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Faculty Advancement and Engagement University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville
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WIMS Bylaws

UF Health Science Center- Jacksonville Women in Medicine and Science Bylaws

Article I: Name

The name of the organization shall be UF Health Science Center – Jacksonville Women in Medicine & Science (WIMS).

Article II: Mission

The mission of the organization shall be to promote and invest in advancement, leadership and success for women in medicine and science by facilitating career opportunities through engagement, collaboration, networking, education and mentorship.

Article III: Membership

Membership in the WIMS organization shall be open to all faculty, residents and students of the UFHSC-Jacksonville colleges of medicine, nursing and pharmacy. 

Membership in the WIMS organization will consist of joining the WIMS listserv, attending educational and social sessions, and receiving monthly newsletters.  Members will have the opportunity to get involved in committees and take leadership positions within the organization.  

Article IV: Governance

Section 1: Executive Committee

The governance of the organization and the management of its affairs shall be vested in the Executive Committee (EC). The EC should consist of:

  • 2 Co-Chairs
  • Chairs of Standing Committees
  • Chair-Elects of Standing Committees
  • WIMS Resident Committee Chair or designee
  • Ex Officio voting members include:
    • Senior advisors (Past Co-Chairs of WIMS who are eligible to remain involved as senior advisors for up to three years following the conclusion of their term as Co-Chairs) 
    • Associate Dean for Faculty Advancement and Engagement 

Section 2: Selection of Officers

The officers shall be nominated and voted upon by the membership at large.  Officers shall serve for a term of two years and may be reelected for one additional term. If there are no nominees for an office, the Co-Chair shall appoint a member to the position.  The officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the Regular membership.

To be eligible for Co-Chair of the Executive Committee, a nominee must have served as a previous member of the EC as a Chair or Chair-Elects of Standing Committees or in some other position of the EC. 

Should a co-chair seat become vacant during the term of office, a special election will be held.  

Section 3: Officers

  1. Co-Chairs

The Co-Chairs shall manage and direct the overall functioning of the organization in consultation with the UF College of Medicine Associate Dean for Facuty Advancement and Engagment. The specific duties of the Co-Chairs shall include:

  1. Serving as Chairperson of the EC
  2. Presiding at all business meetings
  3. Calling special meetings as needed
  4. Appointment members to ad hoc committees or task forces
  5. Filling any vacancy that arises on the EC
  6. Co-Presenting an annual report to the membership with the Associate Dean 
  7. Assuring that incoming Officers are properly oriented
  8. Assisting in planning annual WIMS conference 

The Co-Chair automatically becomes Immediate Past Co-Chair after serving the two year term.

  1. Immediate Past Co-Chair

The Past Co-Chair shall:

  1. Serve as an advisor to the EC and officers
  2. Serve as a voting member of the EC

Section 3: Quorum

A quorum of the EC shall consist of greater than 50% of the EC members.

Article V: Committees

Section 1: Standing Committees

The standing committees of WIMS are established to assist in achieving the goals of the organization. Standing committees shall include:

  1. Education Committee: This committee will provide education on academic and nonacademic topics including gender bias in the workplace, leadership skills and career development. This committee will facilitate educational meetings for WIMS membership, which is open to all faculty.
  2. Communications Committee: This committee will keep members informed of events and opportunities by developing and overseeing social media content, email list-serves and a WIMS newsletter.
  3. Allyship Committee: This committee will recruit, develop and engage men in medicine and sciences at UFHSC-Jacksonville to personally become agents of positive change with the goal of creating a psychological safe environment for all faculty, residents and  staff. This committee will also develop recommendations to address institutional barriers that disadvantage women physicians and scientists, in order to improve the state of equality for all faculty at UFHSC-Jacksonville.
  4. Awards Committee: This committee will formally recognize the outstanding work of UFHSC-J WIMS members by pursuing both internal awards within the institution and external awards at the local/regional and national levels. This committee will be responsible for managing the nomination and selections process for annual WIMS awards.

Additional committees, as needed, will be determined by the EC.

Standing committees will provide monthly reports to the EC.

Section 2: Chairs of Standing Committees

The Committee Chairs will serve a two-year term.  Every year, one of the two positions will be voted upon for each committee by the membership at large on an annual basis by majority vote. If there are no nominees for committee chair, the Co-Chair shall appoint a Committee Chair.  Should a Committee Chair’s seat become vacant during the term of office, the Co-Chairs of WIMS in consultation with the Chair of the standing committee, will appoint a new co-chair for the committee.

Standing Committee Chairs will report on the activities of the standing committees at business meetings. Committee Chairs will be held accountable for achieving objectives specific to their respective committee.  Committee Chairs will schedule regular meetings with their committees for program planning.  Committee Chairs and Chair-Elects are expected to attend 75% of WIMS EC meetings during their term in order to update the committee on their activities.

Committee Chairs may be relieved of their positions at the discretion of the Associate Dean for Healthcare Excellence and Organizational enrichment and/or Co-Chairs of the EC.  

Committee Chair-Elect will assist the Chair as needed and will assume all duties of the Chair in their absence.  The Chair-Elect will assume the role of Chair for the second year of their term. 

Section 3: Ad Hoc Committees & Task Forces 

The Co-Chairs may appoint ad hoc committees or task forces to accomplish the aims of the organization.  The Co-Chairs will appoint the chair of the Ad-Hoc committee or Task Force. The chair may then recruit the members of the committee.  Once the specific task has been accomplished, the committee will disband. 

Article VI: Meetings

Section 1: Meetings of the Executive Committee (EC)

Meetings of the EC shall be held monthly to discuss progress of the Standing Committees, approve WIMS programming and implement strategic plans. 

Section 2: Meetings of WIMS Membership

Special meetings may be called by the Co-Chairs or by a majority of the Executive Committee .

Section 3: Meeting Procedures

Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary guide in the deliberations of the organization. 

Article VII: Amendments

These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Regular membership at any meeting of the organization, provided that notice of the proposed amendment(s) has been given to the membership at least 14 days prior to the meeting.

7/2/2024