Bylaws

Approved by the WABIP Board of Regents on July 31, 2025

Article I: NAME

This organization shall be named “World Association for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology”, or in short: “WABIP”, “the WABIP” or “association”.

Article II: STRUCTURE

The WABIP shall be registered as a non-profit organization (NPO) in Tokyo, Japan. As such, all WABIP objectives and activities shall be within the scope of all current NPO laws of Tokyo, Japan.

Article III: PURPOSE and MISSION

The purpose of the WABIP is to promote the art and science of bronchoscopy and interventional pulmonology.

Mission Statement

To connect a growing network of specialized medical doctors, health care professionals, and industry/technology experts devoted to the care of patients with airway, pleural, lung, laryngeal, mediastinal and esophageal disorders.

Article IV: OFFICE

The head office of WABIP shall be located at Tokyo Medical University, First Department of Surgery, Nishi-Shinjuku 6-7-1, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan. This address shall be used for all official correspondence with the local government.

Article V: OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES

The primary objectives and activities of WABIP shall be:

To develop and maintain a worldwide society of highly qualified specialists in bronchology, interventional pulmonology and related fields of medicine.
To act as a conglomerate organization to connect and facilitate communications among various interventional pulmonology societies from different countries and regions.
To promote the highest possible standards in clinical practice, education and research in bronchology, interventional pulmonology and related fields in medicine.
To be concerned with problems in public health and welfare, and to contribute to the solving of such problems through the promotion of international understanding by providing humanitarian assistance or by exchanging academic knowledge and experiences related to the objectives of WABIP.
To hold a biennial world congress at a place that shall be designated by the WABIP Board of Regents (or “BOR”, see Article XI) to offer the latest information about advances in technologies, education and research with the cooperation and support of local host organizers.
To support and/or endorse as much as possible any intermediate regional conferences, symposia or workshops in bronchology and interventional pulmonology held throughout the world.
To encourage manuscript contributions to print and electronic journals, as well as to web sites, related to bronchology and interventional pulmonology.
To cooperate with other medical organizations on an international basis in promoting the highest standards of academic knowledge, research, and experience relating to the specialty of interventional pulmonology.
To collect international statistics, data and other information relating to the specialty of interventional pulmonology– the use of which shall be determined by the Executive Board (or “EB”, see Article X) with the assent of the BOR when feasible and according to current or future agreements.
To present awards to members of WABIP for outstanding research, education and other activities relating to the goals of WABIP.
To promote other activities necessary to financially sustain the WABIP.
To promote the establishment of regional and national interventional pulmonology societies in countries around the world.
To enhance global communication related to bronchology and interventional pulmonology by posting news and other information on the official WABIP website (http://www.wabip.com) and WABIP-owned websites (such as http://www.wabipacademy.com).
To issue an official WABIP Newsletter (Article XV), and other publications to promote the objectives of WABIP.

Article VI: MEMBERSHIP

1. WABIP Member

Any physician or other health care workers of any biomedical society, who is interested in the goals and/or activities of WABIP shall be qualified to join WABIP.
An individual may only have WABIP membership through a WABIP Member Society (Article VI, section 2).
In special circumstances evaluated and approved by the EB, single memberships may be granted to individuals not belonging to any WABIP Member Society.

2. WABIP Member Societies

A Member Society (or simply “Member Society”) that applies to join the WABIP shall be any national, regional and/or local pulmonology or interventional pulmonology society or group with a minimum of 10 individuals from that same organization or group. A condition of membership is the full and satisfactory payment of Membership Dues (Article VI, section 3) to WABIP.
Every Member Society shall maintain its own independent functions and purposes, including the capacity to hold annual or biennial meetings, workshops, and affiliations with their own official scientific journals.
Every Member Society may continue offering its official national or regional journals to its members through membership in their respective national, regional or local societies.
Every Member Society or prospective Member Society shall provide the WABIP Administrative Office (Article XII) with the names and current e-mail addresses of the members who want to join or remain in WABIP. This information shall be treated with the utmost confidentiality and shall not be shared with any parties outside the EB except for the specific activities of WABIP research and education that are explicitly approved by the EB.
If a WABIP Member belongs to more than one WABIP Member Society, he or she shall only have one WABIP membership unless otherwise determined by the Executive Board on a case-by-case basis. This is necessary to prevent the overlap of membership numbers and their recording.
Every Member Society shall maintain the sole responsibility for managing its individual members joining the WABIP.
Every Member Society shall maintain sole responsibility of notifying its members of Membership Dues (Article VI, Section 3), which may be in addition to or included in its own separate national, regional, or local organization’s dues, and shall also be responsible for collecting these Membership Dues.

3. Membership Dues

Membership Dues shall be paid by every Member Society annually in USD ($) to WABIP.
The General Membership Fee per WABIP Member shall be:
1. USD $8 annually for Member Societies located in High-Income economies, as classified by the World Bank for the relevant fiscal year
2. USD $5 annually for Member Societies located in all other economies
The General Membership Fee shall be reassessed yearly, and if necessary increased. Any fee increase shall require approval by vote by the BOR.
Failure by a Member Society to pay its Membership Dues after 3 official requests for payment shall result in the loss of WABIP membership.
In case of special individual memberships (single persons not belonging to any WABIP Member Society), dues shall be USD $50 annually.
Failure by an individual to pay his or her Membership Dues after 3 requests for payment shall result in the loss of WABIP membership.

4. Membership Benefits

All WABIP Members shall be automatically qualified for benefits that include the following:

Reduced registration fees for regional and national workshops and educational seminars sponsored in part or in whole by WABIP.
Reduced fees for paid subscriptions to the official journals of the WABIP.
Representation on the BOR if membership is through a Member Society.
Email subscriptions to the official WABIP Newsletter and other educational resources designed, developed, or distributed by the WABIP.
Reduced registration fee for the biennial World Congress for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (or “WCBIP”, Article VIII) in which the extent of the fee reduction is at the discretion of the WCBIP organizing committee.
Offers of automatic and elective electronic subscriptions to one or more English language journals designated as “official journal of WABIP” with waived or reduced subscription rates at the discretion of the WABIP in agreement with the Editor of the journal.
Access to educational activities and other resources, including the WABIP Newsletter and WABIP Academy.
Access to consideration for WABIP endorsement or sponsorship of local, regional, national or international education or research-related programs.
Opportunity to announce education or research activities on the WABIP website and Newsletter.

5. Honorary Membership

A WABIP Member shall have “Honorary Membership” status only after being nominated by the Executive Board, and having such nomination reviewed and approved by the BOR.
In addition to the benefits of general membership, an Honorary Member shall have his or her Membership Dues waived in perpetuity.

Article VII: JOURNALS

The WABIP recognizes several journals as “official journals of the WABIP” and shall work with journal publishers and editorial teams to provide journal access at a cost accessible to the WABIP global organization’s individual members and Member Societies. Journal subscription through WABIP is not mandatory, but is an added benefit of WABIP membership.
To be identified as an official journal of the WABIP, a journal must: 1) be recognized as the official journal of a WABIP Member Society or group, 2) be included in Index Medicus and/or EMBASE publication databases, 3) regularly publish and include peer-reviewed manuscripts directly related to the clinical practice, science, and education, and research of bronchology and interventional pulmonology. The WABIP may thus have one or more than one official journal, each of which shall be referred to as an “Official Journal” of the WABIP.
Print subscription or electronic subscription to official journals may be offered, if possible, to WABIP members at a significantly reduced cost, but such reduced subscription rates are not mandatory for a journal to become recognized by WABIP as an official journal of the WABIP.
Official journals shall have the right to display the WABIP logo and the declaration, “Official Journal of the WABIP”, on their website, marketing materials, and publications.
The WABIP may display the official journal’s logo and statement on the WABIP website, marketing and educational materials.
On an individual member basis, Journal Subscription Fees shall equal the monetary cost of offering such journal subscriptions.

Article VIII: WORLD CONGRESS

The organization of and fund-raising for the World Congress for Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (“WCBIP”) shall be established by the WABIP in collaboration with the WCBIP President (Article X) in accordance with the most up to date WCBIP Guidelines and in consideration of the customs and regulations of the region where the congress is to be organized.
At least 50% of net revenue (i.e. funds exceeding total paid costs to organize and operate completed WCBIP events) shall be remitted to the WABIP. Remaining funds are the property of the congress organizers/institutions/society according to the terms stipulated in the WABIP-WCBIP organizer contract.
The organization hosting a WCBIP may choose to donate an additional percentage of congress profits to the WABIP.
All funds loaned by the WABIP to the WCBIP organizing committee must be repaid in full regardless of the profitability, or lack thereof, of the WCBIP.
Completed WCBIP host applications must be submitted by prospective candidates prior to the meeting of the BOR. The WCBIP Selection Committee shall review all applications and select only 2 or 3 candidates to pass to the BOR for voting. The WCBIP Selection Committee is composed of the Immediate Past-Chair (see Article X) and of two other members appointed by the EB.
The WCBIP host location shall be selected by the BOR based on objective criteria written in the WCBIP HOST APPLICATION FORM, ORGANIZATION RULES & GUIDELINES, and AGREEMENT that all candidate host organizations are required to complete. Copies signed by prospective host organizations are archived by the Administrative Office.
At the time of presentation to the BOR, each prospective host organization must identify the person who shall be the proposed WCBIP President at the time of the proposed congress event.
The BOR shall vote to determine the location of the WCBIP to be held no less than four (4) years hence, and, consequently, to approve the WCBIP President-elect who shall assume such a position at the close of the next WCBIP.
All Regents who are present either in person or virtually at the BOR meeting will be eligible to vote on the next WCBIP location. If any of the Regents are disqualified from voting for any reason (expired mandate, unpaid dues of their association, or suspensions for any reason outlined in these Bylaws), they must be notified no less than ONE month in advance. The list of all Regents eligible to vote will be sent to all BOR members in advance. If a Regent has not been properly notified of their disqualification with the required notice, they must be allowed to vote.
The election of the WCBIP location will be decided by a simple majority. In the event of a tie, the two most voted candidates will participate in a new round of voting until one achieves a majority
When voting, the Regents will consider the academic value and financial sustainability of the proposal, the candidates’ previous contributions to WABIP activities, their level of participation, and the safety and accessibility conditions of the proposed location. This includes evaluating transportation connectivity and the absence of armed conflicts that could jeopardize security.
The Selection Committee and the BOR will also consider, when selecting candidates and later choosing between them, that two consecutive congresses should not be planned in the same regions (Asia-Pacific, Europe, Africa, Americas) to ensure equitable access for WABIP members from different parts of the world.

Article IX: TERM DEFINITION

A (single) term is defined as the duration in between the closing ceremonies of two (2) consecutive WCBIP events. Therefore, one (1) term is approximately two (2) years.

Article X: EXECUTIVE BOARD

The Executive Board is an independent body within the WABIP, which is responsible for the day-to-day functioning and operations of the association.
In addition to being an independent body, members of the Executive Board have automatic membership in a sub-committee of the BOR called the “Executive Committee”. Therefore, members of the Executive Board are also members of the BOR.
Fundamental changes affecting the goals and objectives or mission of the WABIP proposed by the Executive Board warrant approval by vote of the BOR (via on-site meetings, online teleconferences or by email).
The functioning and operations of WABIP shall be conducted out through the decisions of the WABIP Executive Board, which consists of members appointed by the BOR or by other Executive Board members.
The terms of each member of the Executive Board shall start immediately after the WCBIP and be completed at the end of the following WCBIP.
No Executive Board member shall represent the specific interests of a single Member Society of the WABIP.
For voting items outside the scope of the Bylaws, items shall be approved by majority of the EB upon quorum.

1. Executive Board Titles and Duties

Chair
The Chair (also known as “WABIP Chair”) is the recognized leader of the WABIP. In addition to working with Regents, members, committees, and the Administrative Office, the Chair shall provide vision to ensure adherence to the WABIP’s principles and objectives, and oversight to secure the WABIP’s future growth and credibility as an international medical organization. The Chair shall preside over BOR meetings, Executive Board meetings and identify WABIP leadership positions according to guidelines in the WABIP Policy and Procedures manual and the WABIP Bylaws. The Chair shall not hold board positions in other medical organizations during his or her tenure as Chair of the WABIP.
Vice-chair
The Vice-chair is elected by the BOR and shall become the next WABIP Chair. The Vice-chair shall perform leadership responsibilities and tasks in accordance with the principles and objectives of the WABIP to ensure the credibility and enhanced growth and sustainability of the WABIP. The Vice-chair shall preside over meetings in case of the absence of the Chair.
Secretary General & Treasurer
The Secretary General occupies a non-hierarchal position in the WABIP. The Secretary General is an administrative position responsible for administrative oversight of the Administrative Office, and ensures proper communications with accounting, consultants, and government officials in order to facilitate and secure the proper function of the WABIP as an NPO registered in Japan. The Secretary General, who is accountable to the WABIP Chair and Executive Board, shall work in close collaboration with the WABIP Chair to ensure continuity and vision, as well as to enhance the growth and international credibility of the organization. In accordance with Japan NPO rules and regulations, the Secretary General must be a current resident of Japan. This position is also responsible for running the treasury of the WABIP.
WCBIP President
The WCBIP President shall be responsible for the organization of and fund-raising for the next WCBIP; the term of office ends on the completion of that congress.
WCBIP President-elect
The WCBIP President-elect is a non-voting member of the EB and shall host the subsequent WCBIP. The term of office shall last until the completion of the congress immediately before that which he or she shall preside over, after which the person shall be recognized as WCBIP President. The WCBIP President-elect shall be selected according to the results of a vote by the BOR after presentation of a formal congress application to the BOR. This is a competitive position, and the candidate shall be selected based on objective criteria noted in the WABIP Policy and Procedures Manual (Congress Guidelines).
Immediate Past-Chair
The Immediate Past-Chair is a voting member of the Executive Board of the WABIP to help the WABIP maintain continuity, transition, and vision. The duties of the Immediate Past-Chair are to serve as a consultant to the Executive Board, provide institutional memory that may assist with WABIP strategy and planning, and to assist the WABIP leadership meet goals and objectives according to the directions outlined by the WABIP Chair and other members of the BOR.
Coordinator of Regents and Member Societies (Chair of Membership Committee – see Article XIV)
The Coordinator of Regents and Member Societies is a voting Member of the Executive Board and shall be responsible for continuous contact and engagement with Regents and Member Societies. This position shall provide the latest reports to the EB on membership and Regent activities and propose new methods to facilitate and encourage increasing memberships in WABIP.
Coordinator of Academic Affairs / Education (Chair of Education Committee – see Article XIV)
The Coordinator of Academic Affairs and Education is a voting Member of the Executive Board and shall coordinate the educational activities of WABIP (Courses, Webinars, etc.). This position shall provide the latest reports on educational activities and propose new activities and projects for EB consideration.
Coordinator of Finance and Fundraising Activities (Chair of Finance and Fundraising Committee – see Article XIV)
The Coordinator of Finance and Fundraising Activities is tasked with general financial oversight of the organization that includes overseeing and presenting budgets and financial statements to the Executive Board and/or to the BOR and liaising with the WABIP Administrative Office about financial matters. The position shall coordinate activities as needed with the WCBIP President to ensure the financial solvency of the WCBIP.
Newsletter Editor-in-Chief
The Newsletter Editor-in-Chief is a non-voting member of the EB and shall serve as the highest-ranking member of the Newsletter Editorial Board. The Editor-in-Chief shall oversee the entire production and publication of the WABIP Newsletter and shall provide the latest reports on Newsletter activities and financing to the EB.

2. Nominations and Appointments

The WABIP Chair and WCBIP President shall be elected by the BOR.
The WABIP Vice-chair and WCBIP President-elect shall be elected by the BOR.
The WABIP Secretary General/Treasurer, the Coordinator of Regents, the Coordinator of Academic Affairs/Education and the Coordinator of Finance and Fundraising Activities shall be appointed by the WABIP Chair. The Newsletter Editor-in-Chief shall be appointed by the EB.
Any member of the WABIP can nominate any candidate, including him or herself, for the WABIP Vice-chair position up to 2 months before the next WCBIP. Those nominated who wish to stand for election should provide a statement of their philosophy and vision for WABIP and their CV to the WABIP Vice-chair Selection Committee (or “Selection Committee”) no later than 1 month before the WCBIP when voting shall occur. Statements shall be sent electronically to all members of the BOR for review before the meeting. The WABIP Selection Committee shall review all nominations as well as identify and contact individuals selected for consideration for the position of Vice-chair of the WABIP. The Selection Committee can reject candidatures that are not considered adequate, and the committee shall identify and present 2 or 3 candidates to the BOR for the Vice-chair elections. The Selection Committee is composed of the Immediate Past-Chair and by two members nominated by the Executive Board. Voting shall occur either electronically or at the BOR meeting at the congress, and the results shall be announced either electronically or at the BOR meeting at that congress.
Any individual member of the WABIP acting on behalf of a WABIP Member Society can apply to host a WCBIP according to instructions and conditions for hosting a congress as provided in the WABIP Congress guidelines. A specific congress host application must be presented to the BOR by the host organization. After all presentations are made, questions are answered, and discussions entertained, the BOR shall vote anonymously to determine the location of the WCBIP.

The applicant of the location elected by the BOR as the site of the WCBIP shall assume the role of WCBIP President-elect at the close of the next WCBIP.
The WCBIP President-elect and congress organizing committee, which in turn is appointed by the regional host society, shall agree to comply with conditions of the WABIP-WCBIP Congress organizational contracts that shall be signed by the President elect and other duly identified individuals assisting with congress organization and implementation.

3. Terms and Duration

The WABIP Chair and Vice-chair shall each serve for one (1) term.
If after a WABIP Chair’s term have expired and there is no Vice-chair to succeed the WABIP Chair, the most previous WABIP Chair shall be the “Interim Chair” until a new Vice-Chair is appointed by the BOR. The Interim Chair shall have all powers and responsibilities of the WABIP Chair. Once the Vice-chair is appointed, he or she shall fill the vacant Chair position, and the Interim Chair shall be relinquished. Thus, the Interim Chair position shall not exist anytime there exists a WABIP Chair.
The Immediate Past-Chair of the WABIP term of office is for one (1) term.
The WCBIP President and WCBIP President-elect shall each serve for one (1) term.
The Secretary General /Treasurer shall serve for a minimum of one (1) term and may be reappointed by the WABIP Chair for an additional term or, alternatively, if not reappointed by the Chair, he can serve as a consultant for one term (non-voting member of EB) to a newly named Secretary General to help ensure administrative continuity.

4. Power of Attorney

Only a single signature or seal of a member of the Executive Board shall be required on any and all official documents to authorize the decisions enacted by the Executive Board and the BOR. The single signature may be provided by the Secretary General/Treasurer residing in Japan, or in certain circumstances dependent on Japanese regulations, by the WABIP Chair.

Article XI: BOARD OF REGENTS

Membership on the Board of Regents (BOR) shall consist of all members of the Executive Board, who shall be organized within the BOR as the Executive Committee, a sub-committee of the BOR.
In addition to the Executive Committee, membership on the BOR shall consist of representatives nominated by Member Societies. Such representatives, henceforth, shall be called “Regents”.
Regents shall only be selected by members of their respective Member Societies. To ensure impartiality, the WABIP cannot participate in the selection process in any way.
The role of the Regent is to: 1) represent the interests of his/her Member Society, 2) engage actively in WABIP activities such as committees, taskforces, and workgroups, 3) help identify ways for the WABIP and its Member Societies to accomplish tasks and meet objectives, 4) actively engage in voting on proposals and in elections presented to the BOR, and 5) assist the WABIP accomplish its mission.
Every Member Society shall notify the WABIP of the name and contact information of its Regents. Regents should serve a minimum of a single 2-year term (one inter-WCBIP period) to participate in WABIP activities and BOR decisional capacities.
To encourage diversity among leadership, the maximum consecutive number of terms a Regent may serve is two (2) terms.
Should a Regent join the Executive Board, his or her position as Regent of a Member Society shall immediately cease. The Member Society shall be asked to identify a new representative to serve as the Regent for that Member Society.
No industry representative shall serve on the BOR.
To ensure fair representation on the BOR, yet avoid over-representation of a Member Society with an overwhelming majority of individual members, BOR representation shall be determined according to the following formula:

N = 1 + log3 (x/50)

Where,

N

The number of representatives allowed on the BOR according to the number of WABIP members in the Member Society. This number pertains to the number of free-standing Regents representing their Member Societies and does not include the members of the Executive Board.

x

The number of WABIP members in the Member Society

Example:
- = ≥ 10 but < 150, shall have one representative on the BOR.
- = ≥ 150 but < 450 members, two representatives.
- = ≥ 450 but < 1350 members, three.
- = ≥ 1350 but < 4050 members: four.
- = ≥ 4050 members: five.

Article XII: ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE

Members of the WABIP Administrative Office shall perform the various tasks and duties that ensure the well-being of the day-to-day functions and operations as determined by the Executive Board.
As paid personnel, every Administrative Office member shall sign an Employment Agreement that describes the scope of his or her functions in and for the WABIP.
The Administrative Office is charged with tasks and duties that include the following:
- Liaise with the Executive Board, BOR, and various WABIP Committees
- Bookkeeping and accounting
- Ensure budgets and schedules meet requirements and timelines
- Membership Dues solicitation and collection from Member Societies
- Preparation of marketing, education, activities, plans, and resources including the WABIP Newsletter
- Assistance with the preparation of WCBIP and assuring WABIP presence and visibility at the WCBIP.
- Communications with Member Society administration, members and Industry representatives
- General IT administration
- Website development and maintenance

Article XIII: SPECIAL MEETINGS

1. Executive Board Meetings

Executive Board meetings shall be held in person or by internet conferencing on a regular basis and shall be presided over by the WABIP Chair who will determine the frequency, schedule, and agenda of these meetings. The Administrative Office shall participate in Executive Board meetings and correspondences when appropriate.

2. Annual BOR Meetings

The Board of Regents, legally representing all constituents of the WABIP, shall meet at least once every year, between January 1 and March 31, to review the prior fiscal year’s financial, budget, and tax results as prepared by independent certified public accountants. The BOR shall also enact financial decisions for the current year and/or that for any subsequent year.
The BOR shall review and approve any additions, amendments, and/or alterations to the WABIP Bylaws as necessary.
The exact date, time, and location of the annual NPO BOR meeting shall be decided by the Executive Board.
In addition to financial and budget reports, BOR meetings shall have a general report prepared by the Executive Board on the state of the WABIP, committee and taskforce reports, review of old business, and presentation/discussion of new business.
The WABIP Chair shall preside over BOR meetings. In the absence of WABIP Chair, the Vice-chair or a mutually agreed upon Executive Board member by all BOR in attendance shall preside over the meetings.
A quorum is defined as more than fifty percent (50%) of the total possible BOR votes including proxies. A BOR member may only hold one (1) proxy of another BOR member.
Voting may only be conducted: 1) during the BOR meeting whether it is on-site or online teleconferencing, in which case proxy voting may be used or 2) exclusively electronically, in which case proxy voting may not be used.
Decisions enacted by the BOR are official and based on a majority vote of BOR.
Minutes from all BOR meetings are considered confidential and shall be disseminated to the WABIP Regent members of the BOR.

3. Biennial BOR Meetings

The BOR shall also have another meeting during the WCBIP.
Rules regarding voting procedures outlined in Article XIII, section 2 apply to all BOR meetings including biennial BOR meetings.
Special meetings of the BOR can be called by the Chair whenever necessary.
Regents who fail to respond to the call for BOR meetings after twice being requested to do so can be asked to resign from the BOR by the Chair at the Chair’s discretion.

Article XIV: COMMITTEES

Ad hoc committees, other task-specific committees, and taskforces or workgroups may be constituted based on the needs of the WABIP.
All Committee Chairs shall be appointed by the WABIP Chair. Committee members shall be selected by general call for volunteers, specific interests or expertise, or identified by the Committee Chair.
Ad hoc committees and taskforces shall be of duration depending on the specific assigned task or objectives.
Standing, ad hoc and other Committee Chairs and Vice-chairs shall be designated by the WABIP Chair.
Committee Chairs shall be held accountable for tasks designated by the Executive Board. Should Chairs be unable to assume responsibilities, the Executive Board has the authority to request their resignation from the position and to appoint a new committee Chair.
Standing committees of WABIP shall be chaired by members of the Board of Regents. Every standing committee shall have regional representation (members coming from different parts of the world) to ensure global relevance, and shall include one committee chair, a Vice-chair, and general membership of up to 7 members. Members can be drawn not only from among WABIP members, Executive Board members and Regents, but also from any other consenting persons such as industry representatives or health-related professionals with the appropriate experience at the discretion of the Executive Board, to enable effective progress towards achieving the objectives of the WABIP through their inclusion and active participation. Any members who are not sufficiently active or who would prefer not to take part may be asked to resign from the committee at any time by the WABIP Chair.
The maximum number of terms the Committee Chair and the Committee Past-Chair shall each serve is one (1) term.
There shall be FOUR standing committees of the WABIP
- The Executive Committee conducts WABIP daily business and communicates regularly with the Board of Regents and General Membership. Members of this committee are composed of those in the Executive Board only. The executive committee is a sub-committee of the Board of Regent.
- An Education Committee to assist in organizing workshops, raising monies to help support visiting scholars and researchers, and obtaining/determining grant support for local, national, regional, and international projects or Continuing Medical Education (CME) – related activities. The Chair of Education Committee (Member of EB) is nominated by the WABIP Chair and the Members of the Committee are nominated by the Chair of the Committee. The Members of Education Committee shall work closely with the local organizers of WABIP educational events.
- A Membership Committee to ensure appropriate representation (as according to WABIP bylaws) on the Board of Regents and to facilitate and encourage national, regional and local memberships in WABIP. The Chair of Education Committee (Member of EB) is nominated by the WABIP Chair and the Members of the Committee are nominated by the Chair of the Committee.
- A Finance and Fundraising Committee to ensure appropriate collection of dues, design and oversight of fundraising activities, and to assist the WABIP treasurer in establishing and overseeing financial budgets. The Chair of Finance and Fundraising Committee is nominated by the EB and the Members of the Committee are nominated by the Chair of the Committee.

Article XV: NEWSLETTER

The WABIP Newsletter is a triannual service that is funded and owned by WABIP. This service is operated by the Newsletter Editorial Board and provides the latest news, insights, advance notice of trends, case studies, and pragmatic real world advice about developments promoting the art and science of bronchology and interventional pulmonology.
The Newsletter Editorial Board is composed of the Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editors, and Administrators for day-to-day affairs of running, maintaining and publishing the Newsletter.
The Editor-in-Chief, the Associate Editors and Administrators of Newsletter are nominated by the EB.
The Executive Board and the Administrative Office are involved in general oversight and distribution of the WABIP Newsletter.
The primary objectives of the Newsletter are: 1) to serve as an educational resource to clinicians and researchers interested in bronchology and related fields, 2) To serve as a means of communication with WABIP members, providing announcements of WABIP activities, WABIP Member Society events and educational programs, and related general news items, and 3) to become self-sustaining by generating advertisement and endorsement/sponsorship revenues that cover the total cost of operations.

Article XVI: AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws may be altered, amended or repealed and new Bylaws may be adopted by 2/3 approval vote of the Board of Regents with a quorum, provided that intention to so alter, amend, repeal or adopt new Bylaws is included in the notice for such voting.