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 immunology and allergy by:

Developing, publishing and updating consensus guidelines and educational resources for health professionals, based on published literature and expert consensus.
Developing and updating educational resources for patients, carers and consumers 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.
Coordination of relevant educational and research activities for ASCIA members.

Membership

Each ASCIA committee is populated by ASCIA members (Full and Associate) who can request to join at any time throughout the year.
ASCIA members can serve on committees for an unlimited number of terms.
There should be a minimum of five members on each committee. In the absence of a sufficient number of suitable appointees, existing members may recommend potential appointees (with their consent) for consideration by Council. Attendance at a meeting in order for the committee to make a decision should be no less than three members.
Each member (including the Chair and Deputy Chair) will be requested to complete an ASCIA Declaration of Potential Conflicts of Interest form, to ensure transparency and consistency with ASCIA policies.

Meetings and Chairs

ASCIA committees and working parties usually meet by Zoom video conferencing and documents are reviewed by email, organised by ASCIA staff.
In the absence of the Chair, the deputy Chair will be the acting Chair.
The Chair may convene a face-to-face meeting coinciding with an ASCIA Annual Conference.
ASCIA committee Chairs are eligible for reappointment and may serve for a maximum of three consecutive two year terms.
Every two years (after the Annual General Meeting) a request will be sent to ASCIA members for nominations of Chairs from the existing committee membership, for appointment by Council. The Chair will be appointed for a term of two years.
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.

ASCIA Committees

The following ASCIA committees are standing committees of the ASCIA Council, continuing indefinitely, with representation on Council:

ASCIA Anaphylaxis committee
ASCIA Drug Allergy committee
ASCIA Education committee
ASCIA Laboratory Practice committee
ASCIA Paediatric committee
ASCIA Immunodeficiency committee
ASCIA Nurses committee
ASCIA Dietitians committee
ASCIA Medical Associates committee

Membership of the committees mentioned above is open to ASCIA members who have interests and qualifications that are relevant to the committee.

ASCIA Working Parties

In addition to the committees listed above, there are ASCIA working parties, which are not standing committees of the ASCIA Council. These are usually limited in membership (due to funding of face to face meetings) and are active for specific projects.

Current ASCIA working parties include the: