Scientific Sections

The work of the Scientific Sections

The purpose of the Scientific Sections is to provide more opportunities for Members to be active in the organisation, and to increase membership.

The structure of the Sections includes:

• an administrative committee made up of a Chair, a Vice-chair, a Programme Secretary and a Secretary
• one or several Sub-sections
• Working Groups approved by the Chairs of the Sections. The work of the Sections, Sub-sections and Working Groups is to undertake specific tasks relevant to The Union and the scientific community and to develop a scientific programme for the annual World Conference.

This is normally accomplished through:

• Working Groups established to address specific questions or tasks over a limited period of time
• a regular business meeting, which is normally held at the annual conference of The Union
• a planning group for the annual conference.

As The Union is a non-profit organisation, it is dependent for its support on fees from its Members and on donations and contracts to maintain its work. The "Priorities of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease" and the "Policy on Finances for Scientific Activities" state that funds for the scientific activities associated with the work of the Sections or with the annual conference are not included in the operational budget of The Union. As a consequence, all such scientific activities must be self-supporting - they must be undertaken as voluntary activities by the Members, or finances to carry them out must be identified in advance. This includes the costs of activities arising out of the Working Groups as well as those engendered by the scientific meetings of The Union.

Terms of reference for the Sections officers

Each Section has a team of Officers consisting of a Chair, a Vice-chair, a Programme Secretary and a Secretary. Section Officers have 2-year, non-renewable mandates. In order to ensure continuity, after 2 years in office the Chair steps down and is replaced by the Vice-Chair. Likewise, after 2 years in office the Programme Secretary steps down and is replaced by the Secretary. Any paid-up member of the Section, regardless of Sub-section, can submit an application to become a Section Officer.

Chair of the Section

Corresponds with: Director of relevant technical department at The Union and the Chair of the Coordinating Committee of Scientific Activities (CCSA)
Responsible for: Vice-chair, Programme Secretary and Secretary of the Section; Chair and Programme Secretary of the Sub-sections and the leaders of the Working Groups
Tasks:
1. To prepare the agenda of the Section, including a work plan for the Section and the Sub-sections
2. To co-ordinate the work of the Section and Sub-sections, including business of the Section, scientific programme and Working Groups
3. To chair the business meeting of the Section held during the annual World Conference and other Section meetings as appropriate
4- The Chair automatically becomes a member of the Board of Directors. This involves participation in the meetings of the Board, usually held in the spring in Paris and at the annual World Conference
5. The Chair automatically becomes a member of the CCSA, as part of Sub-group 1 (which also includes the Directors of each Institute technical department and the Chair of the CCSA). The main task of this group is to revise the Terms Of Reference of the Sub-group. This involves participation in the CCSA meetings that are held during the first day of the annual World Conference

Vice-chair of the Section

Corresponds with: Chair of the Section
Tasks:
1. To assist the Chair in the work of the Section
2. To take responsibility in the absence of the Chair
3. To undertake tasks assigned by the Chair

Programme Secretary of the Section

Corresponds with: Chair of the Section, Chair of the Coordinating Committee of Scientific Activities (CCSA) and Coordinator of the scientific programme of the World Conference
Tasks:
1. To assist in the selection of abstracts, scientific sessions and symposia for the annual World Conference which will be held the following year
2. To finalise plans for the annual World Conference which will be held in the current year
3. The Programme Secretary automatically becomes a member of the CCSA, as part of Sub-group 2. This involves participation in the CCSA meetings, usually held in the spring in Paris and at the annual World Conference.

Secretary of the Section

Corresponds with: Chair and Programme Secretary of the Section
Tasks:
1. To communicate with all the Members of the Section
2. To prepare the minutes of all meetings of the Section and transmit them to The Institute
3. To communicate with the leaders of the Working Groups
4. To identify and contact prospective Members sharing the interests of the Section
5. To ensure that the report from the business meeting during the World Conference is written, agreed by all Section Officers and then submitted to The Institute for inclusion in The Union Activity Report

On 1st January 2008 the 6 former Scientific Sections of The Union were transformed into 4 new Sections: Tuberculosis, Lung Health, HIV and Tobacco Control.

• The HIV Section includes a Sub-section for Nurses and Allied Professionals
• The Lung Health Section is intended for the Members of the former Respiratory Disease / Child Lung Health section; it has a Sub-section for Nurses and Allied Professionals
• The Tobacco Control Section includes a Sub-section for Nurses and Allied Professionals
• The Tuberculosis Section has 3 Sub-sections: Bacteriology / Immunology, Nurses and Allied Professionals, Zoonotic TB

Click here for the contact list of the Sections officers.

Working Groups of the Scientific Sections

The Working Groups are a means of addressing specific topics that are of importance to the Members, the Sections, the Sub-sections and The Union as a whole.

Establishment
The proposal to establish a Working Group may arise from Individual Members, from the Scientific Section or Sub-section, or from the Coordinating Committee of Scientific Activities. Each Working Group must be approved by the relevant Section or Sub-section, specifying its name, leadership, membership, objectives, terms of reference and time frame. This should be undertaken by the Section or the Sub-section in written form and then submitted to the CCSA through its Chair. If finances are required to fulfil the objectives of the group, sponsorship must be sought by the leader and approved.

Objectives
The goal of each Working Group must be explicit and precisely stated at the time the Working Group is formed. The usual goals of Working Groups include: planning of a symposium for the annual meeting, development of a workshop on a specific topic of importance to The Union, creation of a common protocol for research or programmatic action, preparation of a technical document.

Organisation
Each Working Group must have a designated leader who assigns tasks, sees that they are carried out and reports on the activities of the Working Group. The leader of the Working Group reports to the Chair of the Section on the work done. The Members of the Working Groups are paid-up Members of the Section with particular expertise and interest in the topic of the Working Group. Occasionally, experts from outside the Section may be invited to participate, particularly when aspects of the work involve disciplines not represented within The Union. Working Groups can gather Members of various Sections or Sub-sections when the topic is of mutual interest.

Reporting
The Working Group leader submits a written report on the progress of its work at each annual meeting, with a copy to the Chair of the Section and the Chair of the CCSA. All of the work carried out should comply with the official policies of The Union. Please click here for more details on these policies. In cases where policy changes are proposed, they should be presented for discussion and resolution, to ensure that the Working Group documents do not contradict the official Union policies. Reports, statements or publications arising from the Working Groups, Sections or Sub-sections must be submitted to the Co-ordinating Committee of Scientific Activities for approval before being released as official documents of The Union.

Time frame
Each Working Group must establish a plan of action including a proposed date for completion of the work. When the project is completed, the Working Group ceases to exist. The format required for establishing a Working Group is as follows:
Name:
Section:
Leader:
Objectives:
Timetable:

Officers of the Scientific Sections, Sub-sections and Working Groups

LUNG HEALTH SECTION
Chair: Dr Steve Graham, Australia ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Vice-chair: Dr Christer Janson, Sweden ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Programme Secretary: Prof Gregory Erhabor, Nigeria ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Secretary: Prof Simon Schaaf, South Africa ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

SUB-SECTION OF THE LUNG HEALTH SECTION
Lung Health - Nurses and Allied Professionals
Chair: vacant
Programme Secretary: vacant

WORKING GROUPS OF THE LUNG HEALTH SECTION
COPD in Maghreb. Leader: Rachid Benali, Algeria ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
BCG safety. Leader: Anneke Hesseling, South Africa ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ) or ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Childhood TB. Leader: Ben J. Marais, South Africa ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

TOBACCO CONTROL SECTION (mandates to be officially approved during the 40th World Conference in December 2009)
Chair: Prof Hamdy El Sayed, Egypt ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Vice-chair: Dr Jie Wang, China ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Programme Secretary: Prof Amanda Amos, UK ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Secretary: Dr E. Vidhubala, India ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

SUB-SECTION OF THE TOBACCO CONTROL SECTION
Tobacco Control - Nurses and Allied Professionals
Chair: vacant
Programme Secretary: vacant

WORKING GROUPS OF THE TOBACCO CONTROL SECTION
• Standards for smoking cessation pgrs in low-income countries. Leader: Dr Kristen Hassmiller, USA ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

HIV SECTION
Chair: Dr Renee Ridzon, USA ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Vice-chair: Dr Reuben Granich, India ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Programme Secretary: Dr Nick DeLuca, USA ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )
Secretary: Prof Alasdair Reid, Switzeland ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )

SUB-SECTION OF THE HIV SECTION
HIV - Nurses and Allied Professionals
Chair: vacant
Programme Secretary: vacant