ASCIA Committees and Working Parties: Terms of Reference

The following 7 ASCIA committees are standing committees of the ASCIA Council and are representation by the Chair of each committee on ASCIA Council:

• ASCIA Anaphylaxis committee
• ASCIA Education committee
• ASCIA Laboratory Practice committee
• ASCIA Paediatric committee
• ASCIA Immunodeficiency committee
• ASCIA Nurses committee
• ASCIA Dietitians committee

In addition to the above mentioned committees there are ASCIA working parties which are not standing committees of the ASCIA Council. Chairs and members of ASCIA committees and working parties are listed on the ASCIA website: www.allergy.org.au/members/committees 

ASCIA committees and working parties only include ASCIA members and are not funded by educational grants from industry. 

ASCIA is also involved in collaborative projects that involve ASCIA and non-ASCIA members, such as the ASCIA TAPID (Transplantation and PID) Project.  These projects may be funded by unrestricted educational grants from industry, which is organised by ASCIA staff. Documentation produced from these projects is owned by ASCIA and is not influenced by industry. 

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 other authoritative evidence based information
• Developing and updating educational resources for patients/consumers based on published literature
• Developing and updating educational resources for health professionals based on published literature 
• Advising ASCIA Council on relevant matters which are referred to the committee
• Promoting collaboration and sharing of information amongst ASCIA members
• Fostering collaborative clinical research in relevant areas
• Developing and maintaining disease registers and databases (where applicable) and related research
• Coordination of relevant educational activities for ASCIA members.

MEETINGS

• ASCIA Committees and working parties usually meet by teleconference and documents are reviewed by email, organised by the ASCIA CEO or delagated ASCIA staff member.
• Teleconferences are arranged and funded by ASCIA.
• The Chair may also convene a face to face meeting during the ASCIA Annual Conference of ASCIA. Travel costs for these meetings are not funded by ASCIA.
• In the absence of the Chair, the deputy Chair will be the acting Chair.
• Attendance at a meeting in order for the committee to make a decision should be no less than 3 members.

MEMBERSHIP

• Each ASCIA committee and working party will be 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.

CHAIR

• ASCIA committee Chairs are eligible for reappointment and may serve for a maximum of 6 consecutive years (3 x 2 year terms).
• Every 2 years (after the AGM) 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 2 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.   
• Chairs of ASCIA working parties may be co-opted to ASCIA Council as deemed necessary by ASCIA Directors.
• Chairs must complete an ASCIA Declaration of Potential Conflicts of Interest form to ensure transparency and consistency with ASCIA policies.

REPORTING TO ASCIA EXECUTIVE AND COUNCIL 

The Chair should provide a concise written or verbal report to Council for each face to face meeting of ASCIA Council.  Any requests for funding that are in addition to reasonable operating expenses need to be approved by the ASCIA Directors, via the ASCIA CEO.

Content updated April 2017