For current rosters of standing committees and councils, click here.
The standing committees listed below are enduring from year to year; additional ad hoc committees or task forces are convened from time to time as necessary.
The typical participation term for committee members is three years and under each committee listing, you will find the typical time commitments required by its members.
Committee on Communications and Marketing
The Committee on Communications and Marketing shall present the communications and marketing priorities and plan to the Board of Directors; shall initiate or support all internal and external communications and marketing efforts; shall be responsible for overseeing market research efforts; shall appoint the Editors of the Hotline and oversee their work; shall serve as the Committee that oversees The Rheumatologist and Hotline; shall monitor communications policies; and shall organize and establish subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 – 3 meetings per volunteer year (one is typically held in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting)
- 2 – 3 conference calls per volunteer year
- 30 – 50 hours spent on outside work per volunteer year
- The committee does a fair amount of time-sensitive work via e-mail, requiring that members be extremely responsive and able to work under short timeframes
Committee on Corporate Relations
Subject to the direction and control of the Board of Directors, the Committee on Corporate Relations shall concern itself with overseeing the procedures related to negotiation and acceptance of all external corporate funding, including the ACR exhibit hall; develop, review and enforce policies on matters that involve external corporate funding and third-party events held during official ACR meetings; and organize and establish such subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and the Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 1 meeting per volunteer year (generally in May)
- 2 – 4 conference calls per volunteer year (depending on the issues)
- Much of the committee’s work is just before the Annual Scientific Meeting
REF Development Advisory Council
The current charge of the Development Advisory Council includes reviewing, modifying and implementing the individual giving program adopted by the REF; and promoting the individual giving program.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 1 – 2 meetings per volunteer year (one is typically held in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting)
- Monthly 30-minute conference calls to review and evaluate progress
- Additional time spent on outside work varies, typically done to assist with the solicitation of prospects
- Members financially support the REF fundraising campaign(s) at the Circle of Leadership level or greater
Committees on Education
ACR Committee on Education
The ACR Committee on Education shall concern itself with policies and/or guidelines for programs on continuing medical education (CME) in rheumatology and professional education products for both specialists and primary care physicians at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels; shall oversee the development and provide final approval for any meetings or programs for which CME credit is granted by the ACR; shall oversee the development of any educational products or materials which will bear the ACR name and shall organize and establish such subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meetings per volunteer year (generally in January and in July/August)
- 2 – 3 conference calls per volunteer year
- 5 – 25 hours spent on outside work per volunteer year (depending on the issues)
- Preferred meeting day is Saturday, typically in Atlanta.
Subcommittees:
Abstract Oversight Subcommittee
Abstract Selection Subcommittee
Annual Meeting Planning Subcommittee
Innovative Therapies in Autoimmune Diseases Conference Planning Committee
Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium Planning Committee
Professional Meetings Committee
Recertification Board Preparation Course and ABIM Learning Session Development Committee
Winter Rheumatology Symposium Planning Committee
Audiovisual Aids Subcommittee
Continuous Assessment Review and Evaluation (CARE) Development Group
Continuous Professional Development Subcommittee
Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest
The Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest shall concern itself with reviewing and making recommendations regarding the ethics and professionalism of the College, its officers, directors, and members; shall address and respond to questions of conflict of interest; shall be responsible for reviewing and, from time to time, proposing modifications to the Code of Ethics and Disclosure Policy and Statement; shall review charges alleging professional misconduct by members; shall respond to requests from the Board of Directors for guidance and recommendations on matters involving ethics and conflict of interest; shall, from time to time, develop information to educate the membership concerning the Code of Ethics and conflict of interest issues and shall organize and establish subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and the Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meetings per volunteer year (generally in December/January and in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting)
- 1 – 2 conference calls per volunteer year
- Members are "on call" for issues that arise requiring that members be extremely responsive and able to work under short timeframes
Executive Committees
ACR Executive Committee
The President, President-Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, REF President, and the ARHP President are members of the ACR Executive Committee.
ARHP Executive Committee
The President, President-Elect, Member-At-Large Finance, Immediate Past-President, ACR Board Liaison (appointed by the ACR President) and the chair of the ARHP committee on Practice, are members of the ARHP Executive Committee.
REF Executive Committee
The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the chairs of the Development Advisory Council and Scientific Advisory Council are members of the REF Executive Committee.
Committee on Finance
Subject to the direction and control of the Board of Directors, the Committee on Finance shall have authority to monitor the financial policies, investments, and expenditures of the ACR, to develop the financial resources needed to carry out the programs of the ACR and shall organize and establish subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meetings per volunteer year (generally in late April/early May and in late September/early October)
- 8 – 12 hours spent on outside work
- Preferred meeting day is Monday
Committee on Government Affairs
The Committee on Government Affairs shall concern itself with developing effective liaisons with governmental and nongovernmental research support agencies; shall establish effective liaisons with congressional members and staff; shall establish effective liaison with organizations concerned with public policy aspects of health-care delivery and health-care financing; shall monitor not-for-profit issues of concern to the College and shall organize and establish subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meetings per volunteer year (generally in conjunction with Advocacy Leadership Conference in March and with Advocates for Arthritis in September)
- Monthly conference calls (1st Wednesday of the month)
- Members work on one-page position papers in groups, periodically
Committee on Journal Publications
The Committee on Journal Publications shall concern itself with overseeing the operations of the ACR’s two peer-reviewed journals, Arthritis & Rheumatism and Arthritis Care & Research, including monitoring of relations with and performance of the journals’ common publishers, developing and reviewing policies on matters that affect both journals, and reporting to the ACR Board of Directors on behalf of both journals.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 – 3 meetings per volunteer year (one is typically held in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting)
- 3 conference calls per volunteer year (on average)
- 12 hours spent on outside work (on average)
- Members have typically been involved with the journal as authors and/or reviewers, with representation from both the clinical and the basic sciences
Committees on Membership, Nominations, and Appointments
ACR Committee on Nominations and Appointments
The ACR Committee on Nominations and Appointments shall make nominations for the following positions: Secretary, who will become President-Elect at the end of the Secretary’s term, then President in the following year; Treasurer, who will become President-Elect at the end of the Treasurer’s term, then President in the following year; The Members-at-Large of the Board of Directors of the ACR and of the Foundation; Chairs of the Standing Committees; Members of the Standing Committees, with the exception of the Committee on Nominations and Appointments; Representatives to the Board of Directors of the Foundation from the ACR Committee on Research, the ACR Committee on Rheumatology Training and Workforce Issues and from the ARHP. The Committee shall make recommendations regarding application for membership, the ACR Awards of Distinction, and other ACR awards.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 1 meeting per volunteer year (generally in July)
- 20 + hours needed prior to the meeting to extensively review applications
ARHP Membership and Nominations Committee
The ARHP Membership and Nominations Committee is responsible for overseeing the nominations process to ensure election and appointment of qualified leaders, representative of the diversity of the membership. The committee is responsible for reviewing nominations and presenting a slate of qualified candidates for ARHP elected and appointed volunteer positions and for reviewing nominations and selecting recipients for the Graduate Student Awards, Merit and Lifetime Achievement Awards. In addition, handles all membership marketing responsibilities.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meetings per volunteer year (generally in December/January and in April; meetings are typically on Fridays, Saturdays, and/or Sundays)
- 2 – 3 conference calls per volunteer year
Pediatric Rheumatology Special Committee
The Committee on Pediatric Rheumatology shall concern itself with advancing pediatric rheumatology through support of clinical care, research, education and advocacy. The Committee shall implement initiatives designed to improve the recruitment of pediatricians into the field of rheumatology; shall initiate or support communication efforts to the ACR pediatric membership; shall support the practice needs of pediatric rheumatologists through contributions to activities of ACR standing committees, as needed; and shall organize and establish such subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meetings per volunteer year (one is typically held in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting)
- 2 – 3 conference calls per volunteer year
ARHP Practice Committee
The ARHP Practice Committee includes representatives from each of the major disciplines in the association. The committee oversees the health professional practice papers and ensures that all ARHP educational products and programs meet the practice needs of membership. The committee explores member needs regarding clinical practice issues and promoting the interdisciplinary model of care. It is the oversight committee for all ARHP practice issues.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meeting per volunteer year (generally in January and in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting; meetings are typically on Fridays, Saturdays, and/or Sundays)
- Monthly conference calls per volunteer year
Committee on Quality of Care
The Quality of Care Committee shall concern itself with quality-related activities including development of classification and response criteria, outcome measures, practice guidelines, quality indicators and related practice implementation tools, and activities related to the safety of rheumatologic therapeutics. The Committee will organize and establish such subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 3 meetings per volunteer year (generally in December/January, in May/June, and in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting)
- 2 – 3 conference calls per volunteer year
- 5 – 10 hours spent on outside work
Subcommittees:
Classification and Response Criteria Subcommittee
Drug Safety Subcommittee
Practice Guidelines Subcommittee
Quality Leadership Council
Quality Measures Subcommittee
Committee on Registries and Health Information Technology
The Committee on Registries and Health Information Technology shall concern itself with those health information and communication technology issues within the field of health care and the subspecialty of rheumatology; and work to support and advance the use of appropriate health information and communication technology within clinical research and the practice of rheumatology to provide safe, timely, efficient, effective, equitable, and patient-centered care. The committee will oversee the ongoing growth and development of the Rheumatology Clinical Registry for quality improvement and research, advocacy issues relating to electronic health records and other clinical and administrative information technology, and the development and use of defined rheumatology data standards.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 3 meetings per volunteer year
- Monthly conference calls per volunteer year
- 8 hours per month spent on outside work
Committees on Research
ACR Committee on Research
The ACR Committee on Research shall concern itself with research and research training in rheumatology; shall encourage clinical and health services research on the organization of medical and health care as they may affect patients with rheumatic diseases; shall maintain an updated rheumatology research agenda; shall appoint a liaison to the Committee on Government Affairs and work with that committee on advocacy; shall work to coordinate the research efforts of the ACR and the Arthritis Foundation and shall organize and establish such subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meetings per volunteer year (generally in December/January and in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting)
- 1 conference call per volunteer year
- 2 hours spent on outside work prior to each meeting
Subcommittees:
Young Investigator Subcommittee
NIH Relations Subcommittee
ARHP Research SUBCommittee
The ARHP Research Subcommittee members are recognized for their research presentations and publications. They work with the ACR Committee on Research to promote the research efforts of rheumatology health professionals. They present research education and mentoring programs at the annual scientific meeting.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meetings per volunteer year (generally in December/January and in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting; meetings are typically on Fridays, Saturdays, and/or Sundays)
- 2 – 3 conference calls per volunteer year
Committee on Rheumatologic Care
The Committee on Rheumatologic Care shall concern itself with those economic, technical, and ethical issues that bear on the practice of rheumatology and the allied health professionals related to rheumatology; shall work with the Committee on Education to ensure that training recommendations reflect the changing scope of rheumatology practice; shall oversee the publication of practice-related materials and other publications as deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors; and shall provide the ACR membership with information concerning the future changes in medical care organization, health-care delivery, health-care financing, and health-care technology as they may affect the provision of care to patients with rheumatic disease; shall develop a government relations agenda; shall appoint a liaison to the Committee on Government Affairs; and shall organize and establish such subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 3 meetings per volunteer year (generally in January, in June, and in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting)
- Conference calls are rare – most of the committee work is done via e-mail
- Members are asked to respond to weekly questions and draft position statements (1 – 2 pages) and/or review position statements
- Important for members to be practicing physicians
Affiliate Society Council
Insurance Subcommittee
Committee on Rheumatology Training and Workforce Issues
The Committee on Rheumatology Training and Workforce Issues shall concern itself with developing curricula and other educational tools for trainees in rheumatology, designing and implementing career development programs, monitoring career opportunities in rheumatology, providing networking opportunities and resources for rheumatology training program directors, and monitoring rheumatology workforce trends. The Committee shall organize and establish subcommittees and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 3 meetings per volunteer year (one is typically held in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting)
- 2 conference calls per volunteer year
- 2 hours spent on outside work prior to each meeting
Subcommittees:
Academic Workforce Subcommittee
Career Development Subcommittee
Fellows Subcommittee
Medical Education Subcommittee
Medical Student and Resident Recruitment Subcommittee
Training Guidelines and Assessment Subcommittee
Training Resources Subcommittee
RheumPAC
The Political Action Committee shall develop and present to the Board of Directors for its approval the criteria that will determine how contributions will be distributed by the Committee to candidates for election to federal office; shall develop and present to the Board of Directors for its approval bylaws governing its operations; shall be responsible for all internal and external political fundraising and related marketing efforts; shall be responsible for all campaign finance filings and distributions to candidates for federal office; and shall organize and establish such subcommittee and task forces as the Committee deems necessary or appropriate to carry out its objectives, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee and Executive Vice President.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meetings per volunteer year (generally in conjunction with Spring Advocacy Leadership Fy-In in March and with Advocates for Arthritis in September)
- Monthly conference calls (3rd Monday of the month)
REF Scientific Advisory Council
The current charge of the Scientific Advisory Council includes serving as an advisory resource to the REF board on issues regarding the scope and benefit of established and future award programs; and developing and implementing policies and methods for reviewing and making recommendations to the REF board of directors on grants, scholarships and awards.
Committee Member Time Commitments:
- 2 meetings per volunteer year (generally in the Spring and in conjunction with the Annual Scientific Meeting)
- 3 conference calls per volunteer year (generally in the Spring, Summer, and Fall)
- 6 – 8 hours spent on outside work prior to each meeting
- The council is responsible for overseeing peer review of grant applications for core programs and the Disease Targeted Research Initiative, as well as reviews progress reports, final reports, and metrics on an annual basis for all grant recipients
