SOSORT
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY ON SCOLIOSIS ORTHOPAEDIC AND REHABILITATION TREATMENT

STATUTES
TITLE I
NAME, REGISTERED ADDRESS
Article 1
Under the registered name of “ International Society on Scoliosis Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Treatment” (its official abbreviation will be SOSORT) was called in Barcelona ( Spain 2004), started in Milan ( Italy 2005) and is constituted in Poznan ( Poland 2006) an international scientific society with its own legal entity , different to its members. The SOSORT will govern according to the current statutes.
Article 2
About registration.
TITLE II
DURATION AND DISSOLUTION
Article 3
The life of the Society is unlimited. The Society can be dissolved according the causes written in the current statutes.
TITLE III
AIMS
Article 4
The SOSORT is a non profit organization.
The general aim of the Society is:
First, to foster the best conservative management – early detection, prevention, care, education and information - of scoliosis and other spinal deformities.
Second, to encourage multidisciplinary team work - including scientists, medical and healthcare professionals, patients and their families -.
The most specific aims of the Society are:
4.1 To offer an open forum for the exchange of knowledge and ideas on the field of conservative management of all spinal deformities and more particularly scoliosis.
4.2 To stimulate research and clinical studies in order to verify the main idea that prevention and conservative treatment are effective, efficient and valuable tools for the management of all the signs and symptoms of scoliosis and other spinal deformities.
4.3 To stimulate consensus in all the different conservative actions directed to the early detection, observation, prevention, management and orthopaedic treatment and rehabilitation of scoliosis and other spinal deformities.
4.4 To spread into the scientific community and the general population, patients and their families the idea that prevention based on education and early conservative management, avoiding under- as well as over-treatment, following generally accepted guidelines is the best approach in this field.
4.5 To promote specific education and training among professionals creating a body of specialists in this particular area, able to care efficiently for scoliosis patients.
TITLE IV
MEMBERSHIP
Article 5
The society is formed by active, associated, supportive and honorary members.
5.1 Active members are medical doctors, physiotherapists, orthotists and other professionals actively involved in scientific research on conservative treatment or prevention of scoliosis and other spinal deformities.
5.2 Associated members are medical doctors, physiotherapists, orthotists and other professionals dealing with scoliosis and other spinal deformities.
5.3 Supportive members are patients, patient’s relatives or anybody dealing with scoliosis and other spinal deformities promoting the society with their donations.
5.4 Honorary members, discharged from any duty, are active members reaching retirement or becoming disabled. Any associated member or other distinguished people in the field could be also nominated for Honorary member by the Executive Committee and elected by the General Assembly for their special contribution to the Society.
Article 6
Membership rights and duties are:
6.1 Active members have the right to receive notice to attend and to vote at the business meetings of the Society, to participate in the scientific and business affairs of the society.
6.2 Associated members will be listed as members and they shall have the right to receive notice of and attend the General Assembly. They can vote for two associated members in the executive committee), or to elect a membership. They can participate in all the scientific affairs of the Society.
6.3 Active members must participate actively during the scientific meetings of the Society, they should also submit to ‘Scoliosis’, the official journal of the Society, and have some papers accepted. In its defective, promotion to active member can be considered by the membership committee for reasons like special contribution and/or long recognized experience in the field.
6.4 Active and Associated members must both contribute to the finances of the Society being required to pay annual dues fixed by the General Assembly.
6.5 Somebody can be supportive member by a donation of a minimum amount fixed by the General Assembly. Supportive members have the right to receive notice and to attend but not to vote at the business meeting of the society.
6.6 Active members and associated members ( in its limited number of two ) but not supportive or honorary members can be elected to represent the Society or to office in the Executive Committee.
6.7 Active and associate members can both be elected to office in the committee of the annual meeting.
6.8 All the members, Active, Associated, Supportive and Honorary can investigate the financial report offered by the Treasurer at each General Assembly and in its case censure the task of the Executive Committee.
6.9 Membership shall cease by death.
6.10 Membership in the Society is not transferable or inheritable under any circumstances.
6.11 Membership application. Applications for membership shall be sent to the Secretary of the SOSORT not later than three months before the Ordinary General Assembly. Applications for Active member candidate must be signed by two Active members. Applications for Associated member must be signed by two Associated members or one Active member.
6.12 The Membership Committee. The Secretary shall submit all applications for membership in the Society to the Membership Committee in order to study, investigate and report to the Executive Committee for its consideration. Majority approval by the Executive Committee shall be required prior to ratification by the Active members during the Ordinary General Assembly.
6.13 Election to membership. The Secretary - upon the recommendation by the Executive Committee – shall forward to the Active members of the Society a list of candidates to membership. The list shall show the names and qualifications of the candidates as well as the Executive Committee recommendations. A two-thirds majority shall be required for election to membership. The Secretary shall notify each applicant of the vote result.
6.14 Membership resignation. Resignation without prejudice from the Society will occur immediately after the receipt by the Secretary of a written declaration to this effect, signed by two members of the Executive Committee. All rights and duties of membership in the Society will cease upon resignation except for dues in arrears.
6.15 Expulsion from membership. A member may be expelled from the Society, for any reason that the Executive committee consider causative to this effect, passing the two-thirds majority in an Ordinary or Extraordinary General Assembly. Expulsion shall be automatic if annual dues have not been paid for more than two years, after two warnings about repeatedly being late, separated by three months.
TITLE V
LANGUAGE
Article 7
The official language of the Society is English.
TITLE VI
ORGANS OF THE SOCIETY
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Article 8
The General Assembly is the highest organ of the Society.
8.1 All the members of the Society will meet at least once a year during the Annual Meeting of the Society in the so called General Assembly.
8.2 All the members of the Society can express their opinions during the General Assembly but just Active, Associated and Honorary members can vote. Some restriction have considered in these statutes to Associate members and Supportive members (Article 6)
Article 9
The General Assembly can be Ordinary or Extraordinary.
9.1 Ordinary General Assembly will meet every year at the Annual Meeting of the Society. All the members will receive a written notice with the agenda at least one month before the meeting.
9.2 Ordinary General Assembly will pass the finances of the year as well as to balance the budget of the coming year, to consider and to adopt (or to reject) the conduct, the reports and resolutions of the Executive Committee and proceed, when necessary, to the renovation of its members (all of the General Assembly).
9.3 Extraordinary General Assembly will meet as often as the President thinks it necessary or by request of the Executive Committee or 20% of the Active Members.
Article 10
The General Assembly will be announced and presided by the President or the Past-president if necessary.
10.1 Quorum is formed by a simple majority of the Active Members (personally or represented by a valid proxy – maximum one per member) excluding the President of the Executive Committee. When such a quorum is not reached the General Assembly will be celebrated in any case half an hour later (second calling) one way or another.
10.2 All resolutions will be adopted or rejected by the majority of the votes, except for the following, which are also attributions of the General Assembly needing two thirds of the votes from Active members:
Ψ Modification of the current Statutes
Ψ Dissolution of the Society
Ψ Participation of the Society in other International Organizations
10.3 All votes are individual. Any member can represent another member (and just one) by a valid proxy. A proxy must be conveniently written and is just valid for the specified General Assembly (date and place must be clearly indicated).
THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Article 11
The Executive Committee shall administer and represent the Society.
11.1 Only Active, Associated and Honorary members may be elected for an office in the Executive Committee.
Article 12
The Executive Committee shall be composed of:
1. The President
2. The Past-President
3. The Elected-President
4. The General Secretary
5. The Treasurer
6. The Editor in Chief of ‘scoliosis’ (ex officio)
7. Member
8. Member
9. Member
Two members of the executive committee must be elected by the associated members.
In the Executive Committee there must be one member representative of medical doctors, one of physiotherapists, one of orthopaedic technicians and one of patients.
Article 13
The President of the Executive Committee is the President of the Society and holds the social as well as the legal representation of the Society.
Article 14
The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a year during the Annual Meeting of the Society and later convened as often as necessary by the President or by request of a minimum of two members of the Executive Committee. The President can be replaced first for the Past-President or for another member of the Executive Committee when necessary.
Article 15
The Executive Committee members shall be elected for a period of three years (Secretary and Treasurer), two years (Member) or one year (President, Past-President, Elected-President).
Article 16
A permanent Secretary will take care of all the affairs of the Society related to the office of secretary.
No remuneration shall be paid by the Society to any of the Executive Committee members. However, the permanent Secretary will be remunerated according to the Executive Committee decision.
Article 17
Just as declarative but not limitative the Executive Committee may:
17.1 Propose the nomination to the vacant offices for the Executive Committee.
17.2 Receive the applications and resignations of membership and propose the nomination of new members to the General Assembly.
17.3 Propose to the General Assembly any change of the current Statutes. The General Assembly of Active members may accept it by two thirds of the votes or reject it.
17.4 Propose to the General Assembly the Chairman, the place, the date and the topic of the next Annual Meeting. The Chairman will be automatically accepted as member of the Executive Committee for one year, without voting rights.
17.5 Elect a new member of the Executive Committee when there is a vacancy until the next General Assembly. The new member shall be ratified during the next General Assembly.
Article 18
In general the Executive Committee can take all the tasks that are not reserved to the General Assembly according to the current Statutes.
Article 19
All the decisions of the Executive Committee may be passed by the majority of the members. The President reserves for him/her self the mission to break the tie between the votes.
TITLE VII
FINANCES OF THE SOCIETY
Article 20
The entries to cover the administration and running of the Society shall come from:
20.1 The annual dues of Active and Associated members
20.2 The donations from Supportive members.
20.3 International Organisms throughout contributions
20.4 Other incomes, grants, legacies and gifts according to the applicable international laws and deontological code.
Article 21
21.1 The Treasurer shall be in charge of the finances of the Society and may request or not the collaboration of an administrator to assist him/her.
21.2 The Treasurer shall prepare a financial report to be circulated to the members of the Society before the General Assembly at each Annual Meeting. This report shall cover the last fiscal year preceding the Annual Meeting and be considered by the General Assembly for approval.
21.3 The Treasurer shall submit an Annual Budget for the ensuing year to the Executive Committee for review and approval at least one month prior to the Annual Meeting.
TITLE VIII
MEETINGS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES
Article 22
To fulfill the aims and objectives of the Society the next activities are proposed:
22.1 Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting of the society shall combine Scientific, Consensus and Education sessions.
22.2 A database to collect important information about the results of conservative management (bracing and exercises) of Scoliosis and other Spinal Deformities shall be created.
22.3 Courses, Seminaries, Workshops to inform and to teach professionals.
22.3 ‘Scoliosis’, a new electronic scientific journal (open peer-review) has been created to be the official journal of the Society.