Why Should You Join The American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion?

The American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion was founded in 1979 with a single purpose in mind. This purpose is well defined in the Constitution of The Academy.

ARTICLE II. Section 1. PURPOSE: “.. to encourage and stimulate investigation and study which will increase the knowledge of cardiovascular perfusion, to correlate and disseminate such knowledge.”Section 2. defines how this purpose will be accomplished: “.. The Academy shall hold at least one scientific meeting each year in which free discussion shall be featured; shall conduct a Journal for the publication of the papers presented at this meeting, and other acceptable articles; and shall undertake such other activities as the Council or The Academy as a whole may decide.”

The Academy has maintained its focus on this purpose for over twenty-six years. The Academy leadership realized that the key to accomplishing this purpose would be the establishment of the highest quality perfusion education program available to everyone in the profession, and above all, a commitment by individuals to this purpose.

The founding members of The Academy knew that the long term commitment to this purpose must be born by the members. Therefore, they took a strict position against getting involved in the politics of the profession in order to avoid distraction from this commitment. This has proven to be a very wise decision, and few would deny that this goal has been accomplished, and that the purpose of The Academy lives on as a pure commitment. One need only to look at the budget and expenses of The Academy to recognize this.

The membership of The Academy is The Academy.

If you believe that continuing perfusion education is important to you personally, and is important to the profession in general, then you need to be a member of The Academy. You will become a large part of the quality of perfusion education in the profession through your own commitment to The Academy, and will help shape the future of education efforts. There are several categories of membership that will fit into your level of commitment and resources available.

Anyone wishing to join The Academy will begin receiving all membership benefits as soon as they pay the filing fee of $25 and the first year’s dues of $155. Back issues of Perfusion will be sent to the new member as well. This means that as soon as the dues and filing fee are received in the national office, a new member will receive:

• Perfusion, including back issues for the year
• Meeting Discounts as a member of The Academy
• Business Meeting input at the Opening Business Meeting
• Participation in all activities of The Academy

All applications received during the year will be submitted to the membership committee, council, and membership for final approval at the annual meeting in January as in the past. Any applicant submitting an application after July, will be contacted by the national office and given the choice of becoming a member in the current year or becoming a member after the Annual business Meeting. All applications received at the meeting, will be submitted for approval at that meeting and will begin receiving all benefits after the meeting. We hope that this policy will address any individual situation and encourage anyone interested in joining to apply at any time. For your convenience there is an application available to be printed by going directly to Membership Application or you may read more about Membership benefits and commitments below.

This category of membership is reserved for individuals that are recognized by The Academy as having made a notable contribution to the perfusion profession. Individuals may be nominated by any member, and are voted on for approval by the Fellow Members of The Academy. There are no dues or other requirements for this category of membership.

Membership is open and available to anyone, anywhere in the world, that is interested in the perfusion profession. The commitment required is the payment of annual dues of $155. This provides participation in all activities of The Academy, including the opening business meetings, and provides one an opportunity to develop the skills of participation, investigation, paper writing and presentation by association and participation in perfusion education. There are no other binding requirements of participation as with some other areas of membership.

Members may apply for Fellow Membership after having been a Member in good standing for three years. It is not necessary to have three Fellow Members nominate and second this application, but must proceed through the Membership Committee, Council and The Academy in the same manner as prescribed for direct Fellow Membership application. This category provides the majority of individual nominated to Fellow Membership.

At the 1997 Annual Business Meeting The Academy created a new category of membership for students enrolled in accredited perfusion schools. The dues for this category is $25.00 per year. The student receives all of the regular benefits of membership, with the exception of the yearly subscription to Perfusion. Student Members will have the ability to access Perfusion online through the Academy’s Members’ Only page. The Student Member Application must be accompanied by a letter from the school director verifying the student’s status and stating the expected date of graduation of the student.

Fellow Membership is limited to two-hundred (200). Candidates for this category must be nominated and seconded in writing by three Fellow Members of The Academy, and must be approved by the Membership Committee, the Council and The Academy by three-fourths vote. Applications for this category must be in the hands of the Membership Committee for not less than two months before the annual meeting.

A candidate for this category must be a citizen of the U.S. or Canada (unless waived by the Council), and shall have achieved distinction in the field or shall have made a meritorious contribution to knowledge pertaining to cardiopulmonary perfusion.

Dues are $180 per year, and other assessments as deemed necessary. Fellow Members must attend, at least, one meeting each three years, and must keep their dues and assessments current. In addition, they must actively participate in perfusion education by sponsoring, authoring, or presenting a paper before The Academy, at least once each three years. Fellow Members are removed from the Fellow Member roles by failing to comply with these commitments.

After a Fellow Member has reached the age of sixty years, they are automatically advanced to Senior Membership. In addition, a younger Fellow Member may be eligible for Senior Membership if incapacitated by disability or by retirement from the field of perfusion, but for no other reason. Senior Members may be relieved of the professional and attendance requirements or dues requirement, but must petition the Council in writing for this waiver. Dues for this category are $180 per year, and the number of Senior Members is unlimited.