Governance

The Wisconsin Medical Society is an individual membership organization formed to represent and unify Wisconsin physicians to advance the practice of medicine, improve the health of the public and support the enactment and enforcement of appropriate public policy. Volunteer physician leaders guide the organization through its policy-making processes, advance the Society’s mission and foster the principles of good governance.

Proposed Changes

The Society’s Board of Directors introduced a potential amendment to the Society’s Constitution to change the one-time-per-year policy process to a year-round endeavor. The proposed change would empower the Board with approval responsibilities and will engage more members in the policymaking process. Please share your thoughts of how to best tap into your expertise via this form.

Society staff are setting up the second round of meetings around the state where the proposed Constitutional Amendment can be discussed. Those meetings can also focus on finding ways to foster widespread policy development from more physicians more often than one time per year. Contact Jessica Bourin-Schreiter if you’d like to know about meetings in your area, or click here.

House of Delegates

The House of Delegates (HOD) is currently the Society’s policy-making body. It has authority to set policy, establish dues, adopt bylaws and elect officers. The HOD also is responsible for deliberating issues presented in the form of resolutions and, where appropriate, establishing organizational policy.

The HOD is composed of representatives from county medical societies, specialty sections, the young physician section, residents, students and others working together to improve the practice of medicine in Wisconsin.

Click to learn more about the Wisconsin Medical Society Annual Meeting or Policy Compendium.

Board of Directors

The Society’s Board of Directors is comprised of Society officers (president, president-elect, immediate past president, speaker, vice speaker); 31 district directors; directors from each of the following sections: Medical Schools Section, Young Physician Section, Resident Physician Section and Medical students Section (2); and the Society chief executive officer. District directors are elected from each of eight districts.

The Board meets four times each year to implement policy approved by the House of Delegates, act on policy resolutions when the HOD is not in session, approve the Society budget and to shape and advance Society initiatives and its strategic plan.

AMA Delegation

The Wisconsin Medical Society is represented at the national level by an active delegation to the American Medical Association House of Delegates. Wisconsin’s delegates participate in the national policy-making process at AMA House of Delegates meetings and keep their colleagues informed about developments at the national level of organized medicine. The Society also has delegates in the AMA Young Physicians’ Section and the AMA Medical Student Section, which meet in conjunction with the AMA House of Delegates.

Constitution and Bylaws

The Wisconsin Medical Society’s Constitution and Bylaws provide the guiding principles for governance of the Society and its relationship with county medical societies. The documents provide the statement of purpose, the process for elections and representation as well as the process for the development of guiding policy for the organization and its members.