Opening statement

This Fall, AAPM membership will vote on a proposal to substantially revise our By‐Laws. There are a number of changes in the proposal, but the primary difference is a reduction in the size of our Board of Directors by replacing chapter and at‐large representatives with the council chairs. However, there are many disadvantages that far outweigh the potential advantages of such a dramatic change in our governance.

First, communication between the Board and the Chapters will almost certainly be reduced. Chapter representatives serve an important purpose of informing chapter membership of Board activities and updating the Board of chapter member concerns. With 21 chapters in the AAPM, this function would be difficult if not impossible to accomplish with the proposed Board structure.

Second, the proposal will reduce the opportunities for members who wish to serve on the Board. Service on the Board allows members to gain a better understanding of the issues facing the AAPM. It may also be beneficial to members professionally if, for example, their employer values service to their professional organization. Having more members on the Board is also beneficial for the AAPM, in that these members often rise to more important roles in the organization. For example, our two most recent Presidents began their service on the Board as representatives from local chapters.

Third, the proposal may effectively limit the type of members who have the ability to serve on the Board. It is already extremely difficult to find members who are willing and able to serve as officers, which requires a significant time commitment. As a result, these positions have traditionally been filled by members with faculty appointments from large, academic institutions. The current Board composition allows members with other degrees and from other areas of practice to participate in our governance. Having diversity in our Board membership should be better for the health of the organization.

Fourth, while proponents may argue that a smaller Board may allow more nimble decision making, it is not clear that that is always optimal for our professional organization. Our current structure allows for our Executive Committee to respond to any emergent issues when necessary, and to report such activities to the Board which meets 2–3 times per year. Most of the decisions made for our organization are better vetted through a larger group with time to consider all the issues involved, rather than a smaller Board which may not adequately represent the interests of all of the membership.

Finally, and perhaps most important is the unknown factor. The AAPM has been very successful and productive for over 50 years, and there have not been any significant problems that can be directly linked to our governance structure. The proposed change is a radical departure from our current operation which may cause problems which we have not yet considered.