SPR Membership News As this is my fifth and final year as the Membership Secretary for the SPR, I would like to make a few observations about the past few years in our Society. But first, a hearty congratulations to the new members inducted into our Society as of last January! Welcome, and may I encourage your active participation in the Society. My first observation has to do with membership participation. One of the most noteworthy changes in our Society occurred partly to enable better membership participation. Specifically, the constitution was changed a few years ago to extend the age of active membership from 46 to 50. Because the average age of our new members inducted last January is 41, this change allows almost ten years of active membership participation instead of the five that would have occurred without the change. I would encourage all active members to become more involved with the Society because your input can significantly change the philosophy and operation of our organization. An example of the changes that can be affected by the membership is that, as a result of a recent Constitutional amendment (initiated by a concerned active member), "write in" nominations for Council members require endorsement from only 2 active members, neither of which can be affiliated with the nominee's institution. This amendment gives members more ability to affect changes in our Society. In other words, if you are not happy with decisions made by Council, or with the individuals on Council, you have a reasonable opportunity to nominate someone you might be happier with. One important function of the Council is to propose nominations for Officer and Council positions. Nominations (both council initiated and "write ins") are voted on and elected by the Active Membership. I bring up this issue because it has become apparent to me over the past five years that very few of our members are aware of the process by which the SPR operates. Indeed, perhaps my earliest memory as a Council member is being asked the following question by one of my colleagues upon hearing that I had been elected as Membership Secretary. "How did you get that job anyway?" Another important function of the Council is to review the new membership nominations at the Fall council meeting. One of the most frequent comments that I received over the past five years is a concern that the criteria for membership should be loosened, particularly in view of the decline in active membership that has occurred over the past 10 years. However, the next most frequent comment I heard was that our criteria is so loose that the Council now seems to accept almost anyone. Both types of comments are heeded by the Council which continually strives to balance the knowledge of the difficulty in achieving our membership criteria with the desire to maintain the caliber of our membership. The Council is always open to suggestions regarding ways to enhance our membership and again I encourage all members to take an active role in doing so. A few other observations about the SPR membership. For the past five years, the number of male applicants has been at least twice to almost four times the number of female applicants. Is this an accurate reflection of the gender composition of "young" Pediatric faculty in the U.S. and Canada? The majority of our membership applications each year come from only a few subspecialties. In fact Neonatology predominates. Is there a way to encourage more participation from other subspecialties? Demonstration of independence by the nominee has historically been an important requirement for SPR membership. In view of the complexity and need for integrative research, is this criterion outdated? A final few comments about membership requirements. There are some misconceptions about membership requirements that sometimes lead to unnecessary frustrations and could be allayed by talking to a Council member. For example, although not a requirement for membership, evidence of national level funding is very supportive as it is one indication of the quality and independent nature of the nominee's research. I would strongly encourage questions as to whether or not an individual qualifies for membership and how best to demonstrate that the individual is qualified to be discussed with me or any other council member prior to submitting an application. By doing so, some of the frustration and disappointments that accompany unsuccessful nominations can be alleviated. Comments or questions regarding the membership are welcome at all times. As always, I would like to encourage members to attend the Annual business meeting (which will take place during the Spring SPR meeting in San Francisco) to facilitate discussion of any concerns regarding the membership process or any other Society issues. Feel free to contact me at any time (e-mail address is cfike@post.its.mcw.edu). |