I- NAME AND ADDRESSES

Sec. 1. Latin American Thyroid Society (LATS) is an association of Latin American scientists interested to promote research in the thyroid field (fundamental and clinical).

Sec. 2. The length of the Society shall be indefinite.

Sec. 3. The administrative offices will be located at the address of the Treasurer. The certificate of incorporation was formed under the law of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

II- AIMS

Sec. 4. The aims of the association are to promote research in the thyroid field (fundamental and clinical) and improve knowledge of the thyroid gland and its diseases.

Sec. 5. To organize and sponsor scientific meetings and courses.

Sec. 6. To keep relationship with other international scientific societies.

III- MEMBERSHIP

Sec. 7. Membership shall consist of Active, Corresponding, Honorary and Associate members.

a) Active membership is confined to those citizens or residents in the Latin American continent whose present and established interest is the experimental or clinical investigation of the thyroid gland and its diseases (anatomy, physiology, experimental pathology, biochemistry, biophysics, nuclear medicine, cellular and molecular biology and clinical investigation). Candidates for Active membership must have attended an earlier meeting of LATS and be proposed by two Active members of the Society. Applications must be accompanied by a brief curriculum vitae and a list of the applicant's principal publications (at least 2) in the thyroid field. Applications must be submitted to the Secretary and examined by the Executive Committee. Those receiving the support of two thirds of those present shall be presented to the general Assembly for election in occasion of the LATS meetings.

b) Corresponding membership is confined to citizens of countries, which do not belong to Latin America and approved by the Executive Committee.

c) Honorary membership is conferred upon persons of great distinction who have provided exceptional service to the study of the thyroid gland. Honorary members must be nominated by Active members and approved by the General Assembly.

d) Associate membership is conferred upon those (i) students, young investigators or clinicians that are interested in the study of the thyroid gland; (ii) any person belonging to governmental or non-governmental organizations involved in the study of the thyroid gland, or involved in the implementation/regulation of public health policies regarding any aspects of the thyroid gland. Applications must be submitted to the Secretary and approved by the General Assembly.

Sec. 8. Founder members are all those who joined the Association before June 1st., 1975.

IV- DIRECTION

Sec. 9. An Executive Committee, constituted by the President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and nine other members (Directors), all Active members, will direct LATS.

Sec. 10. The President will be the main executive of LATS, will preside the General assembly and Executive Committee and will represent LATS, together with the Secretary, in the meetings with other international societies. The President-Elect will perform the President functions in his absence. The President and President-elect are designated for a two-year term and are not eligible for reelection.

 

Sec. 11. Active members attending the general Assembly held during LATS meetings elect the President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Directors together with the votes of active colleagues on good standing with LATS Society, who voted through internet for the candidates of elective positions.

Sec. 12. Pre-Meeting Nominations

(a) Three members of the Executive Committee will compose an Electoral Committee.

  (b) Candidates for offices (President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer and Directors) shall submit the nominations by petition for elective office to the Electoral Committee at least forty days before the LATS Meeting. The President elect shall serve as vice-president and shall automatically become the president after two years following his or her election.

(c) The Electoral Committee shall notify the membership of the proposed candidates for elective positions after receiving the nominating of candidates for the offices of President-Elect, as well as candidates for Secretary and Treasurer  and each director position available, at least thirty days before the LATS Meeting

  Meeting Elections

(d) From the first day of the Meeting until 12h00 of the day of the General Assembly, ballots will be provided just for active members in good standing. Ballots will be tabulated in advance of the business meeting by the Electoral Committee with the voting results announced at the General Assembly. LATS colleagues on good standing with LATS Society, can vote on-line for the candidates of elective positions just after receiving from the Electoral Committee the names of the proposed candidates. Election to office shall require a plurality vote of the active members voting.

Sec. 13. The Secretary should be elected for four years and is not eligible for reelection. The Secretary must take care of LATS correspondence, archives, attend and keep a record of all meetings, report the activities to the Executive Committee, negotiate and sign the contracts in the name of LATS and, together with the President, represent the Society in the meetings with other international societies.

Sec. 14. The Treasurer should be elected for four years and is not eligible for reelection.The Treasurer must take care of LATS finances, collect due and donations and pays bills while cooperating with the Secretary and Executive Council for the good of the Society.

Sec. 15. The nine Directors of the Executive Committee will be elected by the majority of the Active members attending the General Assembly together with the votes  of members of the SLAT in good conditions with the Society. They shall serve for a period of two years. The Directors of the Executive Committee might be re-elected for a more two-year term .

Sec. 16. LATS Directors or any Active Member of the Society can candidate for the position of President-Elect, Secretary and Treasurer of LATS.

Sec. 17. The period of service of all officers will be automatically extended if, during their term of office, the LATS meeting and the LATS General Assembly do not take place.

Sec. 18. The President, the Secretary and the Executive Committee shall the right to establish sub-committees or call the members to work on specific problems.

Sec. 19. Any vacancy among the officers, except for the office of President and President-elect, may be filled by an appointee of the President subject to the majority approval of the Executive Committee.

V- FEES

Sec. 20. The fees for Active and Associate members shall be decided by the Executive Committee and agreed by the General Assembly. Associate members shall pay half the value of the Active members.

Sec. 21. The Executive Committee may require special fees with the approval of the General assembly.

Sec. 22. Any member neglecting to pay dues or special assessments approved by the Executive Committee, after due notice from the Secretary, may be dropped from membership.

VI- PROPERTIES

Sec. 23. The Society properties will be formed by:

a) annual fees paid by the members.
b) donations, gifts, grants and legacies.
c) profits from meetings, publications or courses organized by the Society.

VII- ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

Sec. 24. The annual accounts report shall be submitted by the Treasurer to The Executive Committee and to the Active members attending the General Assembly. The annual accounts report shall be approved by the General Assembly.

VIII- AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES

Sec. 25. Any member in a letter to the Secretary may require modifications of the bylaws at least one month before the General Assembly. The bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of Active members.

IX- LATS CONGRESS

Sec. 26. The LATS Congress will create the necessary conditions to get information, change of ideas and connections between the investigators involved on thyroid research.

Sec. 27. The meeting will take place every two years in a Latin American city, except those years in which the International Thyroid Congress takes place. The Executive Committee may change the year and the city if it is necessary for any reason. The LATS Congress must not take place simultaneously with other international meeting.

Sec. 28. The local organizing committee will be indicated by the LATS Executive Council and should be formed preferentially by LATS members living in the host country.

Sec. 29. The LATS Executive Committee will indicate the program organizing committee.

X- LATS PRIZE

Sec. 30. The LATS Prize will be awarded at each LATS Congress to an Active member of the Society who has made outstanding contributions to thyroid research over a considerable period of time.

Sec. 31. The Executive Committee will make the award. The Executive Committee can indicate a special board of experts, not necessarily members of LATS, to work as referees. The final decision will be made by the Executive Committee.

Sec. 32. Candidates for the Prize may be proposed and seconded by any two Active members of SLAT. The proposal should include the candidate's curriculum vitae (of no more than 10 pages) and a short citation (of no more than 2 pages) indicating the nature of candidate's personal contribution to thyroid research to the Secretary.

Sec. 33. The recipient will be asked to deliver a lecture at the LATS Congress.

Sec. 34. . The LATS Prize - young investigator - will be awarded at each LATS Congress to 2 young members of the Society (less than 40 years of age) presenting an accepted paper at the Congress. The categories under which the prize will be given are: (1) clinical and (2) basic research. The young investigator must be the first author.  The work must be presented by the candidate

Sec. 35. The work presented must have been made in full in a country of Latin America.

Sec. 36. The recipients of the LATS Prize - young investigator - awards will be selected by the Program Organizing Committee or a smaller Awards Committee appointed by the POC, and can receive this prize once in a life time.