Committees

Annual Giving Committee
Responsible for an annual appeal to the membership to help fund educational programs.

Awards Committee
Responsible for selecting the regional awards from papers and posters presented at the Annual Meeting. Committee members meet daily during the Annual Meeting and attend all scientific and poster sessions to evaluate each presentation.

Bylaws Committee
Recommends ASCRS bylaw amendments to the Executive Council; upon approval, the bylaw amendments are presented to the Society Fellows at the annual business meeting.

Continuing Education Committee
Oversees all continuing medical education (CME) programs and assures that ASCRS is in compliance with the standards set by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education.

Credentials Committee
Reviews all membership applications and makes its recommendations to the Executive Council. Membership on this committee consists of the President, President-Elect and Secretary.

Finance and Management Committee
Oversees the finances of the Society and annually reviews the budget and management goals. Membership on this committee consists of the President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Treasurer and Council members.

Fundraising Steering Committee
Oversees all fundraising of the Society. Membership consists of the President, President-Elect, Immediate Past-President, President of the Research Foundation, Council member.

History of ASCRS Committee
Responsible for collecting and compiling archival materials of the Society. Membership consists of ASCRS Past Presidents.

Hospitality Committee
Oversees the Hospitality Suite for spouses, children and guests of attendees of the Annual Meeting.

International Council of Coloproctology
Goals of the ICCP are: a) maintain a registry of all international colorectal surgical organizations; b) offer International Fellowships; c) offer Travel Scholarships; d) conduct an outreach program; e) encourage foreign guests to attend the ASCRS Annual Meeting.

Membership to this committee consists of the Executive which includes the Chair, ASCRS President, ASCRS Past President and the Council consisting of leaders from organizations throughout the world; members consist of Presidents (or their nominees) of national societies of coloproctology and regional associations.

Local Arrangements Committee
Membership to this committee is comprised of physicians in the Annual Meeting's host city.

Maintenance of Certification Committee
Coordinates the efforts of the Society and the ABCRS in providing educational activities to assist its members in addressing the components of maintenance of certification.

Membership Committee
Recommends member categories and criteria to the Executive Council; addresses benefits of membership; promotes ASCRS membership and the specialty worldwide.

Planned Giving Committee
Responsible for the "Planned Giving" program of ASCRS to foster long-term financial concerns of the Society. Membership is by invitation.

Professional Outreach Committee
Responsible for an outreach program to instruct physicians in the specialties of primary care, family practice, general surgery and others with programs on the management and prevention of diseases of the colon and rectum.

Program Committee
Responsible for the planning, implementation and evaluation of the scientific program at the Annual Meeting.

Public Relations Committee
The committee's main purpose is to increase public awareness of colon and rectal diseases and the availability of trained specialists in its treatment.

Quality Assessment Committee
The Quality Assessment Committee monitors activities of the National Quality Forum (NQF), the Surgical Quality Alliance (SQA), and the AMA Consortium. The committee is dedicated to optimizing care for patients with colorectal disease by setting goals and standards for the treatment of diseases affecting the colon, rectum and anus. Another focus of the committee is to oversee the development of a physician based medical records system to address performance measures to assist in the delivery of quality care and maintenance of certification.

Regional Society Committee
Fosters increased communication among regional societies.

Residents Committee
Assists in the development of educational programs for residents and informs general surgery residents of the benefits of specializing in colorectal surgery.

Self Assessment Committee
Creates the specialty's colon and rectal self-assessment program (CARSEP) to assist physicians in their self-learning in order to provide optimal patient care.

Socioeconomic Committee
Responsible for presenting information on issues affecting the colon and rectal surgeon to Congress and agencies of the federal government. The Committee's responsibilities include keeping members informed on these issues and tracking developments in managed care, regulatory, legislative and other issues that impact coding, billing and reimbursement for colorectal services.

Standards Committee
Responsible for formulating practice parameters for various procedures to assist physicians in caring for patients with colon and rectal disease.

Website Committee
Oversees ASCRS Website and responsible for educating members on electronic communication.

Young Surgeons Committee
Addresses concerns of Young Surgeons and encourages their active participation in the activities of the Society. Offers feedback to the Executive Council on programs which would benefit young surgeons. Evaluates presentations at the Annual Meeting and makes its recommendation for the selection of the Traveling Fellow to the Executive Council.