ASPS/PSF Council of Representatives

ASPS/PSF Council of Representatives Organizational Chart

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Council of Representatives

The purpose of the Council is to actively engage the full range of membership and to provide a grassroots leadership structure to facilitate new ideas within membership and participating groups. It is felt that by combining forces, the state and regional societies, national and specialty societies and ASPS Special Interest Groups ("SIGs") will have a stronger, more unified voice within the plastic surgery specialty.

The Council is comprised of the voting members of the three Assemblies identified below. It does not have independent leadership, is not expected to meet and does not have independent authority to take action.

Assembly delegates represent the perspectives of their Society, SIG or Forum in the decision-making process during Assembly meetings and in advocating to improve the health of patients and the plastic surgery specialty.

Assembly of State and Regional Societies

The Assembly of State and Regional Societies has an advocacy focus. Delegates to this Assembly must be ASPS Active Members in good standing.

Assembly of National and Specialty Societies

The Assembly of National and Specialty Societies has an education focus. Delegates to this Assembly must be ASPS Active Members in good standing.

Assembly of Member Sections

The Assembly of Member Sections has a member and professionalism focus. Delegates to this Assembly must be members in good standing of the SIG or Forum they represent.

Determining the Number of Voting Delegates

State, regional, national and specialty societies may have up to three voting delegates based on the number of ASPS Active or Life Active Members. Each state, regional, national and specialty society is entitled to at least one delegate; those with more than 250 ASPS Active and Life Active Members are entitled to one additional delegate for each additional 250 ASPS Active and Life Active Members up to a maximum of three delegates per society.

Effective December 1, 2024, participating societies will no longer be required to annually certify that they meet the requirements of participation in the Assembly of State and Regional Societies or Assembly of National or Specialty Societies. Rather, each state, regional, national or specialty society will be awarded one delegate per term. If the organization believes more than 250 ASPS Active or Life Active Members are members of their organization, they may submit their member roster for comparison and verification. ASPS will award the organization an additional delegate if 251 or more ASPS Active or Life Active Members are found on their roster. ASPS will award the organization a third delegate if 501 or more ASPS Active or Life Active Members are found on their roster.

Similarly, effective December 1, 2024, each SIG and Forum will no longer be required to annually certify that they meet the requirements of participation in the Assembly of Member Sections. Rather, ASPS will review their rosters and award the participating groups with the appropriate number of delegates. Those delegates of the Assembly of Member Sections who are not ASPS Active Members must be members in good standing of the SIG or Forum they represent. Each SIG or Forum is entitled to at least one delegate; those with more than 50 members are entitled to one additional delegate for each additional 50 members up to a maximum of five delegates per SIG or Forum.

Every five years, the number of delegates for each participating group will reset to one delegate per entity. Participating organizations who believe they are entitled to more than one delegate must submit their roster for verification at that time.

The table below provides a snapshot of how Assembly delegates are allotted.

State and Regional Societies / National and Specialty Societies	SIGs and Forums
1 delegate for each 250 Active / Life Active Members up to a maximum of 3 1-250 Active / Life Active Members = 1 delegate 251-500 Active / Life Active members = 2 delegates 501 or more Active / Life Active Members = 3 delegates	1 delegate for each 50 SIG or Forum members up to a maximum of 5 1-50 members = 1 delegate 51-100 members = 2 delegates 101-150 members = 3 delegates 151-200 members = 4 delegates 201 or more members = 5 delegates

Criteria to Become a Delegate

Each delegate must be an ASPS Active Member, unless otherwise permitted by the Assembly, and may not be a member of the ASPS/PSF Board of Directors (except for the Assembly Chair), ASPS Trustees or the ASPS/PSF Conflict of Interest Committee. The participating group must have previously confirmed their delegate's willingness to serve.

The same individual may not represent more than one entity at a time within an assembly, nor may they serve on multiple assemblies at the same time.

Participating Groups

The table below describes the participating groups and the number of Official Delegates (or Designated Alternates) that are expected to represent their groups during the Assembly meetings. The number in parentheses behind the group name is the number of delegates the participating group is allotted.

Assembly	# Participating Groups
Assembly of Member Sections International Plastic Surgeons SIG (5) Military Forum (2) Plastic Surgeons of Chinese Descent SIG (1) PRIDE Forum (2) Residents and Fellows Forum (5) Women Plastic Surgeons Forum (5) Young Plastic Surgeons Forum (5)	7
Assembly of State and Regional Societies California Society of Plastic Surgeons (2) Florida Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) Georgia Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) Illinois Society of Plastic Surgery (1) Maryland Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) Michigan Academy of Plastic Surgeons (1) Midwestern Association of Plastic Surgeons (1) Mountain West Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) New England Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, Inc. (1) New Jersey Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) New York Regional Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) New York State Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) North Carolina Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons (2) Ohio Valley Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) Plastic Surgeons Society of Alabama (1) South Carolina Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) Southeastern Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons (2) Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) Virginia Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) Wisconsin Society of Plastic Surgeons (1)	21
Assembly of National and Specialty Societies American Association for Hand Surgery (2) American Association of Pediatric Plastic Surgeons (1) American Association of Plastic Surgeons (3) American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (1) American Council of Educators in Plastic Surgery (formerly ACAPS) (2) American Society for Peripheral Nerve (1) American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery (3) American Society of Craniofacial Surgeons (1) American Society of Maxillofacial Surgeons (3) Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons (1) International Society of Plastic Regenerative Surgeons (1) Migraine Surgery Society (1) Plastic Surgery Research Council (2)	13

Council of Representatives and Assembly Leadership

Each Assembly will be led by a Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary (the "Assembly Leadership" or "Assembly Leaders"). Leaders of the Assembly of State and Regional Societies and the Assembly of National and Specialty Societies must be Active Members. Leaders of the Assembly of Member Sections must be Active or International Members. Leaders shall each serve one-year terms that normally begin at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting and continue until the conclusion of the next Annual Meeting. Each Assembly Chair shall have a seat on the ASPS and PSF Boards of Directors, with voting rights.

To ensure continuity of governance, it is anticipated – but not required – that the Vice Chair will succeed to Chair, and the Secretary to Vice Chair. On election, the Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary continue to represent their group on the Assembly, with all associated delegate rights and privileges. No two leadership positions within an Assembly can be held by delegates from the same participating group.

2025-26 Assembly Leaders

The table below identifies the results of the Assembly leadership election held in July 2025. Leaders will serve through the 2026 leadership term. Position descriptions for the Assembly Chair roles can be found at the links below:

Office	Assembly of Member Sections	Assembly of State and Regional Societies	Assembly of National and Specialty Societies
Chair	Angela Cheng, MD; Plastic Surgeons of Chinese Descent Forum	Abigail Chaffin, MD; Southeastern Society of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgeons	Joseph Disa, MD; American Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery
Vice Chair	Deana Shenaq, MD; Young Plastic Surgeons Forum	Christopher Park, MD; Plastic Surgeons Society of Alabama	Vacant for 2025-26 Term
Secretary	Ashley Amalfi, MD; Women Plastic Surgeons Forum	Vacant for 2025-26 Term	Vacant for 2025-26 Term

Electing Members to the ASPS/PSF Nominating Committee

Each Assembly shall annually elect two individuals to the ASPS/PSF Nominating Committee. These Assembly Representatives to the Nominating Committee must be Active Members and must meet the other eligibility requirements for service on the Nominating Committee described in the Nominating Committee Standard Operating Procedures. Such election shall take place during each Assembly's meeting, which takes place in conjunction with Plastic Surgery The Meeting ("PSTM") – provided a quorum is present and in accordance with the Council of Representatives Standard Operating Procedures.

Designated Alternates

If the Official Delegate is unable to attend the Assembly meeting during Plastic Surgery The Meeting, the participating group may send a Designated Alternate to substitute for their Official Delegate. The Designated Alternate must meet the requirements of delegates to that Assembly.

Designated Alternate Eligibility Requirements
Each designated alternate:

For State and Regional and National and Specialty Societies: Must be an ASPS Active Member in good standing
For Member Sections: Must be a member in good standing of the SIG or Forum they represent
May not be a member of the ASPS/PSF Board of Directors (except for the Assembly Chair), ASPS Trustees or the ASPS/PSF Conflict of Interest Committee.
May not represent any other Society, SIG or Forum in any of the Assemblies
May not serve on any other Assembly
Must have previously confirmed their willingness to serve
For State and Regional and National and Specialty Societies: Must provide written documentation authorized by the Society's administrator or presiding officer
For Member Sections: Must provide written documentation authorized by the staff liaison or committee chair of the SIG or Forum's steering committee

Designated Alternate Documentation Requirements and Check-In Procedures

ASPS has created the Designated Alternate Authorization Form for the convenience of participating groups interested in sending a Designated Alternate to stand in for the Official Delegate who is unable to attend PSTM in person. While it is preferred that arrangements for Designated Alternates be made in advance, ASPS will be able to accept the documentation at the Council of Representatives Registration Desk.

To avoid delays and assure an on-time start with quorum, Designated Alternates must be in line at the Council of Representatives Registration Desk at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the Assembly meeting. Further details can be found in the Council of Representatives Standard Operating Procedure. Questions can be directed to governance@plasticsurgery.org.

Process to Become a Recognized Participant Group in the Council of Representatives

To be recognized by ASPS as a participant group to the Assembly of State and Regional Societies, a minimum of 90 percent of the organization's members must be ASPS Active or Life Active Members. To be recognized by ASPS as a participant group to the Assembly of National and Specialty Societies, a minimum of 90 percent of the organization's members must be ASPS Active or Life Active Members or otherwise be contractually affiliated with the Society. Each SIG or Forum approved by the ASPS Board of Directors shall be recognized as a participating group to the Assembly of Member Sections.

Each state or regional society, national and specialty society or contractually affiliated organization interested in becoming a Recognized Participating Group must complete an application to be accompanied by a roster of the organization's members as of the date of their application.

Applicant organizations are required to submit their member roster in a specific Excel or comma-delimited format, which includes email addresses, along with their application so that the percentage of ASPS Active and Life Active Members on their roster can be verified. If the applicant does not have Active or Life Active membership categories, the members of the applicant society entitled to vote at its annual business meeting shall be the controlling roster for comparison purposes in calculating whether the 90% threshold has been met with respect to the applicant society. ASPS will use the email addresses only as a way to resolve name conflicts between the name used in the applicant organization's membership roster versus the ASPS roster. The specific fields and order for the member roster are listed on the application.

The application and roster of membership shall be vetted to ensure eligibility criteria has been met. The application of those entities that meet the eligibility criteria shall be forwarded to the ASPS Board of Directors for approval. Those entities approved by the ASPS Board shall be assigned to an Assembly.

The ASPS Board of Directors reserves the right to revoke admission to the Assembly for cause.

Calculation of the 90% Active and Life Active Member Requirement

To calculate whether an organization is comprised of at least 90% ASPS Active and Life Active Members, a roster of the organization's Active and Life Active Members will be submitted to ASPS for comparison against the ASPS Active and Life Active Member roster. At least 90% of those appearing as Active or Life Active Members of the organization must be ASPS Active or Life Active Members. In the event that the category descriptions of membership of the society do not correspond exactly with those of ASPS (e.g., the organization does not have Active or Life Active membership categories), the members of the society entitled to vote at its annual business meeting shall be the controlling roster for comparison purposes in calculating whether the 90% threshold has been met with respect to the society.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about the Council of Representatives or the three assemblies can be directed to governance@plasticsurgery.org or by calling Louise Pereyra at (847) 228-3350.

Links to PSN Articles and ABM Slide Deck

April / May 2022 President's Message (Page 6)
December 2021 Governance Story (Cover Story/Page 17)
Governance Restructure Slides from ABM 2022

ASPS/PSF Council of Representatives