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18 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | APRIL 22, 2022 ASCRS ANNUAL MEETING DAILY NEWS Mr. Speares described the expected outcome. "As with every other aspect of life, communications have become increasingly difficult as we are bom- barded with so much information from a litany of sources," he said. "Many of us tend to select a preferred way of getting updated information and news. At ASCRS, we will now have email, our enhanced web portal, social media channels such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram, and an app for smartphones and tablets. This helps broaden our communication channels and increases the likelihood our members can get timely and relevant information in the most efficient way possible." Communications will not be the only significant change to the bylaws. Another amendment for consideration will be the plan to create a nominating committee. This committee will widen the scope of nominees for the ASCRS Executive Board. The committee will be chaired by a past president whose term will be a single year. The make- up of the committee will be a broad and diverse group of existing ASCRS members. ASCRS President Richard Hoffman, MD, explained the thought process for the amendment project. "Our current bylaws refer to communication with members only through the mail or pub- lic postings at the Annual Meeting. We now have numerous channels enabled by technology through which we can communicate with members. Our by- laws do not account for these changes, and it is time to bring them into the 21st century. "ASCRS utilized outside counsel and an independent committee to assess the current bylaws," Dr. Hoffman continued. "Best practices from other subspecialty medical societies were examined and considered as potential examples for how we might explore new approaches to some of the amend- ed bylaws." The amendments will be present- ed at the conclusion of the financial updates, and members will be asked to ratify them in accordance with ASCRS bylaws. Once ratified, the bylaws doc- ument will be updated to reflect these changes. T he ASCRS Annual Business Meeting will take place today at 5:15 p.m. in Hall D. The meeting will cover the finan- cial status of the society for fiscal year 2021. ASCRS Executive Director Steve Speares will present on behalf of the society, and all members are encour- aged to attend. "It is important to inform our members of the financial health of our society. We have weath- ered two of the most challenging years ASCRS has faced in its nearly 50-year existence," Mr. Speares said. "The cancellation of our 2020 meeting in Boston presented our society with an existential threat," he continued. "We eliminated nearly 25% of staff positions, instituted a discre- tionary spending freeze, and imposed salary reductions for all employees of ASCRS. But through the unwaver- ing support of our membership and continued engagement of our indus- try partners, we navigated the storm and have emerged stronger and more sustainable." The ASCRS Foundation financial results will also be presented at the Annual Business Meeting. In addition to the financial updates for the 501 c(6) and the 501 c(3), AS- CRS will unveil a slate of proposed new amendments to the ASCRS bylaws. The bylaws will cover a host of topics ranging from membership categories and communication to the makeup and election process for committee appoint- ments. This will be the first time in more than a decade that ASCRS members are considering amendments to the original bylaws. Much has changed since the last revision, most notably the various channels of communication enabled by today's technology. ASCRS bylaws to be major focus at Annual Business Meeting "ASCRS utilized outside counsel and an independent committee to assess the current bylaws. Best practices from other subspecialty medical societies were examined and considered as potential examples for how we might explore new approaches to some of the amended bylaws." —Richard Hoffman, MD

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