ASCIA Committees and Working Parties: Terms of Reference

Purpose

The purpose of ASCIA committees and working parties is to advance the science and practice of allergy and clinical immunology by:

Developing, publishing and updating resources for health professionals, based on published literature and expert consensus.
Developing and updating information for patients, carers and the community, based on published literature and expert consensus.
Advising ASCIA Council on relevant matters which are referred to the committee or working party.
Promoting collaboration and sharing of information amongst ASCIA members.
Fostering collaborative clinical research in relevant areas.
Coordinating relevant educational and research activities for ASCIA members.

Members

Members of ASCIA committees and working parties participate on a voluntary basis.
Current members are listed on the ASCIA website allergy.org.au/members/committees
ASCIA committees include Full and Associate ASCIA members who have interests and qualifications that are relevant to the committee. ASCIA members can request to join at any time throughout the year and can serve on ASCIA committees for an unlimited number of terms.
ASCIA working parties are established for specific projects, approved by ASCIA Directors, and members are usually invited by the Chair, based on specific skills and representation of regions.
There should be a minimum of five members on each ASCIA committee or working party.
ASCIA committee and working party members (including Chairs and Deputy Chairs) are expected to declare potential conflicts of interest to ensure transparency and compliance with ASCIA policies.

Chairs

ASCIA committee Chairs are appointed for a term of two years. They are eligible for reappointment and may serve for a maximum of three consecutive two year terms.
Deputy Chairs should be given first option to become the next Chair. In the absence of a Deputy Chair, nominations for new Chairs are requested by an email to members before the ASCIA AGM.
Where there is more than one nomination for either position, the committee's recommendation to Council will be decided by secret ballot (conducted by the ASCIA CEO) and a deputy Chair position can be appointed to the nominee with the 2^nd most votes.
ASCIA committee Chairs are represented on ASCIA Council. Chairs of ASCIA working parties may be co-opted to the ASCIA Council as deemed necessary by the ASCIA Directors.

Meetings

ASCIA committees and working parties usually meet by Zoom video conferencing and draft documents are reviewed by email, organised by ASCIA staff.
In the absence of the Chair, the deputy Chair will be the acting Chair of the meeting.
The Chair may convene a face-to-face meeting coinciding with an ASCIA Annual Conference.

Content updated August 2022