The AMA House of Delegates (HOD) is the legislative and policy-making body of the AMA and includes State medical associations, national medical specialty societies, national societies, AMA sections, professional interest medical associations and federal services.
 
The American Society of Colon & Rectal Surgeons (ASCRS) holds 1 delegate and 1 alternate delegate seat in the House of Delegates (HOD) of the American Medical Association (AMA) and is currently seeking applicants for the alternate delegate position.
 
The ASCRS HOD seat(s) sits within the Section Council of Digestive Disease which includes delegates from ASCRS, SAGES, and other GI/Medical organizations who are “subject experts.”
 
The delegate and alternate delegate each serve a 3 year term, and the alternate delegate is expected to become the delegate after serving in the alternate role for 3 years (a total 6 year commitment).
 
Both the delegate and alternate delegate are expected to attend and participate in the Annual Meeting of the HOD which takes place in June of every year in Chicago and the Interim meeting of the AMA HOD which takes place in November of every year at varying locations throughout the U.S. Travel and lodging are sponsored by the ASCRS. At times, additional ad-hoc meetings may be called on an as-needed basis.
 
Additional responsibilities include a review of motions/proposals brought to the Section Council and the House of Delegates in preparation for the meetings. Participation in the Surgical Caucus held by the American College of Surgeons is also expected, although this is not a formal section of the AMA HOD. The delegate and alternate delegate will represent the interests of the ASCRS as a member to the AMA House of Delegates. They will also serve as members of the ASCRS Healthcare Economics Committee and will report periodically to that Committee with updates from the HOD that are pertinent to the ASCRS.
 
Delegate roles & responsibilities
 
The delegate role
Members of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) serve as an important communications, policy and membership link between the AMA and grassroots physicians. The delegates and alternate delegates are a key source of information on activities, programs and policies of the AMA. The delegates and alternate delegates are also a direct contact for the individual member to communicate with and contribute to the formulation of AMA policy positions, the identification of situations that might be addressed through policy implementation efforts and the implementation of AMA policies.
 
Delegates and alternate delegates to the AMA are expected to foster a positive and useful two-way relationship between grassroots physicians and the AMA leadership.
 
To fulfill these roles, AMA delegates and alternate delegates are expected to make themselves readily accessible to individual members by providing the AMA with their addresses, telephone numbers and email so that the AMA can make the information accessible to individual members through the AMA website and through other communication mechanisms.
 
Qualifications to be a delegate
·       Be an AMA member
·       Elected or selected by the principal governing body or the membership of the sponsoring organization
·       At least 1 member of each delegation is encouraged to be involved in the governance of their sponsoring organization
 
Delegate responsibilities
·       Regularly communicate AMA policy, information, activities and programs to constituents so the delegate will be recognized as the representative of the AMA.
·       Relate constituent views and suggestions, particularly those related to the implementation of AMA policy positions, to the appropriate AMA leadership, governing body or executive staff.
·       Advocate constituent views within the HOD or other governance unit, including the executive staff.
·       Attend and report highlights of HOD meetings to constituents, for example, at hospital medical staff, county, state and specialty society meetings.
·       Serve as an advocate for patients to improve the health of the public and the health care system.
·       Cultivate promising leaders for all levels of organized medicine and help them gain leadership positions.
·       Actively recruit new AMA members and help retain current members.
·       Participate in the AMA Membership Outreach Program.
 
To Apply:
Send your cover letter and CV to the selection committee at [email protected] by July 16 and include “AMA Delegate” in the subject line.
 
To learn more about the AMA House of Delegates please visit the HOD website at:
https://www.ama-assn.org/house-delegates
https://www.ama-assn.org/house-delegates/hod-organization/delegate-roles-responsibilities