A history of GRAPPA from inception through the constitution

to voting for the committeesPhilip Helliwell

On behalf of the Constitution Committee

Background

• GRAPPA ‘formed’ in a darkened hotel in New York, August 2003– Offspring of CASPAR (2000)

• Initial ad hoc committee structure (~attendees) • Health Advocacy Strategies provided

administrative support and continue to do so• Direction from Philip Mease and Dafna Gladman• Steering committee of 16 consisting of

rheumatologists and dermatologists, meeting monthly by teleconference

Background

• GRAPPA ‘formed’ in New York, August 2003– Offspring of CASPAR (2000)

• Initial ad hoc committee structure (~attendees) • Health Advocacy Strategies provided

administrative support and continue to do so• Direction from Philip Mease and Dafna Gladman• Steering committee of 16 consisting of

rheumatologists and dermatologists, meeting monthly by teleconference

EULAR 2005

• Time to move on• Some discussion of the processes

involved in governing the group• Small group of us decided it was time to

start looking at a more democratic constitution

• I volunteered to review the arrangements of other groups and make an initial draft constitution

Other groups reviewed

• ASAS – similar in size and aims to GRAPPA

• SBPR – small research group in UK

• BSR – the ‘guild’ of UK rheumatologists

• NW chapter Arthritis Foundation

Draft of GRAPPA constitution

• Leadership committee = Executive Board• President, Vice president, Secretary, Treasurer plus 2 other members (6)• Governing decisions and leadership of committees: Steering committee• Composition: Leadership committee plus 10 ordinary members (16)• Quorum: One third• Composition of Steering Committee: at least one third dermatologists

and one third rheumatologists• Aims: GRAPPA is organised exclusively for non-profit, educational and

scientific purposes specifically to facilitate sharing of information related to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. GRAPPA promotes networking among different disciplines concerned with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in order to enhance research, diagnosis and treatment of these disorders.

• Membership classes: Full, Corporate• Voting rights: Full members only• Membership Fee: No• Joining requirements: Need two proposals by existing members• Terms of office: 2/3 years

Draft of GRAPPA constitution

• Meeting frequency– Steering Committee: at least every two months– Whole group: at least annually (Quorum: one sixth of

membership of which at least two thirds of Executive Board must be present)

• Sub-committees:– Chairs to be elected from Steering Committee– Members to be co-opted from membership– Publications, registries, guidelines, OMERACT, research,

synovial histopathology, (finance), (governance)

• Research grants: dependent on funding available• Financial support to attend meetings – also dependent

on funding available

• Elections: all committee positions to be elected at the AGM. Proposer and seconder required.

• Nominations accepted from the membership

• Single transferable voting system, if ties occur

GRAPPA constitution

GRAPPA constitution

• For last two years GRAPPA has been managed by a few

• In order to ease the transition to a new structure, an initial transition period will be required:– retain at least half existing steering

committee: require each member to ‘stand’ for nomination

– Elect Executive Board but with members from current Steering Committee

GRAPPA constitution – timelines

• Agreed Constitution January 2006 (>100 votes)

• Nominations sought for Steering and Executive committees April 2006

• To ensure everyone had a chance to vote electronic voting May 2006 (76 responses)

• Results of voting at Stockholm meeting

GRAPPA – Executive committee

*President – Dafna Gladman (r)

*Vice President – Philip Mease (r)

Secretary – Wolf-Henning Boehncke (d)

*Treasurer – Philip Helliwell (r)

Two members ‘at large’Gerald Kreuger (d)

Christopher Ritchlin (r)

* Only nominations

GRAPPA – steering committee (16 members in total)

• All members of the Executive Committee• Oliver Fitzgerald (r)• Vibeke Strand (m)• Jurgen Braun (r)• Will Taylor (r)• Artie Kavanaugh (r)• David Fiorentino (d)• Alice Gottlieb (d)• Peter Nash (r)• Kim Papp (d)• Abrar Qureshi (d)

What role do you have if you are not a committee member?

• Aim to establish a vibrant sub-committee network – you may be co-opted!

• Nominate or be nominated at next (and subsequent) annual meetings

• Continue to give your views (including negative ones) to the committees

Where do we go now?

• Ratify and agree elected committees• Establish collaborative ventures using active sub-

committee structure:– Registries– Genomics– Immunohistology– Criteria (new developments)– Patient involvement

• Continue governance committee to consider:– Terms of office (Byelaws say 3 years but agreed to phase new

members in)– Promotion of appropriate representation from dermatology and

rheumatology

Any questions?

• Byelaws

• Committee structure and membership

• Sub-committee structure

• Volunteers for committees, including governance committee