June 2021 Meeting of the HOD: Speakers' updates

Pursuant Recommendation 22 of the Speakers’ Report 2, June 2021 (below), the following is the first official candidate notification (PDF) for the 2022 AMA elections:

President elect: one open position

• Willarda Edwards, MD, MBA
• Jesse Ehrenfeld, MD, MPH
• Russ Kridel, MD

Board of Trustees: four open positions

• Alex Ding, MD, MBA
• Scott Ferguson, MD
• Sandra A. Fryhofer, MD
• Marilyn Heine, MD
• Mario Motta, MD

     One potential newly opened position*

Board of Trustees, Young Physician: one open position

• Toluwalase Ajayi, MD

Council on Constitution & Bylaws: two open positions

• Kevin C. Reilly, MD

Council on Medical Education: one open position

Council on Medical Service:  four open positions

• Betty S. Chu, MD, MBA
• Stephen K. Epstein, MD, MPP
• Ravi Goel, MD
• Sheila Rege, MD
• Zeke Silva III, MD

Council on Science & Public Health: three open positions

• Rob Allison, MD
• Joanna Bisgrove, MD
• Joshua M. Cohen, MD, MPH
• Dave Cundiff, MD, MPH
• Ali R. Rahimi, MD, MPH
• Padmini Ranasinghe, MD, MBBS, MPH

     One potential newly opened position*

*POTENTIAL NEWLY OPENED POSITIONS: positions that may open as the result of the election of a currently announced candidate:

Individuals considering becoming a candidate for any of the existing open or potential newly opened positions are encouraged to send an email with an electronic announcement card to [email protected] notifying us of your intention to be a candidate. Please designate if you wish to declare your candidacy for an open position or for a potential newly opened position. Individuals are reminded that newly adopted rules clarify that individuals are not allowed to independently send materials to the members of the House of Delegates prior to the start of “active campaigning” which typically begins in April. This includes announcements of candidacy.

A full listing of current campaign rules will be sent to all candidates and posted on the AMA website in the near future. Relevant policies regarding the above are as follows:

(New policy, not yet numbered) Speakers’ Report 2, June 2021, Recommendation 22:

Announcement cards of all known candidates will be projected on the last day of the Annual and Interim Meetings of our House of Delegates and posted on the AMA website as per Policy G-610.020, paragraph 2. Following each meeting, an “Official Candidate Notification” will be sent electronically to the House. It will include a list of all announced candidates and all potential newly opened positions which may open as a result of the election of any announced candidate. Additional notices will also be sent out following the April Board meeting and on “Official Announcement Dates” to be established by the speaker.

(New policy, not yet numbered) Speakers’ Report 2, June 2021, Recommendation 23:

Candidates may notify the HOD office of their intention to run for potential newly opened positions, as well as any scheduled open positions on any council or the Board of Trustees, at any time by submitting an announcement card and their conflict of interest statement to the House office. They will then be included in all subsequent projections of announcements before the House, “official candidate notifications” and in any campaign activity that had not yet been finalized. All previously announced candidates will continue to be included on each official announcement date. Any candidate may independently announce their candidacy after active campaigning is allowed, but no formal announcement from the HOD office will take place other than at the specified times.

Policy G-610.020, (2) Rules for AMA Elections:

Individuals intending to seek election at the next Annual Meeting should make their intentions known to the Speakers, generally by providing the Speaker’s office with an electronic announcement “card” that includes any or all of the following elements and no more: the candidate’s name, photograph, email address, URL, the office sought and a list of endorsing societies. The Speakers will ensure that the information is posted on our AMA website in a timely fashion, generally on the morning of the last day of a House of Delegates meeting or upon adjournment of the meeting. Announcements that include additional information (e.g., a brief resume) will not be posted to the website. Printed announcements may not be distributed in the venue where the House of Delegates meets. Announcements sent by candidates to members of the House are considered campaigning and are specifically prohibited prior to the start of active campaigning. (Modified, June 2021)

This information is duplicated in the attachment (PDF).

-- Responses should be directed to [email protected]  

To put the finishing touches on the J21 Special Meeting of our House of Delegates, your speakers are pleased to provide the points of personal privilege (PDF) received by the HOD office. We would like to add our own deepest appreciation for your continued support with our reelection. In addition, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the candidates and their campaign teams for their patience with a challenging process and to the caucuses and delegations who virtually interviewed and vetted these candidates. Finally, and most importantly, we wish to thank our entire AMA House for pivoting to this new process and making the first designated election session a success.

Bruce and Lisa

-- Responses should be directed to [email protected]

An updated / corrected report from the Reference Committee on Amendments to Constitution & Bylaws is available (PDF).

Resolutions 001 (Item 15 in Part B) and 024 (Item 12 in Part B) were changed.

Note as well that the reference committee report is in two parts: Part A, dealing with the Election Task Force Report, and Part B, dealing with all other items.

Office of House of Delegates Affairs

-- Responses should be directed to [email protected]

All reference committee reports with the exception of the Reference Committee on Amendments to Constitution and Bylaws and Reference Committee C have been posted online. At this time reports on these remaining reference committees are not completed. They will be posted as soon as available. The final order of business is as follows:  E, A, F, G, D, B, and C. The report for the Reference Committee on Amendments to Constitution and Bylaws will be considered as the first item of business at 10 am CDT on Tuesday, June 15. 

-- Responses should be directed to [email protected]

The following reference committee reports are posted: A, E, F and G.

The are available on the HOD business page.

The remaining reports will be posted on the same page as they become available.

The complete order of consideration for reference committees has not been determined, but the initial committees om Monday morning, starting at 10 a.m. Central Daylight Time, will be (in order) E, A, F, and G.

-- Responses should be directed to [email protected]  

The Resolution Committee has released its final report (PDF), listing resolutions in three groups: those that have met the priority threshold, those not meeting the priority threshold and not extracted, and those that have not met the priority threshold but have been extracted.

The committee’s report will be handled as a consent calendar during the Opening Session, without further extractions. All are invited to make comments on the online forum on the extracted resolutions. Delegates and alternate delegates who will be seated for their delegate at the Opening Session are encouraged to review those online comments, as there will be no further debate. Each extracted item will be put to a vote to either sustain the recommendation of the Resolution Committee or to overrule its recommendation. The House by majority vote will decide which items become the business of this Special Meeting.

-- Responses should be directed to [email protected]

This evening (Wednesday, June 9) at 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time, we will be offering a practice session. It will use the same link as the general business sessions during the meeting. Access the ZOOM webinar and enter your Zoom passcode: 025622 AND on a second device or second tab login to LUMI. Delegates will use their Business Credential, but alternate delegates should login as a guest.

We encourage you to check the Speakers' Letter for important reminders and updates. Recent updates concern AMPAC and a CME session to be offered on Sunday by the Mobility Caucus.

The following meeting-related links are provided for your convenience:

• Inaugural of Gerald Harmon, MD, via ZOOM (6 p.m. Tuesday, June 15)
• Handbook and addendum, available separately or combined
• Election manual (PDF), with link to COI disclosures (the latter are members only)
• Speakers’ interviews of candidates (members only)
• Speakers’ Letter (PDF) (updated June 9)
• Online Forums (sign-in required)
• Speakers’ updates regarding J21
• PolicyFinder

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

The initial posting of the Resolution Committee's Second Report gave an incorrect resolution number. Resolution 228 was listed as 233 in the initial report. The corrected report has been posted.

—

The Resolution Committee's second report has been posted online. It is available on the business page or directly (PDF), Instructions for extracting an item are found in the report, and extractions must be received by midnight (Central Daylight Time) tomorrow night, June 9.

Also available is information (PDF) on actions taken to implement the policies adopted by the House at November's special meeting.

The final portion of the business proposed for this month’s Special Meeting has been posted on the business page. The "Friday tote" (PDF) contains the following items:

• Instruction sheet for meeting
• Rules Report from  the Committee on Rules & Credentials
• Late Resolutions 1001-1004
• Referral changes and other revisions
• Supplementary Report of the Committee on Rules & Credentials
• Board of Trustee nomination for the Distinguished Service Award
• Order of Business for opening session
• Reference committee index sheets
• Index sheet for informational reports
• AMPAC report
• Revised reports from councils
• On time resolutions received since the addendum was published
• Memorial resolutions
• Fiscal note summary (to be updated later this week)

The "Friday tote" (PDF) together with the handbook and addendum contain all items submitted for consideration at the Special Meeting.

Tomorrow the Resolution Committee’s Second Report will be posted. It will include two lists: items recommended for consideration and items recommended against consideration. Items recommended against consideration may be extracted for consideration by the House by sending a request for extraction along with a statement of up to 150 words on why the item should be considered at this meeting to [email protected] no later than June 9 at midnight Central Daylight Time. There will be no other opportunity for extractions. During Friday’s opening session (7 p.m. Central Daylight Time), the House will determine the business to be considered by majority vote.

The instructions for participating in this virtual Special Meeting are posted on the meeting website and are attached to this message and included in the Friday tote. The URLs for all sessions of the Special Meeting, including the reference committees, are found in the instructions.

At 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time Wednesday evening, June 9, we will be offering a practice session. It will use the same link as the general business sessions during the meeting. Access the ZOOM webinar and enter your Zoom passcode: 025622 AND on a second device or second tab login to LUMI. Delegates will use their Business Credential, but alternate delegates should login as a guest.

The following meeting-related links are provided for your convenience:

• Inaugural of Gerald Harmon, MD, via ZOOM (6 p.m. Tuesday, June 15)
• Handbook and addendum, available separately or combined
• Election manual, with link to COI disclosures (the latter are members only)
• Speakers’ interviews of candidates (members only)
• Speakers’ Letter (updated May 13)
• Online Forums (sign-in required)
• Speakers’ updates regarding J21
• PolicyFinder
• Pictorial Directory (members only)
• Speakers’ Page

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

The preliminary report of the Resolution Committee has been posted and is accessible via the Special Meeting business page. The report lists 35 resolutions that have met the priority threshold for the meeting and will be considered. No action is required for these items.

The committee’s second report, which will incorporate section-sponsored resolutions and make recommendations regarding the consideration of additional resolutions, will be posted Tuesday, June 8.

Items recommended against consideration in the committee’s second report may be extracted for consideration by the House by sending a request for extraction along with a statement of up to 150 words on why the item should be considered at this meeting to [email protected] no later than June 9 at midnight CDT. Please note that the email sent to the house accompanying the posting of the Handbook Addendum had this deadline listed incorrectly and that the deadline is June 9 at midnight.

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

The instructions for accessing the June Special Meeting of the House of Delegates have been posted online (PDF) and are also included as an attachment to this email. If you participated in November’s meeting, the instructions will contain no surprises.

Included in the instructions are the URLs that will be used for the meeting. They should be clickable from within the document.

As previously noted, we will be offering a practice session at 7 p.m. Central time on Wednesday, June 9. It will use the same link as the general business sessions during the meeting. Access the ZOOM webinar and enter your Zoom passcode: 025622 AND on a second device or second tab login to Lumi. Delegates will use their business credential, but alternate delegates should login as a guest.

Delegates (but not alternate delegates) should expect an email this week from [email protected] that will include their business and election credentials. If you have not received the email by close of business on Friday (May 28), please check your spam folder before contacting Roger.

Finally, you may wish to make a note regarding the inaugural of Gerald E. Harmon, MD, as AMA president. Join the Zoom webinar at 6 p.m. Central time on Tuesday, June 15.

The following meeting-related links are provided for your convenience:

• Handbook and addendum, available separately or combined
• Election manual, with link to COI disclosures (the latter are members only)
• Speakers’ interviews of candidates (members only)
• Speakers’ Letter (updated May 13)
• Online forums (sign-in required)
• Speakers’ updates regarding J21
• PolicyFinder
• Pictorial Directory (members only)
• Speakers’ page

 

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

The handbook addendum has been posted and is online. The addendum is available as a separate document and has also been incorporated into the handbook, with the content interleaved with the prior material. You will note that considerably more business is found in the addendum than in the initial handbook. Two additional board reports, all council reports, and more than 80 resolutions make up the addendum.

Additional resolutions (“Sunday Tote”) will be posted as soon as they become available. Resolutions from the sections will not be available until after their meetings on the weekend of June 5-6.

Online forum

Members are reminded that the online forum is available here and that posted comments are strongly encouraged. Comments on the forum are not limited, and reference committees have been instructed to consider online comments along with live comments in their deliberations.

Resolution Committee

Resolutions are still being reviewed by the Resolution Committee which will provide their first report on June 2 and issue their second report on Tuesday, June 8. Following issuance of the second report, delegates may extract items from the list of resolutions recommended against consideration by sending an email with an extraction statement (150 words or less) to [email protected] to be received no later than 6 p.m. Central Thursday, June 10. There will be no other opportunity for extractions.

Comments regarding an item's priority should be directed to the online forum until the opening session of the House. The final determination of the business to be considered by the House at this Special Meeting will be decided without further debate by majority vote during the opening session on Friday, June 11 at 7 p.m. Central.

Informational reports

Requests for extraction of informational reports must also be received no later than 6 p.m. Central Thursday, June 10. No extraction statement will be necessary to extract informational reports. As per our usual procedures, extracted informational reports will be assigned to reference committees for consideration.

Late resolutions

The deadline for the receipt of late resolutions is 4 p.m. Central, Sunday, June 6, which is also the deadline for the receipt of section-sponsored resolutions. The Committee on Rules & Credentials will meet that evening to consider late resolutions, during which time a member of the sponsoring delegation will be invited to discuss the reasons for the resolution’s lateness and explain the timeliness/urgency of the issue to the committee. The Committee on Rules & Credentials will review the resolution and make a recommendation to the House on whether to accept or not accept the resolution as business during the opening session. Details will be provided as needed at that time.

Reference committee hearing schedule

We have now set the final schedule for reference committee hearings as follows (all times based on Chicago and Central Daylight Time):

• Saturday, June 12, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Reference Committees A, E and F
• Saturday, June 12, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Reference Committees B, D and G
• Sunday, June 13, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Amendments to Constitution & Bylaws and Reference Committee C

Practice session

We will again be offering a practice session using the LUMI and ZOOM platforms. The session will be offered at 7 p.m. Central Wednesday, June 9. Watch your email and our updates for access information.

As always, we welcome your questions to [email protected].

The following meeting-related links are provided for your convenience:

• Handbook and addendum, available separately or combined
• Election manual, with link to COI disclosures (the latter are members only)
• Speakers’ interviews of candidates (members only)
• Speakers’ Letter (updated May 13)
• Online forums (sign-in required)
• Speakers’ updates regarding J21
• PolicyFinder
• Pictorial Directory (members only)
• Speakers’ Page (applications for reference committee service and other news)

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

The initial handbook for June’s Special Meeting has been posted and is available at https://www.ama-assn.org/house-delegates/special-meeting/business-june-2021-special-meeting-ama-house-delegates.

We chose to publish the initial handbook as promised, so do not be misled by the relative paucity of business it includes. Another 86 resolutions arrived this week and will be included in the handbook addendum. (And the sections may send resolutions following their meetings.) Likewise, about two dozen council reports will be included in the addendum. The link above will provide access to these additional items as they are processed but before the addendum is published.

Finally, we would note that the handbook includes a preliminary schedule for reference committee hearings, which will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning, June 12. We emphasize that the schedule is preliminary and subject to change.

The following meeting-related links are provided for your convenience:

• Election manual (PDF) with link to COI disclosures (the latter are members only)
• Speakers’ interviews of candidates (members only)
• Speakers’ Letter (PDF, updated May 13)
• Online member forums (sign-in required)
• Speakers’ updates regarding J21
• PolicyFinder
• Pictorial Directory (members only)
• Speakers’ page (applications for reference committee service and other news)

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

As outlined in the Speakers’ Letter and previous communications, your speakers conducted interviews with individuals known to be seeking election at the upcoming Special Meeting of the House of Delegates.

Each candidate gave a brief opening statement and then responded to a series of questions posed by your speakers. Questions were position specific. Questions were unknown to candidates until asked, and responses were recorded in one take, as if the encounter had been a face-to-face interview.

Access to the interviews is restricted to members. All can be accessed from the following page:

https://www.ama-assn.org/house-delegates/special-meeting/june-2021-special-meeting-hod-candidate-interviews-speakers

You may also wish to bookmark the following meeting-related pages:

• Speakers’ Letter (PDF)
• Reports and resolutions (posted as they become available; the handbook once compiled)
• Online Member Forums (sign-in required)
• Speakers’ updates regarding J21
• PolicyFinder
• Pictorial Directory
• Speakers’ Page (applications for reference committee service and other news)

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

The Speakers’ Letter for the upcoming Special Meeting of the House of Delegates has been posted on the AMA website. It can be accessed directly here (PDF).

Please retain a copy of the Speakers’ Letter for reference as it contains detailed instructions for accessing the meeting websites—although the URLs were not available at press time—along with information on the schedule and activities associated with the meeting.

The Speakers’ Letter is also being sent in hard copy through the US Postal Service. Delegates whose credentials have been confirmed by their sponsoring society will have included with their printed copy of the Speakers’ Letter a cover letter with their delegate codes.

If you believe you are a delegate but do not receive delegate codes, contact your sponsoring society to ensure that you have been credentialed as a delegate by your society. AMA bylaws require confirmation of delegates and alternate delegates before each meeting of the House of Delegates. There is no alternative.

Delegate codes are not sent to alternate delegates. See the Speakers’ Letter for further information and instructions.

You may also wish to bookmark the following meeting-related pages:

• Reports and resolutions (posted as they become available; the handbook once compiled)
• Online Member Forums (sign-in required)
• Speakers’ updates regarding J21
• PolicyFinder
• Pictorial Directory
• Speakers’ Page (applications for reference committee service and other news)

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

We are still in need of several volunteers for the reference committees at the upcoming June Special Meeting of the House of Delegates. Individuals experienced in working via a virtual meeting format are particularly welcome, even if you have served within the last three years, which is our normal exclusion window. The usual eight reference committees will meet.

Reference committees for the Special Meeting are currently planned for the following times:

• Saturday, June 12, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• Saturday, June 12, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Sunday, June 13, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Reference committee hearings will be conducted using Zoom. Following the hearing, committee members will meet in executive session using Microsoft Teams on Saturday afternoon or evening or during the day on Sunday.

To volunteer, please complete the form found on the speakers’ information page. The form may also be used to serve on the Rules & Credentials Committee or the Resolutions Committee.

Should you wish to review our prior communications about the Special Meeting, please see dates listed below.

Thank you for your assistance and cooperation.

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

Pursuant to the action of the American Medical Association (AMA) Board of Trustees (Board) on March 11, 2021, this notice will serve as the Official Call to convene a Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates (HOD) on June 11-16, 2021. The purpose of this meeting, as defined by the action of the Board, is to accomplish leadership transitions that would otherwise be addressed in association with an Annual Meeting of the HOD and to conduct priority business of the Association. This Special Meeting will be convened on the same platforms, Lumi and Zoom, that were used at the November 2020 Special Meeting.

The House will commence with the Opening Session at 7 pm CDT, Friday, June 11. We anticipate that we will utilize all of the scheduled days through Wednesday until our business is completed. Note: We will NOT have a hard stop on Wednesday, June 16 as there is no need for travel time and this day should have already been cleared on your calendars.

Business of the House

Although your Board and Speakers recognize that there is an abundance of business that has been left unattended over the past year, the inherent inefficiencies of a virtual meeting demand a prioritization of the business to be considered, thus the Board motion specified that the purpose of the meeting is to conduct leadership transition and priority business.

To accomplish leadership transition, nominations will be accepted during the Opening Session of the House on Friday evening with election by acclamation of any unopposed candidates. Elections for the remaining races will be held at a specific Election Session on Tuesday morning. The Inauguration of Gerald E. Harmon, MD will occur on Tuesday, June 15 at 6 p.m. CDT.

In keeping with the defined purpose of this Special Meeting, all delegates and delegations are strongly encouraged to submit only priority resolutions. Our councils and the Board have been asked to do the same. To facilitate the prioritization process, resolutions must be accompanied by a statement of priority (not to exceed 250 words), and if submitting more than one resolution, delegations must rank their resolutions in order of priority. Resolutions submitted without these required elements will not be accepted.

A Resolution Committee will be convened to review all resolutions and make recommendations to the House regarding the priority of the resolutions. Your submitted prioritization statement and ranking will be considered by the Resolution Committee as a factor in their recommendation to the House. The final determination of the business to be considered by the House at this Special Meeting will be decided by majority vote during the Opening Session of the House.

In response to comments received from the Federation, the Resolution Committee will be expanded and the prioritization process has been updated. The Prioritization Matrix (PDF) previously adopted by the Resolution Committee at the November Special Meeting has been modified for use at this meeting. Delegates considering submitting a resolution are encouraged to review this matrix. The detailed Prioritization Process will also be posted on the AMA website.

Online forums

Online Forums will once again be open for comment on all submitted resolutions and reports. Your Speakers request that all authors please present an opening comment regarding your resolutions/report. In addition, we ask that members comment not only on the merits of the proffered resolution/report, but also to the priority of the resolutions. Your Speakers strongly encourage the use of the Online Forum to facilitate the live deliberations. As a reminder, there is no limit on debate via the Online Forum, however, there will be a limit at the live hearing.

To further encourage use of the Online Forums, the Reference Committees will be instructed to give equal weight to testimony presented in the Online Forums to that presented at the live hearings.

Reference committees

Reference Committees are scheduled Saturday morning and afternoon and Sunday morning. Reference Committee Reports will be posted as soon as available. Sunday afternoon and early morning Monday have been kept open on the schedule to allow for Delegations to consider the reports.

House of Delegates sessions

The Opening Session of the House will be held Friday, June 11 at 7 p.m. CDT. The House will consider Reference Committee Reports beginning at 10 a.m. CDT Monday, on Tuesday following an Election Session, and continuing on Wednesday until all business has been completed. Please keep open Wednesday afternoon as we do not know when we will adjourn. See preliminary agenda (PDF) for further details.

Your Speakers are sensitive to the fact that our schedule may continue past sundown on Friday and on through Sunday. Delegates for whom this schedule potentially creates a conflict may wish to coordinate with their alternate delegates. Saturday and Sunday will include reference committees where attendance is optional, and individuals are reminded of the opportunity to present testimony in the Online Forum which will be open for several weeks. If further accommodations are needed please contact us at [email protected].

Email addresses

Although this notice is being sent both electronically and by postal mail, delivery delays and the need to expedite communication as we approach the upcoming meeting necessitate that we have correct email addresses for ALL members of the HOD including alternate delegates and any other involved individuals. Email will once again be our primary method of sharing important information, including delegate credentials, with the House. In some cases this notice may have been sent to “spam” or been removed by a security filter. If you receive this notice by postal mail only, you need to confirm your email address and check your filters.

In addition, because delegation rosters may have changed since our November Special Meeting, we remind delegation chairs and/or staff to confirm that all delegation members have received this communication electronically. If you or a member of your delegation needs to correct or update their email address, please contact the HOD office at [email protected] immediately.

Campaigns

Given the virtual nature of this meeting, all interviews and other campaign activities will be conducted electronically. All delegations/caucuses who anticipate holding interviews MUST submit to the HOD office prior to Friday, April 30 the name and contact information for the individual in charge of scheduling your interviews. Interviews may be scheduled between May 21 and June 10, 2021. The HOD office will once again this year be sending an electronic message on behalf of candidates who wish to participate and will be recording interviews of all Board and Council candidates which will be posted on our website. Your speakers will be sending out further instructions to candidates and their campaigns.

Committee volunteers

Your Speakers are seeking multiple volunteers who are experienced in working via a virtual meeting format; therefore, our usual embargo on those who have served in the recent past will not be observed. If you are interested in serving on one of the Reference Committees, the Rules & Credentials Committee, or the Resolutions Committee, please submit a Committee Volunteer form (PDF).

Final reminders

Please watch for further communication from us as details are finalized. As a reminder, notices regarding the upcoming June meeting will have J21-HOD in the subject line (which is short for the June 2021 meeting of the AMA House of Delegates) and will be sent from [email protected]. Please add this address to your contact list.

Your Speakers share your disappointment that circumstances have once again prevented us from meeting in person, but rest assured that plans are well underway to facilitate the policymaking role of our House of Delegates in a fair and deliberative fashion and to conduct elections securely.

Meeting resources

• Prioritization Matrix (PDF)
• Committee Volunteer form (PDF)
• Preliminary agenda (PDF)

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

The Board of Trustees has been closely monitoring conditions in Chicago and around the U.S. to gather the most up-to-date information before making a decision regarding the upcoming House of Delegates meeting. Recognizing the need for our AMA to make logistical plans and to provide adequate notification to the federation, the Board of Trustees determined that a decision should be made no later than 90 days in advance of the meeting. To that end, a special meeting of the Board was convened last evening to allow timely and thorough consideration of this topic.

Although conditions are improving around the country, as of this date, meetings of over 50 people in Chicago are prohibited through June 3, 2021. Most physicians will likely be vaccinated prior to June, but vaccinations of staff in the Chicago area who are not in a priority group are scheduled to begin May 31, 2021 and cannot reasonably be expected to be completed with enough elapsed time for immunity to ensue before our June 12 scheduled meeting. Federation staff also are generally not among priority groups for vaccinations. In addition, the latest CDC guidance recommends against large gatherings and travel, even for vaccinated individuals. Given these facts, among other considerations, the Board believes that a quorum cannot reasonably be achieved at an in-person meeting in Chicago June 12-16, 2021 and has made the difficult decision to cancel the scheduled Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates.

Recognizing the important policymaking role of the House, the Board simultaneously adopted a motion asking the speaker to call a Special Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates to be held on June 11-16, 2021 using a virtual platform. The Official Call to the June 2021 Special Meeting, including further details and a preliminary agenda, will be sent by the speakers. As previously announced, the AMA Section meetings will be held prior to the Opening Session of the House and will also be held using a virtual format.

Your Board regrets that the ongoing pandemic has once again dictated this difficult decision to cancel the in-person meeting of our House of Delegates. However, we are confident that with your ongoing patience and cooperation our House will be able to continue our fair deliberative process even in a virtual setting. We are optimistic that recent declines in positivity rates and ongoing vaccinations will allow us to meet together in Orlando in November.

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

No decision on the format of June’s House of Delegates meeting has been made, but we want to bring you up to date.

Our Board of Trustees has directed staff to collect data on the current conditions and likely state of affairs in Chicago in early June. That information will be reviewed during a special meeting of the Board and allow the Board to make a decision regarding the upcoming House meeting. The Board’s decision will be transmitted to members of the House and throughout the Federation by mid-March.

Regardless of the format, the dates for the meeting are June 12-16, and we encourage you to hold Friday evening June 11 open as well. We ask again that you keep the scheduled dates of the meeting open but not make travel plans unless your arrangements are easily canceled and any fees are fully refundable.

No matter how the meeting develops, volunteers for service on meeting-related committees are welcome. The forms for volunteering are online.

Thank you for your forbearance.

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]

In an effort to keep the HOD updated, your Speakers present the following. As requested, all future notices regarding the upcoming June meeting will have J21-HOD in the subject line which is short for the June 2021 Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates. This will facilitate a search for all communications sent regarding the upcoming meeting. We will also attempt to send all emails from [email protected], so please add this to your “white” contact list.

Plans for the June 2021 Meeting of our HOD

Your Speakers are aware of the desire of the House to know definitive plans for our meeting in June of 2021. As we noted in our message dated December 10, 2020, we plan for the meeting to be held on June 12-16, as previously scheduled, possibly including an opening session on Friday evening, June 11. The meeting will take place on these dates whether it is held in-person in Chicago or held virtually. Once the Board of Trustees makes a decision regarding this matter the Speaker will send out an official call for the meeting.

Again, we remind you to hold these dates open on your schedule, as we anticipate that the meeting will require the use of all of these days in their entirety to complete our business. If you wish to make travel arrangements, we remind you not to make non-refundable travel reservations at this point.

Considerations for a possible virtual J21

While we do not yet know which format the meeting will take, your Speakers wish to remind the HOD that there may be a need to limit the number of items considered at J21. We ask delegations to consider this as resolutions are reviewed for potential submission.

In addition, there may again be a need to make an earlier deadline for on-time submissions from exempted groups, which would include societies that meet after the 30 day on-time deadline as well as the AMA sections. We ask that all impacted delegation and section leadership consider this possibility as they make tentative meeting plans.

Election/Campaign information for J21

“Active campaigning” is prohibited prior to the candidate announcement made after the conclusion of the April Board meeting. Your Speakers are aware that candidates, their teams, and indeed all caucuses and delegations will need to make plans regarding the conduct of our upcoming elections earlier than this.

The virtual campaign process followed for the June 2020 Special Meeting received overall positive feedback, but concern was expressed that there was short notice given. In 2020 this was unavoidable due to the timing of the decision to proceed with the virtual June 2020 Special Meeting. Understanding this concern and given the uncertainty surrounding the June 2021 meeting, your Speakers have decided to delineate the following campaign protocols to be utilized in the campaign process for the upcoming meeting, regardless of it being held in-person or virtually.

• Given the possibility of not meeting in-person and therefore no opportunity to distribute campaign gifts and memorabilia, your Speakers strongly encourage campaigns to forego any expenditure for any such items.
• The Speakers will again facilitate recording of candidates providing introductory remarks followed by Q & A, which will be made available on the meeting website for delegates to review prior to the meeting.
• Interviews by delegations and caucuses will be permitted with the following guidelines:
  • Virtual or in-person interviews (if in-person meeting) may be held but not both.
  • Any caucus or group electing to interview candidates must provide an opportunity for all candidates in a specific race to be interviewed using the same format.
  • The HOD office will again coordinate contact information for candidates to schedule their interviews; caucuses will need to identify a contact person responsible for scheduling interviews.
  • The candidate/team will be responsible for scheduling the interview.
  • Virtual interviews by delegations and caucuses may only be recorded with prior notice to candidates and may only be shared with members of the delegation/caucus once all interviews for a given race are complete.
  • Further details will be provided to candidates and caucuses.

J21 HOD Meeting committee volunteers

Your Speakers are again seeking volunteers who would be comfortable with serving on Reference Committees, the Rules Committee, and potentially a Resolutions Committee for the upcoming meeting. Given the possibility of again holding a virtual meeting, your Speakers are asking that all volunteers complete a new application (available here) and email it to [email protected]. Please specifically note if you would be comfortable acting as a chair in a virtual setting.

Thank you for your patience as we make plans for our meeting in June. While we continue to hope to have the opportunity to meet in-person, we are nevertheless working hard to plan for a possible virtual meeting.

— Responses should be directed to [email protected]