APHL committees shape the future of public health laboratory science, practice and policy. Committee membership enables APHL members to play an active role in advancing APHL’s mission and strategic objectives by sharing their interests, knowledge and experience in numerous programmatic areas.
Committee members serve one-, two- or three-year terms, with new members appointed each spring by the president-elect. Subcommittees, task forces, and work groups are formed on an ad hoc basis in response to emerging issues.
Committee members are appointed according to their experience, skills and interests with respect to their ability to generate ideas, discussion and to further the priorities of the committee and the association itself. Most committee work is accomplished through monthly conference calls.
Only APHL members are eligible to apply to become APHL committee members. The following guidelines outline what committees or roles are open for each membership type:
Conflicts and Disclosures
Committee chairs will be required to complete a conflict-of-interest disclosure and will have an obligation to disclose any conflict of interest. Chairs will not be allowed to participate in discussions or votes where a conflict exists.
Committee Composition and Terms
Each committee may have up to 13 members, excluding the committee’s chair and the Board liaison. Any additional members must be approved by the president and/or president-elect during the appointment process.
First-time and first-year committee appointees serve an initial one-year provisional term, with the option of an additional two-year appointment at the conclusion of the first year. All other committee members are appointed to three-year terms. No committee member should sit on a particular committee for more than two consecutive terms (or a total of six consecutive years).
Committee chairs shall serve a term of no more than three years and may serve up to two consecutive terms. Extension of committee chair or member terms due to special circumstances must be approved by the president or president-elect. It is also strongly recommended that a member not sit on more than one committee at a time, except in the case of liaisons to other committees.
Committees can require a time commitment of as much as eight or more hours per month, depending on work products. Each committee has a monthly conference call and, if funding permits, will have at least one in-person meeting a year. Currently, most committee communication, meetings and work take place via web platforms (e.g., ColLABorate, SharePoint, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, etc.). Members must be able to access these platforms. Training will be provided by APHL staff.
At all times, the best interests of APHL and its members will be the prime consideration. The work of the committee is each committee member’s responsibility.