Governance Council Update

Mark Weidenbaum, MD
Governance Council Chair

The eight committees that make up the Governance Council have been busy and productive. Here is a “sound bite” summary of some of their activities:

Bylaws and Policies (Chair -Evalina Burger, MD) – Introduced a Policy statement allowing candidates for the position of Director-at- Large to qualify for that position by having been on at least four committees, of which a minimum of two were as an Active Fellow. This was approved at the Board of Director’s Meeting in Prague.

Coding (Chair-Matthew Hepler, MD) - The committee is working to optimize SRS representation and input for coding activities in concert with NASS and AAOS, and to develop succession planning for this important function. The Committee has also been working to develop the “Coding Corner” section on the SRS website and to make this a searchable entity (not simply a PDF) for SRS members.

Communications (Chair-John Lubicky, MD) –After careful evaluation the committee has concluded that the newsletter continues to have specific value (President’s Report, committee reports, etc.) and should continue. In addition the committee is hoping to work with AAOS Now Editors on spine articles to ensure accuracy and relevance.

Ethics (Chair-Kamal Ibrahim, MD, FRCS(C), MA) – The Presidential Line has directed that the Ethics Committee be a standby committee to handle ethical issues.  In addition, the committee will provide quarterly newsletter articles on pertinent subjects and areas of interest.

Fellowship (Chair-Hee Kit Wong, MD) – The Fellowship Committee reported that the SRS has maintained steady, healthy growth and that we are up to 1,325 Members.  Furthermore, although our current US/OUS (outside US) distribution is approximately 2:1, this will change in the future since more than half of our growth is now coming from OUS Candidate Members.  The committee is also in the process of developing an online membership application.

Globalization (Chair-Lawrence Lenke, MD) –In a sign that SRS has succeeded in its effort to become a truly global society, the Board of Directors has decided to sunset this Committee.  Much work (particularly by Dr. Lenke) has gone into this committee over the years and all who contributed are greatly appreciated. A carefully crafted exit plan will maximally utilize everyone involved.

Health Policy (Chair-Raymond Knapp, MD) – Gary Brock, MD the past committee chair, has just come off an incredible year where he successfully engaged several new ambassadors for SRS. This included supermodels/Victoria’s Secrets Angels Martha Hunt and Lindsay Ellingson.  They attended Research Capitol Hill Days with several of these ambassadors. The board is also in the process of evaluating a unique proposal to disseminate our message via digital media.

Historical (Chair-George Thompson, MD) – The Historical Committee had major success during the Annual Meeting in Prague conducting videotaped interviews of past presidents and securing the Van Loon specimen (a spine fused with a Harrington Rod) which was donated during the Opening Ceremonies.   The committee will also continue to work on the SRS historical timeline.

All of the committee chairs, past-chairs, and members deserve our collective thanks for putting so much time and effort into their committee work.