Committees

Awards Committee

The Awards Committee, composed of five or more Members of the Society, shall encourage nominations of worthy persons for Society Awards, annually select a recipient for each award, and recognize the recipient at an appropriate event during the Annual Meeting. Any active Member may make nominations for the awards according to the guidelines published annually. The awards are made solely to recognize outstanding contributions to the reproductive sciences and bear no obligation to the recipient or to the donor. 

Resources

• Awards Committee SOP

Bylaws Committee

The Bylaws Committee, composed of three or more Members of the Society, shall analyze the appropriateness of the Bylaws and assess problems and conflicts which arise between recommendations and/or practices of the Board of Directors and the Bylaws of the Society. It shall recommend alterations or repeal of existing Bylaws and propose new Bylaws for consideration by the Board of Directors.

Resources

• Bylaws Committee SOP

Development Committee

The Development Committee is charged with the responsibility of raising funds to support the programs and activities of the Society. The current Local Arrangements Committee Chair is an ex officio member of the Committee. The Committee and its Subcommittees (Legacy and Industrial Relations) coordinate and implement efforts to raise funds targeted to the Annual Meeting, the Journal, and to the Society’s Endowment Fund. The Committee also serves as liaison for bequests to the Society.

Resources

• Development Committee SOP
• Annual Meeting/Industrial Relations Subcommittee SOP

Diversity Committee

The Diversity Committee, composed of five or more Members of the Society, shall work to enhance participation by minorities in the Society and in the field of reproductive sciences. Minorities shall be defined as underrepresented groups including, but not limited to, members of racial and ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities. The Committee shall report on the status of minorities in the Society to the Board of Directors. The Chair shall work with the Chairs of the Membership, Program, Nominating, Awards, and Education Committees, with the appropriate ad hoc Committee Chairs, and with Society Officers to enhance participation of minorities in Society activities including participation on Committees.

The purpose of the Diversity Committee is to provide a mechanism for communication between members of the Diversity Committee and the SSR members who self-identify as underrepresented; to facilitate access to resources available to underrepresented members of SSR; and to provide a physical resource where issues of concern to underrepresented members of SSR can be raised for discussion.

Resources

• Diversity Committee SOP
• Assessment of NIH Minority Research and Training Programs: Phase 3 (2005) – Published by National Academies Press.
• FASEB DEAI Initiatives
• Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships
• Frontiers in Reproduction – Sponsored by the Marine Biological Laboratory.

Finance Committee

The Finance Committee is chaired by the Treasurer. The members include the President, Past President, Vice President, Vice President-Elect, Secretary, and the Executive Director. The role of the Finance Committee is to provide a preliminary examination of the annual budget, to include items such as the publications budget and Annual Meeting expenditures. In addition, the Finance Committee considers the SSR endowment, investments, and investment strategy. Recommendations are then made to the Board of Directors. The overall goal is to maintain the financial health of the Society.

Resources

• Finance Committee SOP

Heritage Committee

The Heritage Committee is responsible for developing a program that will educate young scientists about the historical perspectives relevant to current research in reproductive biology. The Heritage Committee also creates/defines an activity in the program of the Annual Meeting specifically designed for Emeritus members that will serve as an incentive for their attendance.

SSR Memorials
Memorials are given for SSR members who have been recognized by their peers for their contributions to the field of reproductive biology.

Resources

• Heritage Committee SOP
• SSR Member Memorials

Honorees of the SSR Heritage Committee
The following honorees have been specifically chosen by the Heritage Committee to have their career contributions to reproductive biology through leadership, research, teaching, and mentoring of trainees recognized and presented during a formal hour at the annual meetings of the Society.

Membership Committee

The Membership Committee, composed of five or more Members of the Society, shall receive and actively solicit nominations for membership, evaluate these according to guidelines established by the Board of Directors, and approve or decline the applications.

Resources

• Membership Committee SOP

Nominating Committee

The Nominating Committee is responsible for the preparation of a slate of nominees, to be voted upon by mail ballots, for the open positions on the Board of Directors. The Nominating Committee shall consist of ten Regular Members, of which three must be Past Presidents of the Society, selected by the Board of Directors with due consideration to representation of different scientific areas of reproductive biology. The Chairperson and the Members of the Committee shall be announced and made known to the Membership of the Society at least five months prior to each election. The Chairperson of the Committee shall be chosen by the President-Elect of the Society from the current Membership of the Committee. A new Chairperson shall be appointed yearly. Members of the Committee, with the exception of the Chairperson, shall not serve on the Nominating Committee for consecutive years.

Resources

• Nominating Committee SOP

Program Committee

The Program Committee, composed of ten or more Members of the Society, shall be responsible for arranging programs for the scientific meetings of the Society. The Committee shall select scientific topics or themes for presentation and select speakers, establish procedures to review abstracts, review abstracts, and prepare a program structure. It shall advertise the meetings and integrate its activities with the Local Arrangements Committee.The Committee shall evaluate past programs, assess the feasibility of alterations in program structure, and make appropriate recommendations to the Board of Directors. 

Resources

• Program Committee SOP

Public Affairs Committee

​The Public Affairs Committee, composed of five or more members of the Society, shall review those issues emanating from the public or government that are of concern to the Society, and shall recommend to the Board of Directors positions for the Society to take on each issue. The Committee shall be responsible for the preparation and dissemination of public pronouncements and information, and for publishing the SSR Newsletter. The Committee shall also make recommendations to the Board of Directors for the organizational structure and function of the Society’s Public Affairs Program.

For additional information, please visit the ​Reproductive Science & Policy Resources pages.

Research and Public Policy
On August 23, 2018, Dr. Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) made an urgent and critical report to the U.S. Senate. In it he outlined the following issues and steps towards mitigation of serious threats to our biomedical research enterprise, peer review, grant applications and progress reports, intellectual property assessment management and protections of confidentiality in reports. View Dr. Collins’ letter here.

Resources

• Reproductive Science & Policy Resources Pages
• Public Affairs Committee SOP​
• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB)​
• Friends of NICHD Coalition

Publications Committee

The Publications Committee, composed of five or more Members of the Society, shall be responsible for the management and oversight of all publications of the Society. The Committee shall recommend to the Board of Directors candidates for the editorial leadership. It will make recommendations regarding editorial policy and fiscal matters related to publications.

Resource Documents

• Publications Committee SOP
• BOR brochure
• Policies and Practices

Resource Websites

• Animal Welfare Information Center (USDA AWIC)
• Animals in Research (NIH OER)
• AnimalResearch.Info 
• Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR)
• Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (NRC)
• National Association for Biomedical Research (NABR)

Trainee Affairs Committee

The Trainee Affairs Committee is concerned with planning and coordination of those SSR activities that focus on trainee development. The Committee is made up of trainee members, faculty advisors, and two trainee-elected Trainee Representatives who serve on the Board of Directors as ex officio members and who are responsible for channeling the concerns and viewpoints of the Trainee Membership to the Board. Among the activities that fall within the scope of the Trainee Affairs Committee are the Trainee Forum, distribution of travel awards, placement service, and the Trainee–Mentor Luncheon at the Annual Meeting.

For more information, please visit the ​Trainee Affairs web page.

Resources

• Trainee Placement Service
• Facebook Group: Society for the Study of Reproduction Trainee Affairs
• Trainee Affairs Committee SOP
• Trainee Volunteer Subcommittee SOP

Women in Reproductive Sciences (WinRS) Committee

WinRS is a grassroots initiative amongst the female SSR membership to support the professional development and advancement of trainee, associate, and regular female members within the Society. Launched at the 2015 SSR Annual Meeting, WinRS members have established a Facebook page and Twitter presence in addition to sharing ideas and publications relating to the challenges of professional women working in academic and medical disciplines. Active committee members have engaged in nominating women for SSR Awards, as well as Board and Executive positions. All SSR Members are welcome to join! You may contact us at ssrwinrs@gmail.com 

WinRS SOP 

Virtual Education Committee

The mission of the Virtual Education Committee will be to develop virtual programs that will aid in the education, highlighting the careers of SSR members, bringing technology updates and the latest science. This committee will produce content such as mini symposia, webinars and member interviews that will be available to SSR members. This group will work with the Public Affairs, Program, Diversity, Membership and Heritage committee to develop content. This committee will be an integral part of moving forward with developing virtual content for the Annual meeting.

Resources

• Virtual Education Committee SOP