About

Founding societies of the ISBM:

• Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (USA)
• Czechoslovakia Medical Association: Section on Neurohumoral Integration and Behavioral Medicine and Modification
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verhaltensmedizin and Verhaltensmodifikation (DGVM) (German Association of Behavioral Medicine and Modification)
• Nederlands Behavioral Medicine Federatie, Dutch Behavioral Medicine Federation
• Society of Behavioral Medicine (USA)
• Svensk Beteendemedicinsk Forening (Swedish Society of Behavioral Medicine)

In memoriam:

Accepted at the ISBM Governing Council in Budapest, Hungary, on 28th August 2012

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Article I: Governance

Section 1.

Governing Council

The governing body of the International Society will be the Governing Council herein called The Council. The Council will have supervision, control and direction of the affairs of the Society, its committees and publications. It will determine its policies or changes therein, will actively prosecute its objectives, and supervise the disbursement of its funds. Committees to carry out the functions of the ISBM will be created by the Governing Council as required. The Council may adopt such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as will be deemed advisable, and may, in the execution of the powers granted, delegate certain of its authority and responsibility to a Board and/or an Executive Committee. The Board will conduct the normal deliberative business of the International Society between Council meetings except when the President decides that there is need for immediate action by a smaller group. The Executive Committee will usually make these rapid decisions.

Section 2.

The Council meets bi-annually. Failure by any officer or committee chairperson to attend two consecutive Council meetings will be grounds for removal from office and from the Council by a two thirds majority vote of the Council. A member of the Governing Council will be given four weeks prior written notice of the Council’s intention to remove him or her so that he or she may prepare and present a defense.

Section 3.

The Council will be composed of one voting representative from each behavioral medicine organization accredited by ISBM as Full Members. The Affiliate Members may designate a representative to attend Council meetings in a nonvoting capacity. The Council shall select from its members, individuals to serve as President, President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer. These officers, plus the Past President, will comprise the Executive Committee. A country can only be represented once among the President-Elect, President and Past President.

Section 4.

Board The Board will consist of the members of the Executive Committee, the chairs of the Communications, Education and Training, Finance, International Collaborative Studies, Membership, Nominating, Organizational Liaison, Program, and Strategic Planning committees, the Editor of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, the Editor of the ISBM Newsletter, and any Member(s)-at-Large. The Board will meet at least annually. All members of the Board must be elected by or approved by the Council. The president of the ISBM will chair the Board.

Section 5.

The member society representative should typically be the society President or designated representative authorized to speak for the society.

Article II: Membership

Section 1.

As noted in the Charter, the ISBM will function as a federation of national/regional and more specialized scientific societies. Two classes of membership, Full and Affiliate, will be offered to applicant societies.

Section 2.

Full Membership Full Membership will be available to all national/regional and more specialized scientific societies of behavioral medicine (or equivalent) whose charters and bylaws conform to the tenets of the ISBM: – Multidisciplinary membership – Balance between biomedical and behavioral/social sciences – Subscribe to the definition of behavioral medicine as noted in the Charter of ISBM.

Section 3.

Applicants Applicants will be asked to submit copies of: their Charter; Bylaws; and a list of members, including their degrees and disciplines; and a list of officers and their credentials (e.g., brief curriculum vitae), in preparation for applying to the ISBM for membership. Completed applications will be forwarded to the Chair of the Membership Committee for consideration by the Board, which will make a recommendation to the Governing Council. If the Board’s recommendation is positive, representatives of the applying organization will be invited to participate in the next Governing Council meeting, during which they will review the development, goals and current status of their organization. Based on this information, the Governing Council will consider the election of this organization to full membership, based on a two-thirds majority vote. If the Board’s recommendation is not favorable, the Board shall consult with the applicant society about the issues that need to be addressed. For societies who have applied for Full Membership, and have met most but not all of the formal requirements, the Governing Council may extend Provisional Membership by a two-thirds majority vote.

Section 4.

In cases where there is an existing member society in a particular country or region, and where another society wishes to join as a Full Member, the existing member society will have the opportunity to review the application and make recommendations to the Membership Chair. These views will be considered by the Board in coming to their recommendation to the Governing Council.

Section 5.

Affiliate Membership

Affiliate Membership will be granted in those cases where the organizational goals of the applicant are consistent or overlapping with the tenets of the ISBM, but do not meet all of the criteria for full membership.

Section 6.

Dues

The Council is responsible for annually reviewing and establishing appropriate dues for Full Member and Affiliate Societies. Full Member and Affiliate Societies will be billed annually. Full Member Societies will be billed for individual members for registration in ISBM. Affiliate Societies will be billed initially at the same annual due on a per individual member basis up to a maximum sum, that will be decided by the Council. Any services (e.g. journals, computer network) will be offered through the national societies and billed accordingly. A third level membership (sponsor) will be available for corporations, foundations and other organizations who contribute to the development of international activities in behavioral medicine.

Article III: Nominations And Elections

Section 1.

Election and nominations  procedures Election procedures for the Officers, Committee Chairs, and Members-at-Large will be accomplished by a nominations procedure directed by the Nominating Committee, from all accredited participants of the Governing Council. Nominations must be submitted by Full Member Societies of ISBM. They can nominate any individual in any full member society. Voting for officers will take place in the following order: President-Elect, Secretary and/or Treasurer, followed by Committee Chairs in alphabetical order.  A secret ballot will take place at the Governing Council meeting, and the nominee who receives most votes is elected to the office in question. Representatives of each full member society are eligible to vote. Representatives of each Full Member society are strongly encouraged to attend to Governing Council so as to vote. If attendance is impossible, the Full Member society may submit its vote  to the Chair of the Nominations Committee at least seven days before the vote at the Governing Council. A quorum of 50 percent of eligible votes cast plus one applies for the  election procedure.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1.

Duties of Officers

The duties of officers will be as hereinafter specified or as otherwise provided by law.

Section 2.

President

The President will be elected by the Governing Council for a two year (non-renewable term). The presidency will normally rotate among biomedical and behavioral sciences. The President will preside at, and schedule meetings of, the Governing Council, Board, and any other special meetings that may be called. The President will prepare the agendas for said meetings in consultation with the Secretary. The President will not hold any other position on the Council while in office. The President will be responsible in all matters, stated or implied, that are related to the welfare, stature, and proper operation of the Society. The President will perform such other duties as are necessarily incident to the office of President or as may be prescribed by the Council.

Section 3.

President – Elect In the President’s absence at any meeting, the President-Elect will be chairperson. In the case of absence, disability, or resignation of the President, the President-Elect will perform the duties of the President. The President-Elect will work closely with the President on all executive matters.

Section 4.

Past President The Past President will preside at all meetings in the absence of both the President and the President-Elect.

Section 5.

Treasurer The Treasurer will be elected for a four-year term by the Governing Council. The Treasurer is responsible for the receipt, custody and disbursement of all funds of the Society. The Treasurer will make a written and oral report of the financial condition of the Society to the Council at each meeting.

Section 6.

Secretary The Secretary will be elected for a four-year term by the Governing Council. The Secretary will be responsible for preparing the minutes of all meetings, maintaining contact with Member Societies, and for administration of elections. The minutes of each meeting will be mailed to members of the Governing Council and Board within one month thereafter and posted by the Communications Committee Chair on the ISBM web site.

Article V: Committees, Editors, and Members-at-large

Section 1.

Awards

The Awards Committee will be comprised of the President, the immediate Past President and the President-elect. The Awards Committee will select deserving individuals who may receive the Distinguished Scientist Award, Distinguished Career Contribution Award, Outstanding New Investigator Award and other honors provided by the ISBM, except the Early Career Awards. The immediate Past President of the ISBM will chair the Awards Committee.

Section 2.

Communications

The Communications Committee will be responsible for the coordination and facilitation of information exchange among Member Societies and their constituents. This includes identifying innovative communication vehicles to meet evolving member needs. Communications among Member Societies and their constituents will be facilitated electronically as much as possible. Responsibilities of the Communications Committee include, but are not limited to, maintaining the ISBM web site. Whenever possible the Communications Committee will host the ISBM web site and perform regular updates to the site. Other responsibilities include maintaining, in cooperation with the Secretary, a contact list of all email addresses of the Executive Committee, Governing Council and web sites of the Members Societies.

Section 3.

Education and Training

The Education and Training Committee will have responsibility for the synthesis and dissemination of educational opportunities in behavioral medicine around the world, including primary training, continuing education, workshops, conferences and other activities designed to increase knowledge and upgrade skills in behavioral medicine. Such programs should include the entire scientific spectrum concerned with health and behavior relationships: from investigations of brain-body mechanism linkages to reducing health-risk via community intervention strategies. This committee will have responsibility of selecting the recipients of the Early Career Awards.

Section 4.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee will provide guidance and oversight over the income, expenditures and investments of the ISBM. Functions of the committee will be to assist the Treasurer in preparation of a biannual budget, recommend this budget to the Governing Council, provide oversight of ISBM expenditures, and together with the Treasurer make recommendations to the Executive Committee or Governing Council regarding proposed modifications in the existing budget. The committee will recommend to the Governing Council specific rules for the allocation of funds by the Executive Committee, Elected Officers and Committee Chairs. In addition, the committee may recommend to the Governing Council, plans for investment and fund raising to improve the finances of the ISBM. The Committee’s membership will include the ISBM Past President, President, Treasurer, and President- Elect as well as any other members deemed by the Committee or Governing Council to have expertise that may contribute to the performance of the Committee’s duties. The Governing Council will select the Committee’s Chair.

Section 5.

International Collaborative Studies

The International Collaborative Studies Committee will be responsible for the encouragement and stimulation of international/cross-cultural research projects in the area of behavioral medicine. This committee will also help identify areas of prime interest to the field as well as possibilities for collaborative efforts with international research organizations.

Section 6.

Membership

The Membership Committee will be responsible for identifying potential Member Societies, facilitating their development, and counseling them regarding future relationships with the ISBM. A major responsibility of the committee will be to promote interactions between possible future member societies and the ISBM. Members of the committee will acquaint those developing emerging societies with the rules, responsibilities and benefits of ISBM membership. The committee will also help emerging societies develop their: charter; bylaws; list of members including their degrees and disciplines; and a list of officers and their credentials (e.g., curriculum vitae), in preparation for applying to the ISBM for membership. Completed applications will be forwarded to the Chair of the Membership Committee for consideration by the Board, which will make a recommendation to the Governing Council. The Governing Council shall elect the Chair of the Membership Committee.

Section 7.

Nominating

The Board, with concordance of the Governing Council, will appoint a Chair and at least two additional members of a Nominating Committee. The task of the Nominations Committee Chair is to solicit at least two candidates for each open office, and to compile a list of nominees that will be circulated at least a month before the Governing Council meeting where the elections will take place.

Section 8.

Organizational Liaison

The Organizational Liaison Committee will be responsible for identifying, relating to and coordinating information exchange with relevant international health-related scientific organizations, (e.g., WHO, international health specialty groups, etc.).

Section 9.

Program The Program Committee will have responsibility for organizing the invited and competitive components of the International Congress. The Program Committee will consist of the Chair, Co-Chair (the Host Country President or their designee) and members representative of the geographic and scientific diversity of the organization, to be chosen by the Program Committee Chair.

Section 10.

Strategic Planning The Strategic Planning Committee will be responsible for developing, maintaining and updating on an ongoing basis a Strategic Plan for the International Society of Behavioral Medicine. The chair of this committee will be appointed by the President of ISBM and confirmed by the Governing Council to serve a four-year term. The membership of the Strategic Planning Committee will consist of those attending meetings of the Committee, which will be scheduled to take place at Governing Council meetings upon recommendation of the chair to the ISBM president. Among the responsibilities of the chair of this committee are the following: 1) chair meetings of the Strategic Planning Committee and prepare reports of the meeting to be submitted to the ISBM secretary for posting on the ISBM website; 2) monitor the implementation of any action steps that are decided at meetings of the committee, reminding those charged to carry out actions of the timelines for such actions that were voted by the committee; and 3) monitor the needs for further strategic planning activities and make recommendations to the ISBM president re need for Strategic Planning Committee meetings.

Section 11.

Editor of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine A selection committee consisting of the Board and the former Editors-in-Chief of the journal will recommend the Editor of the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine for a term of six years. The appointment must then be submitted for approval to the Governing Council and approved at least twelve months prior to the end of the six-year term of the Editor-in-Chief. The term will begin on January 1 corresponding to the first issue of that year’s volume. The Editor-Elect will commence responsibility for manuscript review at a time mutually determined with the Editor-in-Chief. With the concordance of the Governing Council, the Editor-in-Chief is responsible for editorial policy including that the Editorial Board be broadly representative of the membership, and for journal processing as well as for furnishing reports to the Governing Council on the state of the journal and future plans.

Section 12.

Members-at-Large The Board may appoint up to three Members-at-Large at any point in time, with the period of office being 4 years. The role of Members-at- Large will be to represent the diverse interests of ISBM members (e.g. discipline, age, gender, region). Once nominated and ratified by the Governing Council, these individuals will be invited to attend and participate fully in all Board and Governing Council meetings and the affairs of the organization, more generally. They will be 7 available to serve on any committee or taskforce as determined in consultation with the ISBM President.

Section 13.

Newsletter Editor

The Newsletter Editor shall be nominated by the Board and confirmed by the Governing Council to serve a four-year term.

Article VI: Scientific Meetings/Congresses

Section 1.

ISBM Congresses ISBM scientific meetings, herein known as Congresses, will be hosted by national or regional societies. The ISBM Program Committee in conjunction with local organizers shall devise the programs of such meetings. The budgetary planning of such meetings will be primarily the responsibility of the national host society, but the ISBM Governing Council must approve financial arrangements. A portion of the registration fee, to be determined by the Governing Council, will be retained by the ISBM to cover administrative costs of the Society. National host organizers of conferences are encouraged to seek public and private sector support in order to recover the organizational costs and expenses of invited participants. The organization of institutes or workshops immediately before and after the meeting should be considered in an effort to defray costs. The content of programs should show a balance between biological, behavioral and psychosocial aspects, and between basic and applied scientific topics.

Article VII: Amendments

These bylaws may be amended, repealed or altered in whole or in part in the following manner.

Section 1.

Any amendment, repeal or alteration of the Bylaws may be proposed by the membership of the Board and Governing Council.

Section 2.

Changes in Bylaws Changes in Bylaws must be submitted in writing to the Board and Governing Council at least 3 months prior to the next Governing Council meeting. Changes can be effected by a two-thirds vote of the Governing Council. The quorum is fifty per cent plus one of eligible Governing Council membership.

Definition and Scope

Behavioral medicine can be defined as the interdisciplinary field concerned with the development and integration of psychosocial, behavioral and biomedical knowledge relevant to health and illness and the application of this knowledge to prevention, etiology, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. The scope of “behavioral medicine” extends from research efforts to understand fundamental biobehavioral mechanisms; to clinical diagnosis and intervention; to disease prevention and health promotion. The International Society of Behavioral Medicine (ISBM) is intended to serve the needs of all health‑related disciplines concerned with the integration of psychosocial behavioral and biomedical sciences.

Goals

The goals of the ISBM shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

• To encourage formation of national or regional organizations of behavioral medicine, and to develop and maintain liaison with related professional organizations.

• To encourage and co‑ordinate communication and interaction among various health professionals including biomedical and behavioral science researchers and clinicians, without regard to specific discipline loyalties.

• To stimulate research, clinical, preventive and training activities through formal meetings, collaborative undertakings and awards for meritorious effort.

• To develop guidelines for implementation of behavioral medicine training and research activities at various levels in the health sciences.

• To serve as an information resource for behavioral medicine by facilitating access to scientific and professional journals computer‑based information systems, and organization of scientific meetings/conferences.

Structure

Consistent with its charter objective of encouraging the development of national or regional societies of behavioral medicine, the ISBM will function principally as a federation of such societies. The membership of this federation will be of two types: Full Membership for national or regional societies whose composition and objectives are consistent with the goals of the International Society, and Affiliate Membership for organizations with interests relevant to behavioral medicine but which do not meet all criteria (detailed in the bylaws) for full membership. Affiliate member organizations are entitled to limited benefits but are not eligible to vote on the Governing Council.

Functions of ISBM

Information dissemination

The ISBM will promote effective international communication between both individuals and national groups to facilitate research, clinical and training activities on a worldwide basis. The ISBM will endeavor to overcome the uneven distribution of scientific and clinical information and the formidable barriers that exist to timely access to existing information sources in most parts of the world. The ISBM will make efforts to establish a world‑wide communication system for technology transfer and information dissemination which will keep pace with this rapidly developing field.

Education and training

One of the tasks of the ISBM is to assist in the preparation of curricula and course synopses for teachers in medical and behavioral science educational institutions. It is also intended to organize relevant teaching workshops and courses, where possible in connection with conferences and in co‑operation with national and regional societies and organizations. By these efforts to promote education and training, the ISBM will contribute to a better understanding of integrative mechanisms which play an important role in overcoming the limits of the specialized disciplines of health care and in developing rational prevention and therapy for life‑style and stress‑related disorders.

The development of national and regional (i.e., multinational) societies

The ISBM believes that the growth of research and practice of behavioral medicine throughout the world can best be promoted through the formation of national and regional societies. The ISBM therefore seeks to foster the establishment of new behavioral medicine societies in terms of increasing the interdisciplinary nature of their membership and activities. It is proposed that the formation of new. societies can best be encouraged by creating links with existing health‑related scientific organizations in each country or region, in order to develop a multidisciplinary professional group with common interests in behavioral medicine. The ISBM recognizes the need to be sensitive to the cultural and scientific background in different parts of the world and to the fact that the scientific groups currently concerned with behavioral medicine vary across nations. Nevertheless, it is believed that national and regional behavioral medicine societies must endeavor to develop multidisciplinary membership and not become the preserve of any single discipline.

International collaborative research

The ISBM will attempt to stimulate cooperative and cross‑cultural research within the behavioral medicine area. The ISBM will function as a channel and source of information for researchers who wish to set up these kinds of studies and will also attempt to stimulate support for such studies. Information will be available through the ISBM for these purposes. In addition, national and international conferences will be used as mutual meetings points for groups that are involved in co‑operative effort. One possibility will be to set aside specific sections of international meetings for this purpose.

Meetings

One of the main functions of ISBM will be to hold international meetings of which basic, clinical and public health research‑and application in behavioral medicine can be discussed. Two types of meetings are envisaged: full international congresses, and regional meetings for special interest groups.

The frequency of meetings should remain flexible in the early stages of ISBM. However, it is envisaged that full international conferences will be held every two years.

Founding Societies of The International Society Of Behavioral Medicine:

• Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (USA)
• Czechoslovakia Medical Association: Section on Neurohumoral Integration and Behavioral Medicine and Modification
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Verhaltensmedizin and Verhaltensmodifikation (DGVM)
  German Association of Behavioral Medicine and Modification
• Nederlands Behavioral Medicine Federatie [Dutch Behavioral Medicine Federation]
• Society of Behavioral Medicine (USA)
• Svensk Beteendemedicinsk Forening [Swedish Society of Behavioral Medicine]