Eyeworld

28 | EYEWORLD | APRIL 2022 ANNUAL MEETING PREVIEW ASCRS NEWS bylaws," Dr. Hoffman continued. "Best practices from other subspecialty medical societies were examined and considered as potential examples for how we might explore new approaches to some of the amended bylaws." The amendments will be presented at the conclusion of the financial updates, and mem- bers will be asked to ratify them in accordance with ASCRS bylaws. Once ratified, the bylaws document will be updated to reflect these changes. Mr. Speares described the expected out- come. "As with every other aspect of life, com- munications have become increasingly difficult as we are bombarded with so much informa- tion from a litany of sources," he said. "Many of us tend to select a preferred way of getting updated information and news. At ASCRS, we will now have email, our enhanced web portal, social media channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and (coming soon) an app for smartphones and tablets. This helps broaden our communication channels and increases the likelihood our members can get timely and relevant information in the most efficient way possible." Communications will not be the only sig- nificant change to the bylaws. Another amend- ment for consideration will be the plan to create a nominating committee. This committee will widen the scope of nominees for the ASCRS Executive Board. The committee will be chaired by a past president whose term will be a single year. The makeup of the committee will be a broad and diverse group of existing ASCRS members. The ASCRS Annual Business Meeting will take place on Friday, April 22, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center at 5:15 p.m., immediately following Subspecialty Day. ASCRS bylaws to be major focus at Annual Business Meeting T he ASCRS Annual Business Meeting will take place at the ASCRS Annu- al Meeting in Washington, D.C. The meeting will cover the financial status of the society for fiscal year 2021. ASCRS Executive Director Steve Speares will present on behalf of the society, and all members are encouraged to attend. "It is im- portant to inform our members of the financial health of our society. We have weathered two of the most challenging years ASCRS has faced in its nearly 50-year existence," Mr. Speares said. "The cancellation of our 2020 meeting in Boston presented our society with an existential threat," he continued. "We eliminated nearly 25% of staff positions, instituted a discretionary spending freeze, and imposed salary reductions for all employees of ASCRS. But through the unwavering support of our membership and continued engagement of our industry partners, we navigated the storm and have emerged stronger and more sustainable." The ASCRS Foundation financial results will also be presented at the Annual Business Meeting. In addition to the financial updates for the 501 c(6) and the 501 c(3), ASCRS will unveil a slate of proposed new amendments to the ASCRS bylaws. The bylaws will cover a host of topics ranging from membership categories and communication to the makeup and election process for committee appointments. This will be the first time in more than a decade that ASCRS members are considering amendments to the original bylaws. Much has changed since the last revision, most notably the various channels of communication enabled by today's technology. ASCRS President Richard Hoffman, MD, explained the thought process for the amend- ment project. "Our current bylaws refer to communication with members only through the mail or public postings at the Annual Meeting. We now have numerous channels enabled by technology through which we can communicate with members. Our bylaws do not account for these changes, and it is time to bring them into the 21st century. "ASCRS utilized outside counsel and an independent committee to assess the current

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