Dear AASM Member:

The AASM Board of Directors periodically reviews governance documents as part of its general oversight of the organization. During a recent review of the bylaws, the AASM Board of Directors identified and recommended several changes that better align with the overall strategic direction of the organization.  These changes were reviewed by legal counsel and are now being presented for adoption by the membership.

The proposed modifications to the bylaws seek to simplify and modernize AASM’s membership categories. Additionally, the changes enable greater eligibility for fellow status and simplifies requirements for achieving emeritus fellow status. To achieve this, membership standing has been added to augment membership categories and provide greater details about a member. Adjustments to the bylaws are outlined below:

ARTICLE II – MEMBERS

Section 2 Qualifications for Membership

Section 2a

AASM’s ten membership categories were condensed down to six (voting status is addressed in Article II Section 2.b.).

In addition to the new membership category names, there were updates to the category descriptions to clarify category qualifications.

  • Qualifications for Full members expanded to include DNPs or other healthcare doctoral degrees not otherwise listed.
  • Qualifications for Affiliate Members language changed to encompass individuals not eligible for other membership categories who have a professional interest in sleep medicine.
  • Qualifications did not change for:
    • Student and Resident members
    • Team members (formerly Sleep Team)
    • International Members (formerly Corresponding A)
    • Circumstance Members (formerly Corresponding B)

Section 2b

Section 2b is entirely new and it addresses “membership standing” and voting eligibility. All AASM members will fall within one of four categories of membership standing. Membership standing augments a membership category by providing greater details about the member. Membership categories combined with membership standing determine voting privileges. Fellow, Retired, and Emeritus membership are no longer membership categories. They are incorporated into the four membership standing categories.

The four membership standing categories are:

  • Regular Standing is for all members who do not qualify for Fellow, Retired, or Fellow Emeritus Standing. Full members in Regular Standing have full voting privileges. Other membership categories in Regular Standing do not have voting privileges.
  • Fellow Standing is an honor bestowed to AASM members who apply for and meet the requirements to become a Fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (FAASM) as determined by the Board of Directors. Full members in Fellow Standing have full voting privileges. Other membership categories in Fellow Standing do not have voting privileges.
  • Retired Standing is for individuals who are age 65 or older and working zero hours per week in sleep medicine who do not qualify for Fellow Emeritus Standing. All members with retired standing do not have voting privileges, regardless of membership category.
  • Fellow Emeritus Standing is for members who have obtained Fellow standing, are age 65 or older, and working zero hours per week in sleep medicine. Only members in Fellow Standing can apply for Fellow Emeritus Standing. Full members in Fellow Emeritus Standing have full voting privileges. Other membership categories in Fellow Emeritus Standing do not have voting privileges.

The breadth of the changes made a copy with tracked revisions difficult to read; however, the links below provide a more detailed summary of the proposed changes which will aid you in comparing the current bylaws to the proposed update:

Please review this information and submit your vote by Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021.

An email with voting instructions was sent on August 9 to all eligible voting members. If you are an eligible voting member and did not receive an email ballot, or if you have questions about the ballot or the voting process, please contact Christen Whittington at 630-737-9700 or cwhittington@aasm.org.

You also can contact me at rmalhotra@aasm.org to share your comments about the proposed changes. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I thank you for your participation in this important process.

Sincerely,

Raman Malhotra, MD

AASM President