Minutes of the PacificCoast Obstetrical
and Gynecological Society
First Meeting of the Board of Directors
Sun Valley, Idaho
October 4, 2006
Present: President Ken Burry, President-Elect Frank Gamberdella, Secretary/Treasurer Jerry Shefren, Assistant Secretary Robert Prins, Directors Robin Cole, Bill Parer,Mike Medchill,Martin Schwartz, Roger Schlesinger, Editor Scientific Proceedings Phil Patton, and Past President Ron Millard.
Invited Guests, James Fearl Arrangements Chair 2006, Paul Kaplan Program Chair 2006, Lyman Rust Historian, David Lagrew Program Chair 2007, Martha Goetsch in coming Caucus Chair Portland
President Burry called the meeting to order at 4:30PM.
The Minutes of the Interim Board of Directors’ Meeting 2006 in San Francisco were approved by the Board.
Secretary/Treasurer Shefren gave a report of the current status of the Society.
Secretary’s Report 2006
The seventy second annual meeting of the Society was held on September 28 – October 2, 2005 at the Grand Hyatt Kauai, PoipuBeach,Kauai, Hawaii. In attendance were 81 Fellows, 12 Retired Fellows, 8 Society Guests, 13 Caucus Guests, 8 Personal Guests, 6Ted Adams and Frank Lynch Scholarship Guests, and 15 Guests of the Board of Directors. In addition there were 94 spouses and companions for a total attendance of 240. The differential in the registration fees for Fellows and Companions appears to have been successful as I heard no complaints from the membership and the attendance was excellent.
The meeting financials had a positive balance of $25,890 and we had $22,600 in Educational Grants.
The finances for the Society continue to remain positive and we have grown our reserves steadily over the past 6 years. The accounts had a total of $206,510 on December 31, 2005and we have an addition $25,000 from the Ralph Walker estate for a total of $231,510.
The Arrangements Chair 2006 and the Secretary went on a site visit to the Sun Valley to finalize the preparations for the 2006 meeting scheduled for October 4-October 8. The facilities have been upgraded in the last few years and should provide an excellent venue for the meeting.
We have collected a total of $3890 in Memorial Fund contributions so far this year from 33 Fellows. The total Memorial Fund accounts at years end was $272,900 which includes the payment for Ted Adams Scholarship and Frank Lynch expenses for the 2005 Kauai meeting of $13,096. If we assume a 5% return on the Ted Adams Scholarship Fund we can spend $9000 for the Ted Adams awards which would be enough for 5 scholarships.
The current ratio of Fellows to Senior Fellows is 66.14%. We have seen a significant increase of Fellows to a total of 171 and an overall membership of 263. We will need a By-Laws amendment this year to raise the current Fellows ceiling. I would recommend that we remove the limit and allow the Board to track and control the membership through the acceptance of Caucus and Society Guests. The membership has been notified of this change and a By-Laws change will be voted on at the first business meeting.
PCOGS was asked to participate with the CMA Foundation on a Task Force on cervical cancer. We received a $4000 grant from the Foundation for our participation. The goal of the task force is to educate the public about cervical cancer and especially the availability of the new vaccine.
Jack Enbom has indicated that he wishes to step down from the photographer position that he has held for the past 4 years. The Society will need to appoint another photographer to take over after the Sun Valley meeting.
The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology will undergo very significant changes this year that will have a number of important implications for the Society. The minutes of the Interim Board explains those changes which revolve around free internet distribution of the journal as well as changes in the methodology of accepting papers for publication.
In summary the Society finances remain in good condition with steadily increasing reserves. We have made a profit on the last 4 meetings and with our expenses decreasing the Society finances show a steadily increase in reserves and increasing Fellow memberships.
MEMBERSHIP REPORT
MEMORIAL FUNDS REPORT
REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY
Assistant Secretary Prins advised the Board that he has moved the Website to a new webmaster and has been working with a company to completely revamp the website. It will have additional features including a chat room for members, ability to pay dues and meeting registration online by credit card, and a new look. He is hoping to make the switch in the near future. The current website has been updated.
REPORT OF THE HISTORIAN
Historian Rust indicated that the histories our now up to date and he has changed the format to make it easier to identify the speakers and the papers. He has continued to convert the albums from 1990 going forward and has only 1990 and 1991 left.
REPORT OF THE PROGRAM CHAIR 2006
Dr. Kaplan reported that their were originally 19 Society guest papers for oral presentation but one dropped out so we will have 18 Society guest papers and 5 from fellows. In addition we will have a total of 8 posters. He noted that the program had an error in that Society Guest Yasser El-Sayed has a oral presentation. There will be a handout at the meeting with a correction.
He also commented that it had been a difficult year getting the presenters to complete their work on time and still did not have a number of manuscripts by the time of the meeting. The Board was very concerned about process and has asked the Program Committee to make a recommendation about how to improve the process.
He also thanked Dean Coonrod for handling the CME activities and David Lagrew for managing the Ted Adams – Frank Lynch process
REPORT OF THE EDITOR OF SCIENTIFIC PROCEEDINGS
Editor Patton submitted a detailed report on the activities for the year and how the new process with the AJOG was going. That new process has made a very significant change in the timeline, acceptance rate, and overall change in the relationship with the Society.
The pre-review process instituted by the Society this year was used by 10 of the 23 authors. A emailed poll of those using the process indicated that they thought is was helpful. Inspite of this, 13 ended up not submitting a final manuscript and 5 of those went through the pre-screening process. We ended up sending 11 papers to the Journal but have not heard back how many will be accepted.
REPORT OF THE ARRANGEMENTS CHAIR 2006
Arrangements Chair Fearl reported the that the hotel has been cooperative and no major problems have occurred. We are expected to be within budget. Because of the rain risk the events will take place indoors and appropriate preparations have been made.
REPORT OF THE INDUSTRY LIAISON
We have received educational grants totaling $30,000 from the following sponsors: Barr, Genzyme, Gyrus/ACMI, Olympus, Organon, Ortho/Women’s Heath, TAP, US Surgical, Wyeth, Berlex, Ferring, & Cook. It was a very successful year for the industry liaisons.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
- LENGTH OF PRESENTATIONS
The Board discussed the length of presentations at the meeting which now are 15 minutes for the speaker, 5 for the formal discussant, and 5 for informal discussion, and then the conclusion. That format has limited the number of papers to 23 in the current meeting format. Since we have a larger number of Society Guests it has limited the number of Fellow presentations. The Board acknowledged that we have several options one being to shorten the speaker presentation to 10 minutes with the rest remaining the same. This could increase the number of presentations to 30 or more. The Board asked that the Caucuses discuss the shorter format of 10/5/5 and present their views at the 2nd business meeting. The Board will consider changes at the second Board meeting on Saturday.
- ARRANGEMENTS CHAIR 2007
Lyman Rust discussed his meeting with the Hyatt at LakeLas Vegas. He wants to get a sense of the membership about a evening at one of the shows on the strip. This could be in combination with the Caucus parties on the free night. He will discuss this at the first business meeting.
3.BYLAWS CHANGES
The Board of Directors has approved the following By-Laws changes to submit for approval at the first business meeting. The additions are bolded and underlined, and the cross through to be removed.
Article VI Section I Nominating Committee
Each Caucus shall annually elect an individual, other than the Caucus Chairman, for a three-year term to serve on the Nominating Committee. If that individual is unable to attend the annual meeting, the Caucus Chair will choose a replacement for that meeting. The Past President will serve as Chairman and a nonvoting member of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee will consider in selecting nominees; prior positions held with the Society, participation in the scientific programs, geographical and caucus membership, and length of time as a fellow. The members of the nominating committee will serve staggered terms so that all members of the committee will not be replaced at the same time. The President shall appoint a chairman from among this group. The committee shall nominate candidates for President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, and Assistant Secretary. The Nominating Committee shall make its report at the final Business Session. Nominations may also be made from the floor. The election of officers will follow immediately thereafter.
Article III Section 2 Special Meetings
A special meeting may be called at any time by the President or by a majority of the Board of Directors, or upon written request of ten (10) THIRTY (30) Fellows, at a convenient time and place to be designated by the Board of Directors. Notice of a special meeting shall be sent by mail to each Fellow at least fifteen (15) days prior, stating the place, date, hour, and special business for which the meeting is called, and no other business shall be conducted except that stated in the call for the meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 6 PM
Respectfully Submitted
Jerry Shefren, M.D.
Secretary/Treasurer
FUTURE MEETINGS
2007 Hyatt Regency at LakeLas Vegas
Los Angeles Caucus Host
2008 Fairmont Empress, Victoria, Washington
October 8-14, 2008Seattle Caucus Host