The Bylaws.

The name of the Association shall be the American Association of Clinical Anatomists, hereinafter called the Association or AACA. The Association was officially established on October 17, 1983 in Atlanta to advance the field of clinical anatomy by encouraging research and publication and by promoting high standards of anatomic instruction.

Clinical anatomy, for the purposes of the Association, is defined as anatomy in all its aspects — gross, histologic, developmental, and neurologic — as applied to clinical practice, including the application of anatomic principles to the solution of clinical problems and the application of clinical observations to expand anatomic knowledge.

Membership categories include Active (Regular), Senior, Honored, Affiliate, and Associate members. Regular, Senior, Honored, and Affiliate members are considered Full members with voting privileges. Associate members — students, interns, and trainees — are not considered Full members and are not eligible to vote.

All applicants complete an electronic application form on the Association's website and provide supporting documents to the Membership Committee as described in the instructions to the electronic application. The Chair of the Membership Committee notifies each applicant as to status and annual dues payment options. Applicants approved for membership become active members in good standing upon receipt of dues by the Treasurer.

Members in good standing have current dues paid and adhere to the Association's code of conduct. Good standing confers all privileges of the membership category, including voting rights at Association meetings where applicable.

On January 1, all Inactive members who are in arrears will have their membership status changed indefinitely to Discontinued. Discontinued members are listed in the Association's website Directory but have no other privileges of membership. Members in discontinued status for less than two years may reinstate their standing upon receipt of a current-year dues payment plus the cost of a half-year journal subscription at the member rate. Those in discontinued status for longer than two years must re-apply as new members.

Under extraordinary circumstances, a majority of the Council may vote to send an expulsion notice to a member whose conduct and actions as a member are found to be contrary to the interests of the AACA.

The Officers of the Association are the President, President-Elect, Past President, Association Secretary, Program Secretary, and Treasurer. Their duties are defined in the AACA Standing Rules and Procedures.

The Executive Council is the governing body of the Association. It is comprised of the Officers and Councilors-at-Large, together with additional councilor positions as specified in the Bylaws. The Council is responsible for the overall governance and strategic direction of the Association.

In the event that a vacancy occurs in the office of President-Elect, Association Secretary, Program Secretary, or Treasurer, a replacement will be elected through a vote of the full membership in a special election.

The Council may contract for the day-to-day operations of the organization with an Association Management Company. The person exercising responsibility for the daily management operations of the AACA shall be called the Executive Director. The duties of the Executive Director and the Association Management Company staff are defined in AACA Standing Rules and Procedures. The assignment of management duties to the Executive Director in no manner relieves the Council from its responsibilities assigned under these Bylaws.

The Standing Committees of the Association are: Membership Committee, Nominating Committee, Meeting Oversight and Program Planning Committee, Journal Committee, Bylaws Committee, Financial Affairs Committee, Educational Affairs Committee, Career Development Committee, Anatomical Services Committee, and Clinical Anatomical Terminology Committee.

The terms of appointments and elections to Committees are defined in the Bylaws for each Committee. Each term begins and ends at the close of an Annual Business Meeting at the annual meeting of the Association. It is the responsibility of the President-Elect and the President, unless otherwise stipulated, to appoint members to the committees that will serve during their term of office.

Members may be appointed to serve on multiple committees. Appointed members are not eligible to serve simultaneously on more than two committees, not counting ex officio membership, or to be appointed to serve more than two consecutive terms on any one committee, unless approved by a three-quarters vote of the Council.

For a full description of the duties and composition of each committee, see the Committees page →

The Annual Business Meeting is part of the Association's Annual Scientific Meeting and provides a time and place for the transaction of such business and activities required by the Bylaws to be brought before the membership.

The Association Secretary must give notice of all Association meetings, stating the place, day, and hour of the meeting and, in the case of a Special Meeting, the purpose for which the meeting is called. Notice of special meetings must be given at least thirty days before the date of the meeting.

A quorum for the transaction of business is not less than ten percent of the total membership in good standing and eligible to vote.

Each Full Member in good standing present is entitled to one vote at all Association meetings. All Active full members as of April 1 of each year are eligible to vote in association elections.

It is the policy of the AACA to maintain a professional environment free of discrimination and harassment of all forms. The AACA will not willingly tolerate discrimination or harassment of anyone by anyone during the course of any Association event.

This policy is in effect at all Association events including meetings, conferences, symposia, workshops, social events, and events co-sponsored or held in conjunction with other professional groups. It also includes verbal and electronic communications within and between committees or other working groups associated with AACA, as well as AACA publications and communications sent through official communication channels of the Association, including social media accounts.

Discrimination, of the type that is unwelcome within the Association, is defined as differential treatment or consideration of a person based on the group, class, or category to which that person belongs, rather than on individual merit. Harassment is defined as unwelcome conduct that creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive professional environment.

These Bylaws may be amended at any Annual Business Meeting by a two-thirds vote of the Full Members present, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment has been given to the membership in accordance with Article V, Section 3. Proposed amendments are drafted and reviewed by the Bylaws Committee and presented to the Council for review before being placed before the membership.

In the event of the dissolution of the Association, the Council will give all its assets to one or more nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations. If the Council cannot decide, the decision will be made by the applicable Court in the state in which the Association was last incorporated.