Committee Members, who will be able to endorse multiple candidates. Endorsements are to be made electronically to the Membership Committee.  Restrictions on endorsements are limited to the nomination process only and not to actual voting procedure. It is the responsibility of the applicant to secure and submit the required recommendations.

c.             The Membership Committee reviews completed applications for membership before recommending nominees for election to membership. Two-thirds of the membership votes must approve the recommendation for an individual to be elected as a member.

d.            Nominees not elected to membership may reapply, with new letters of recommendation for consideration in the following year. Nominees should be aware that if they are not accepted in a given year, they should have made substantive improvement in their application to merit membership.  If the nominee is not elected to membership on the second try he/ she shall be required to wait for one calendar year and then reapply as outlined above.

1.10       Rights and Privileges of Members.

All active Members in good standing have the right to attend IntRIS annual meetings.
Additionally:

a.            Individual Members have the opportunity to present at meetings, and the right to vote, endorse candidates for membership, hold office, participate in committees, and nominate others for office or committee membership.  

1.            Individual Member can sponsor only 1 Member-in-Training to present per annual meeting. Individual Member must also submit an abstract and be present at the annual meeting.

b.            Honorary Members have the opportunity to present at meetings and the right to endorse candidates for membership.

c.             Emeritus Members have the opportunity to present at meetings.

d.            Members-in-Training have the right to attend IntRIS annual meetings and access the members’ website. Members-in-Training can only submit abstracts or present at IntRIS annual meetings when sponsored by an active IntRIS Individual Member who must submit an abstract and be present at the annual meeting. Members-in-Training cannot vote, endorse candidates for membership, hold office, participate in committees, and nominate others for office or committee membership.

e.            Corporate Members have the opportunity to present in special meeting sessions designated for industry presentations, and the right to nominate Corporate Representatives to present at these special sessions. Corporate Representatives, designated by Corporate Members, must be approved by the Membership Committee.

f.              Corporate Representatives do not have the rights of Individual Members (see 2.09.a) but have the opportunity to be nominated for membership on the Industry Committee.

1.11       Fees and Assessments. 

a.            Application fees, annual membership dues, scientific meeting registration fees, assessments and other fees for each class of membership shall be established annually by the Executive Committee.  Annual dues may be established on a twelve month period other than a calendar year.  Assessments and fees shall be payable at such time or times as the Executive Committee shall determine.

b.            Members may not present at the annual meeting, unless dues are paid in full. Dues shall be considered delinquent if not paid within 30 days of invoice date. After 30 days, a 15% penalty shall be assessed; after 60 days an additional 25% penalty shall be assessed on the amount of the outstanding dues, plus previous penalties. After 90 days membership become inactive. Members are responsible for submitting change of address, phone, and email to IntRIS, to ensure that invoices are received.

c.             Honorary and Emeritus Members shall be exempt from annual membership dues.

d.            Members-in-Training shall have a separate, reduced fee structure which shall be established annually by the Executive Committee.

e.            Corporate Members shall have a separate fee structure which shall be established annually by the Executive Committee.

1.12       Termination and Resignation. A Member who is required to pay dues, assessments, or any other fee and fails to pay within 90 days of the invoice date shall be considered inactive until all balances are paid in full. Upon payment, full membership privileges shall be restored. A Member who remains inactive for 12 months is subject to automatic termination of his/her membership in the Society.  After giving such Member sixty days electronic or written notice to pay delinquencies, the Executive Committee may terminate his/her membership.

a.            A Member who has been so terminated may be reinstated by paying all past-due balances in full.

b.            A Member whose license to practice medicine or whose certificate issued by a medical board has been revoked or suspended shall be subject to termination of membership in the Society.  Such termination shall become effective upon sixty days electronic and written notice to the Member at his or her last known email and street addresses, setting forth the intention of the Society to terminate the member’s membership, the basis for the termination and the right to appeal as permitted in Section 2.14 of these By-Laws.  If such Member appeals pursuant to Section 2.14 of these By-Laws, the termination shall be held in abeyance until the Executive Committee has rendered a final decision.

c.             Any Member of any class who is not delinquent in the payment of dues or assessments may file his/her resignation electronically or in writing with the President, and he/she shall cease to be a Member of the Society as of the date such resignation is filed.

1.13       Failure to Attend Scientific Meetings.  Any Individual Member who fails to attend three consecutive Annual meetings of the Society shall be subject to automatic termination of his/her membership effective upon sixty days’ notice to such member.  This termination can be waived by the unanimous vote of the members of the Executive Committee upon the request of the Member in question.

1.14       Right of Appeal.  Any Member given notice of termination or expulsion from the Society has the right to appeal electronically or in writing to the President.  Such appeal shall be considered and acted upon by the Executive Committee.

Any decision of the Executive Committee shall be rendered electronically or in writing, delivered to the member, and shall be final and unappealable.

1.15       Memberships Not Transferable.  No membership or right arising from membership shall be transferred.  All membership rights cease on the member’s death or dissolution.