Article I: Name
The name of this organization is the Thoracic Surgery Residents Association, Herein after
referred to as “the TSRA.”
Article II: Objectives
The objectives of the TSRA are to:
- represent the interests of all residents in training in cardiothoracic surgery in North America;
- work with the Thoracic Surgery Directors Association (TSDA) to improve the quality of
thoracic surgery education, keep thoracic surgery training abreast of changes within the field,
and to assist in the identification and solution of educational and administrative problems that
may arise during thoracic surgery resident education; - serve as an advocate of thoracic surgery resident education in the various professional
agencies, boards, councils and committees that influence the specialty of Thoracic Surgery; - establish meaningful and direct lines of communication with the TSDA Executive Committee
and develop mentoring relationships to promote the growth of residents’ leadership skills and to
prepare residents to become future leaders in academic cardiothoracic surgery; - provide a forum for the interchange of ideas and information relating to the education of
thoracic surgery residents; - encourage collaboration between related fields (i.e., cardiology) to establish professional
relationships during training and to enrich our educational pursuits.
Article III: Membership, Privileges and Responsibilities
Section 1: Membership
All residents in approved Thoracic Surgery training programs in North America are
automatically granted membership in the TSRA upon initiation of their training in a Thoracic
Surgery Residency approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
(ACGME). Membership continues for the duration of the resident’s training, and includes
postthoracic surgery residency training, such as subspecialty fellowships. Termination of
membership occurs automatically upon completion of training, including fellowships. Should an
individual with specific ongoing responsibilities within the TSRA finish training, at the
discretion of the Executive Committee, discharge of these responsibilities may continue until
their completion. Residents of training programs that lose accreditation shall remain members of
the TSRA until the completion of their training.
Associate Membership
Requests for Associate Membership status shall be approved by the TSRA Executive
Committee. Such membership is limited to: (1) General Surgery residents who have matched
into an ACGME accredited Thoracic Surgery training program, but have not yet begun their
training; (2) General Surgery residents who have expressed a strong interest in pursuing a career
in cardiothoracic surgery, but who are not yet eligible for Thoracic Surgery Residency; (3) Any
international resident training in Thoracic Surgery; (4) Cardiology fellows who have expressed
interest in collaboration with the TSRA and expanding their own knowledge of cardiothoracic
surgery; (5) A medical student who has expressed a strong interest in pursuing a career in
cardiothoracic surgery.
Section 2: Voting Privileges
Each member of the Executive Committee is accorded one vote for transacting the business of
the TSRA. This vote is executed by the President. No proxies or substitutions are permitted
without prior written notice to the Secretary by the President.
Section 3: Approved Residency Programs
An “approved program” is defined as a thoracic surgery residency program that is recommended
for approval by the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Thoracic Surgery and accredited by
the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). All residents in approved
programs are automatically granted membership into the TSRA at the time of matriculation into
thoracic surgery residency.
Article IV: Organization
Section 1: Executive Officers
The officers of the TSRA must be members of the Executive Committee, shall be elected by
Executive Committee majority vote, except the Past-President, who will remain as officer an
additional year following completion of his or her term, and will consist of the following:
- President
- Vice President
- Past President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
Terms of Office
Officers of the TSRA shall each hold office for one year, or until their successors are duly
elected by the Executive Committee, and may not succeed themselves unless as appointed by the
President. At the end of each academic year, the Secretary will call for self-nominations to
Officer positions. If more than one member is nominated to the same Officer position, a vote by
the Executive Committee will take place. The President, at the end of a one-year term, shall
automatically, and without vote, continue as an officer for a second one-year term as Past
President.
If the office of the President becomes vacant by reason of death, resignation, retirement,
disqualification, removal from office, loss of residency status or otherwise, the Vice President
shall become President, fill the remainder of the unexpired term, and then continue on as Past
President. Such unexpected progression of the Vice President to the office of the President shall
result in election of a new Vice President by the Executive Committee within one month of the
vacancy of the President office. Should the office of the Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer
become vacant, the Executive Committee then in office may, by majority vote, choose a
successor(s). Such successor(s) shall hold office for the unexpired term with respect to the
vacancy occurring.
Duties of Officers
President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the TSRA membership and at all
meetings of the Executive Committee; and shall perform all duties usually associated with the
office of the President, including the appointment of various committees as set forth in these
articles, or as directed by the Executive Committee and/or the assembled members at regular
meetings of the TSRA; shall establish and maintain regular and open communication with the
TSDA Executive Committee; shall attend all regularly scheduled TSDA meetings; with the aid
and advice of the other officers, shall be responsible for the regularly scheduled TSRA meetings;
and shall be a member or ex-officio member without vote on all committees except the
Nominating Committee. Generally the Secretary of the current Executive Committee is
considered as candidate for President for the following year, but must be elected by the current
Executive Committee to succeed to that position.
Vice President: The Vice President shall chair and manage the Nominating Committee. If the
President is absent or unable to act, the Vice President will perform the duties and exercise the
powers of the President; and will assist the President in any capacity necessary. The Vice
President will be in charge of the nomination and selection process for the Socrates, Dr. Dwight
C. McGoon, TSRA/STS Traveling Fellowship, and TSRA/STS Global Outreach Fellowship
Awards.
Past President: The Past President shall work with the President and the Executive Committee to
assure uninterrupted assumption of assigned duties; shall attend regularly scheduled TSRA
meetings when available; shall assist the President in all capacities necessary; shall work to
develop and maintain outreach programs with other international thoracic surgery residency
associations and maintain and continue communication between the TSDA Executive Committee
and the TSRA. The Past President will be a voting member of the TSRA Executive Committee.
Secretary: The Secretary shall prepare and distribute minutes of all meetings of the TSRA; shall
maintain the records of the TSRA including a list of all members and their addresses, including
the Executive Committee members and subcommittee representation; and shall be responsible
for maintaining an up-to-date website in association with the TSDA.
Treasurer: The Treasurer shall prepare and distribute copies of the proposed budget for the
upcoming academic year at the end of each year to all members of the Executive Committee.
The Treasurer shall also be responsible for keeping an up to date and auditable financial record
including all credits and debits of the organization and shall, in conjunction with the President be
responsible for the processing of all monies passing through the Association. The Treasurer shall
be a voting member of the Executive Committee.
Section 2: Committees
Executive Committee Election Process – The incoming President shall be responsible for
identifying upcoming vacancies in the Executive Committee and the incoming Vice President
will be responsible for soliciting nominations for vacancies. Applications will be solicited via
email to eligible residents, via social media, and via the TSRA website during which time any
TSRA member can be nominated either by themselves or another member. All nominations must
be accompanied by a letter of support from the nominee’s program director indicating support
for the nomination, and support for travel to attend TSRA Executive Committee meetings at the
STS and AATS, and the meetings at which the nominee will represent the TSRA if elected (STS,
AATS). To be eligible for the Executive Committee, the nominee must be a thoracic surgery
resident, post-thoracic surgery residency trainee, or a general surgery resident who has
successfully matched into a thoracic surgery training program during the time he/she is applying
to be on the Executive Committee. The incoming Vice President will receive and review all
nominations and present the applications to the Executive Committee for a final vote. A new
Executive Committee member is then elected by majority vote of the seated Executive
Committee, with tie-breaker decision going to the President.
Executive Committee – The Executive Committee will consist of 14 voting members, 3 ex-
officio members, and 1 collaborative non-voting member. A total of 4 will be designated for
traditional fellowship trainees and 4/3 trainees to ensure diversification of the committee
members to represent the larger CT training community. Members of the Executive Committee
are:
- Executive Officers (5);
- Committee chairs (currently 4, including Communications Chair who also is Secretary);
At-large Executive Committee members (5); - Ex-officio non-voting members (3) – Representative to Women in Thoracic Surgery (WTS) (1, ex-officio non-voting
member unless already on Executive Committee by discretion of the WTS);
Representative of the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of
Surgeons (1, ex-officio non-voting member unless already on Executive
Committee prior to obtaining RASACS position);Resident Director on The Society
of Thoracic Surgeons Board of Directors (ex-officio non-voting member unless
already on Executive Committee prior to obtaining Resident Director position); - Collaborative member (1, non voting) will be a representative from the American College
of Cardiology – Fellows in Training (ACC-FIT), who shall be elected/chosen by the
ACC-FIT in a manner they see fit and that the TSRA approves.
Each member of the Executive Committee serves a 1-year term, July 1-June 30, and can be re-
elected two times. An exception for a fourth term can be made in the instance of an elected
president and vice president if decided by a unanimous vote by the current Executive Committee.
In an effort to encourage diversity, Executive Committee members voting on applications to the
Executive Committee shall take into consideration the current composition of the Executive
Committee and strive to keep a diverse range of seniority, sex, race, training program-type,
specialty, and institution. No more than one resident per institution shall be on the EC at a time.
This, however, may be overruled with a unanimous vote by the current Executive Committee in
the event that the EC applicant pool is considered lacking in competitive applicants.
The Executive Committee shall generally manage the affairs of the TSRA. During the interval
between meetings, it shall serve as the administrative and policy making body of the TSRA. A
majority of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
In-person meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held two times annually during
meetings of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American Association for Thoracic
Surgery, or at such times and places as may be agreed upon by a majority of the Executive
Committee, or in the event of disagreement, as designated by the President. Executive
Committee Members are required to attend one of the two annual meetings of the Executive
Committee. The President may dismiss any Executive Committee member who fails to attend at
least one meeting annually and that person will be ineligible for re-election to the Executive
Committee.
Standing Committees – Standing Committees are established by the Executive Committee and
the TSDA. They may be abolished at any time by vote. Additional Standing Committees can also
be added at the direction of the President and majority vote of the Executive Committee. They
shall perform such duties and functions as assigned by the President of the Executive Committee
of the TSRA in combination with the TSDA. Chairpersons serve for one-year terms and will be
appointed by the President. They may be re-appointed by the discretion of the President as many
times as allowed by the term limits. They will report the actions of their committees to the
Executive Committee and the TSRA at regular meetings of these bodies.
Article V: Awards
Section 1.
Four awards – the Socrates Award, the Dr. Dwight C. McGoon Award, the TSRA/STS Traveling
Fellowship, and the TSRA/STS Global Outreach Fellowship – will be granted by the TSRA
every year. The Socrates Award will be given every year at the STS meeting to an attending
physician that has served as an exceptional mentor for cardiothoracic surgery residents. The Dr.
Dwight C. McGoon Award will be given every year at the STS meeting to a young attending
physician that exemplifies the virtues of a great educator for cardiothoracic surgery residents.
The TSRA/STS Traveling Fellowship is a one week traveling observership to a host institution
with a host faculty that will be awarded at the STS to a current cardiothoracic resident desiring to
augment their training. Finally, the TSRA/STS Global Outreach Fellowship is a 1-2 week trip
beyond U.S. borders for the fellow to receive immersive mentorship and invaluable experience
in global surgery planning, implementation, and practice. Applicants for this award will preselect
a trip location and specialty, and trip host faculty must be STS members and support the
fellowship applicant. The nomination and selection process for the recipients of these Awards
will be coordinated by the Vice President of the TSRA and will follow the process outlined in
these bylaws. The Socrates and McGoon Awards should be selected by December 1st. The
Fellowship awardees will be selected by November 1st , although the deadlines may be adjusted
as needed by TSRA EC.
Section 2.
Eligibility criteria for the Socrates and Dr. Dwight McGoon Awards:
- The nominee should be a faculty member of an ACGME- approved residency program and
should be nominated by cardiothoracic surgery residents enrolled in an ACGME- approved
residency. - Socrates Award: Completion of clinical training more than 10 years ago.
- Dr. Dwight McGoon Award: Completion of clinical training less than 10 years ago.
- The nominee should have not received the same Award previously.
Eligibility for the TSRA/STS Traveling and Global Outreach Fellowships: - Nominee should be a current cardiothoracic surgery resident in an ACGME residency or
approved Canadian residency. - The nominee should not have received the same Award previously.
- The nominee should not be a member of the TSRA Executive Committee.
Section 3.
Nomination and Selection Process
The Vice President of the TSRA will open the nomination period for the Socrates and Dr.
Dwight McGoon Awards by sending a communication to all thoracic surgery residents enrolled
in an ACGME-approved residency. Residents will send one or more letters of support
nominating a faculty member and specifying the virtues that make that person ideal for the
Award. Letters of support to nominate a faculty member must be sent by trainees and not by
faculty. The Vice President will put forward all the nominations and will send them to the
Executive Committee for approval. Members of the Executive Committee will assure that all
nominees meet eligibility criteria.
Each member of the Executive Committee will select their top three candidates in order of
preference. The Vice President will collect the votes and assign to each nominee 3 points for
each 1st place ranking, 2 points for each 2nd place ranking, and 1 point for each 3rd place
ranking. The Vice President will send to the Executive Committee the names of the top three
nominees for a second round of voting. Each member of the Executive Committee will rank the
three contenders and the same point system will be used to select the winner. Any resident with a
faculty member among the candidates shall refrain from voting.
If there is a tie for the Award, the nominee with most number of first votes will be selected. In
case there is a persistent tie, the winner will be selected by votes of the President, Vice President,
and Secretary of the TSRA from the nominees tied in first place.
The nomination and selection process for the TSRA/STS Traveling and Global Outreach
Fellowships is similar as for the above awards; however, nominations should include a current
curriculum vitae, a letter of support from the program director and a personal statement as to
how the experience would enhance his/her educational experience. If the nominee has a
specialty, host faculty, and institution in mind for the observership that should be mentioned;
however, the award is not limited to nominees who already have such specifics identified. The
award will be granted based both on the merit of the resident as well as the anticipated benefit
the experience will yield. Host institutions and faculty will also be evaluated for their suitability
for a given resident, as well as their potential commitment to the resident and the Fellowship.
Article VI: Finances
Section 1.
Individual members will rely on support from their respective programs to attend the annual
TSRA meetings. Direct meeting expenses will be handled by the professional society at which
the TSRA meeting is being held.
Article VII: Meetings
Section 1.
Two general TSRA Resident Sessions will be held each year. Each of these meetings will be
held as TSRA Resident Sessions in association with the STS and AATS Annual Meetings. The
purpose of the TSRA Resident Sessions is to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas
between TSRA membership and the leadership of thoracic surgery with the goal of improving
the quality and nature of thoracic surgery education, and enabling the professional development
of thoracic surgery residents. The TSRA Resident Sessions will be developed and organized by
the TSRA representatives to the respective organizations during which the meeting will be held.
Article VIII: Newly Revised Robert’s Rules of Order
Section 1.
Any question of order not provided by these articles shall be determined by parliamentary usage
as contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.
Article IX: Lines of Communication between TSDA and TSRA
Section 1.
The TSRA Officers will be the main points of contact in helping to execute and implement
TSDA Executive Committee-related business issues.
Article X: Amendments
Section 1.
These articles may not be changed except by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee
members present at regularly called meetings, and further provided that the proposed alteration
or amendment will have been moved and seconded at the previous regular meeting, and that
printed copies of the suggested alteration or amendment shall have been circulated among the
Executive Committee members, and that the members shall have been specifically advised that
such alterations or amendment will be voted upon.
Section 2.
These articles may be suspended in whole or in part for a period of not more than twelve hours
by unanimous vote of those present at any regularly convened meeting of the TSRA Executive
Committee.
Section 3.
The initial implementation of these bylaws will be subject to the review and approval of the
TSDA Executive Committee and then majority vote of the existing and current members of the
Executive Committee. Once the bylaws have passed majority vote, they will be distributed to all
members of the TSRA and posted on the TSRA website.
Section 4.
TSRA Executive Committee members must participate in a minimum of fifty percent of
scheduled TSRA activities, including meetings, conference calls, voting for the Socrates and
McGoon Awards, and selection of incoming TSRA Executive Committee members. The
President may dismiss any Executive Committee member who fails to participate accordingly
and that person will be ineligible for re-election to the Executive Committee.
Section 5.
Institutions and leadership bodies frequently request that the TSRA appoint or nominate potential
resident representatives to their committees. In the past these have included but are not limited to
resident representatives to the AAMC, STS councils such as the STS Council on Health Policy
and Relationships Operating Board, STS Council on Education and Member Services Operating
Board, STS Council on Quality, Research, and Patient Safety Operating Board, AATS education
committee, TSRA Representative to the AATS, STS Board of Directors, Residency Review
Committee, ACC Fellow-in-Training, and CTSNet Resident Editor. The nominations of these
representatives shall be made at the discretion of the President and may include members of the
Executive Committee or TSRA members at large. As noted in the above bylaws, the
representative to Women in Thoracic Surgery, Residents and Associates of the American
College of Surgeons, and Resident Director of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Board of
Directors are all ex-officio non-voting members unless already elected to the Executive
Committee prior to their appointments.
Revised 11/20/23