Elections: Scientific Assembly & Group Officers, National
Delegates
Scientific Assemblies and Groups
The Scientific Assemblies and Groups serve as a forum to present and discuss scientific
work, especially at the yearly Congress and are also sometimes called upon to endorse
meetings held by other societies or associations.
Every member of the Society is eligible to participate in the work of any of the
Assemblies or Groups and can join up to three groups.
The Officers of each Assembly and Group are elected by ballot for a non-renewable term
of three years by those members holding voting rights1 within their first-choice Scientific
Group.
National Delegates
All countries with more than 10 resident ERS members are entitled to a have a National
Delegate (one per country). The National Delegate is elected from and by the ERS
members of that country during the election organised by the ERS Headquarters.
This document provides a brief outline of the roles of the Scientific Assembly and Group
Officers, and the National Delegates:
¾ Assembly Heads
¾ Assembly Secretaries
¾ Group Chairs
¾ Group Secretaries
¾ National Delegates
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Members holding voting rights in their first-choice Scientific Group are those members holding
one of the following types of Membership subscription: Full, Dual, Full Junior/Senior, Affiliate,
Member, Junior/Senior or Special Membership.
European Respiratory Society
members@ersnet.org
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Assembly Heads
All Assembly Heads serve on the Executive Committee, the Scientific Committee and the
Congress Programme Committee.
The Executive Committee directs the general activities of the Society. The function of the
Scientific Committee is to contribute to the advancement of Science in Respiratory
Medicine, for example, by means of:
- Fellowships
- Organising Research Seminars
- Task Forces (to establish Guidelines or official ERS Statements for instance).
The Congress Programme Committee is responsible for organising the scientific
programme of the annual congress. This involves:
- Proposals for symposia
- Abstract management and organisation of the free communication sessions
- Sponsorship to attend the Congress for abstract presenting authors
- Awards given at the Congress
These Committees usually meet 4-5 times per year, as a rule, along side each other.
An Assembly Head, assisted by the Assembly Secretary looks after the general running of
the Assembly, namely endorsement of meetings organised by other societies and
associations, awards within the Assembly, business meetings, information on the ERS
website, etc.
The Assembly Head position entails attendance at the annual Congress and the Spring
Meeting, as well as another three times during the year (on average).
Assembly Secretaries
Assembly Secretaries are mainly involved with the ERS School which meets 4-5 times a
year.
The main activities of the ERS School, are as follows:
- Planning and organising the postgraduate courses at the ERS Congress
- ERS School Courses (11 x 3-day courses in 2005), ERS School Seminars (at
National Meetings)
- Awarding long-term and short-term fellowships to support training
- Awarding Educational Research Grants (studies on education and distance
learning)
- Educational Task forces to support recommendations & guidelines on education
- Online Learning Resources (e-learning)
- Breathe (the new educational journal from the ERS)
An Assembly Secretary also assists the Assembly Head in the general running of the
Assembly, namely endorsement of meetings organised by other societies and
associations, awards within the Assembly, business meetings, information on the ERS
website, etc.
Assembly Secretaries are also the “scientific advisors” for the ELF. They might be asked
to compile or review information for patients and the general public using the School
educational material.
The Assembly Secretary position entails attendance at the annual Congress and the
Spring Meeting, as well as another three meetings during the year (on average). The
Assembly Secretary is required to attend the Assembly Head’s meetings (Executive
Committee, Scientific Committee or Congress Programme Committee) if the Assembly
Head is unable to attend.
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European Respiratory Society
members@ersnet.org
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Group Chairs
The Assemblies and Groups are notably responsible for planning the scientific programme
of the annual Congress. The Group Chairs are involved with reviewing abstracts which
have been selected and to organise the free communication sessions - Oral
presentations, Poster discussions, and Thematic Posters. This is carried out online, but
the finalising and attribution of session chairs is carried out during the Spring Meeting
held in May of each year.
Each Group is very different as to their activities and this directly effects the work load of
the officers involved (for instance, with regards the numbers of abstracts submitted). The
Group Chair directs the general running of the Group, such as organising the annual
business meeting (held during the ERS annual Congress), any Task Forces, or
endorsement of meetings held outside of the ERS.
The Group Chair position entails attendance at the annual Congress and the Spring
Meeting.
Group Secretaries
Group Secretaries mainly assist the Group Chairs with reviewing abstracts in preparation
for the annual Congress, and with the general running of the Group such as organising
the annual business meeting (held during the annual Congress), any Task Forces, and
website information.
For the annual Congress, the Group Secretaries assist the Group Chairs in reviewing
abstracts which have been selected and to organise the free communication sessions Oral presentations, Poster discussions, and Thematic Posters. This is carried out online,
but the finalising and attribution of session chairs is done by the Group Chairs during the
Spring Meeting held in May of each year. Should the Group Chair be unable to attend this
meeting, the Group Secretary should replace him or her.
The brief descriptions of the Scientific Groups on the ERS website are usually updated by
the Group Secretaries. In the case of the annual business meeting, the Group Chair and
Group Secretary usually collaborate together to organise the agenda, run the meeting
and later organise any minutes or meeting reports that they might wish to have
distributed to members of the Group. Some Groups hold their business meeting within
the frame of the Assembly business meeting (also held during the ERS annual Congress).
The Group Secretary position entails attendance at the annual Congress but is not
required to attend the Spring Meeting except to replace the Group Chair.
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European Respiratory Society
members@ersnet.org
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National Delegates
The main responsibility for the National Delegate position is to represent the interests of
the ERS within his or her country and to represent the interests of the ERS members in
their country within the ERS. This can take many shapes and forms and at the moment is
dependent on the candidate elected to the position and what they wish to achieve.
National Delegates assist ERS staff (for instance the Membership office), with contact or
communication with the ERS members in their country. Delegates often help us
understand our Members better, or assist us with practical aspects such as postal
addresses or organisation of ERS representation at the National Meeting. The
Membership Office asks National Delegates to officially welcome new Members joining the
Society and to encourage feedback from non-renewing Members.
Officially, the National Delegate should also ensure communication between the National
Society and the ERS.
National Delegates are also members of the ERS Council which is responsible for electing
the Senior ERS Officers (Presidents, Treasurers, Scientific Chairs, etc.) and other
similar decisions. The Council meets once a year, during the annual Congress. There is
also an annual National Delegates' meeting held during the same Congress. There are no
other meetings to be attended during the year.
A National Delegate can be called upon to serve on the Nomination Committee (rota
basis) and may be elected to serve on the Membership Committee (election by the
Executive Committee).
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European Respiratory Society
members@ersnet.org
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