PCSA Bylaws
The PCSA Bylaws were revised and approved by PCSA Membership at the 2026 PCSA Annual Business Meeting.
CHAPTER I
Section 1. The Pacific Coast Surgical Association shall meet annually at such time and place as may be designated by the Council, preferably on President’s Day weekend.
Section 2. There shall be at least one annual executive session of the Association, at which the order of business shall be as follows: (a) reading the minutes of the last meeting; (b) reports of the Secretary-Treasurer, Recorder and Historian; (c) reports of the Council; (d) report of Program Committee; (e) reports of representatives of the Association to the American College of Surgeons; (f) report from the American Board of Surgery from a designated individual (g) unfinished business; (h) new business; (i) report of Auditing Committee; (j) report of Nominating Committee; (k) election of officers; (l) election of Members; (m) induction of new officers; (n) adjournment.
CHAPTER II
Section 1. The Members present at any executive session shall constitute a quorum for business.
CHAPTER III
Section 1. The annual dues and the initiation fee shall be recommended by the Council and voted upon by the membership each year at the annual meeting. Members may be exempted from payment of dues at the discretion of the Council.
CHAPTER IV
Section 1. The usual parliamentary rules (Robert’s Rules) governing deliberative bodies shall govern the business workings of the Association.
CHAPTER V
Section 1. All questions before the Association unless otherwise provided shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present and voting except changes in the Constitution and Bylaws which require a two thirds (2/3) majority and election of new members require a three fourth (3/4) majority.
CHAPTER VI
Section 1. The President shall deliver an address at the annual meeting of the Association.
CHAPTER VII
Section 1. The Secretary-Treasurer and Recorder of the Association shall receive at each annual meeting a draft from the President for such sum as may be voted by the Council for services rendered the Association, and to this shall be added the necessary expense incurred in the discharge of his/her official duties.
CHAPTER VIII
Section 1. Those members submitting titles of essays shall supply the Recorder with the title and an abstract of the proposed essay. The program committee shall have the responsibility for choosing the primary discussant. The discussant shall receive a copy of the essayist’s paper not later than two weeks before the annual meeting. The presenting author and opening discussant shall submit the manuscript and a text of the discussion ready for publication just prior to presentation.
CHAPTER IX
Section 1. The Council shall consist of five members, of which four are elected, the fifth member to be the retiring president who automatically serves for one year. The President, President-Elect, Vice President, Secretary-Treasurer, Recorder and Historian shall act as ex-officio members of the Council with the right to vote. One member of the Council shall be elected annually to serve four years. Any member of the Association shall be eligible for membership on the Council, provided that each regional section of the Association shall always be represented on the Council. These regional sections, which may be enlarged at the will of the Association, shall consist, respectively, of the Members residing in 1) Washington, British Columbia and Alaska, 2) Oregon and Hawaii including the U.S. Pacific Territories, 3) Northern California to, but not including Santa Barbara and Bakersfield, 4) Southern California including Santa Barbara and Bakersfield. The President shall be notified by any Councilor who is unable to attend a meeting of the Council. Upon such notification, the President shall appoint from the Councilor’s regional section an alternate who shall act as Councilor for that meeting.
Section 2. The President shall preside as Chairman of the Council and the Secretary-Treasurer shall keep record of its proceedings.
Section 3. The duties of the Council shall be: 1. To investigate candidates for membership and report to the Association the names of such persons as are deemed worthy. 2. To take cognizance of all questions of an ethical, judicial, or personal nature, and upon these, the decisions of the Council shall be final, provided that appeal may be taken from such decision of the Council to the Association under a written protest, which protest shall be voted upon by the Association. 3. All resolutions before the Association shall be referred to the Council before debate, and the Council shall report by recommendation at the earliest hour possible. 4. The Program Committee and the Council shall have power to invite guests to appear on the scientific program. 5. The Council at the invitation of the President shall meet at some date preceding the annual meeting for consideration of matters of importance with reference to the annual meeting and particularly with reference to the eligibility of proposed candidates for admission.
CHAPTER X
Section 1. The Council shall have full power to withdraw from submission for publication any paper that may be referred to it by the Association, unless specially instructed to the contrary by the Association, which shall be determined by vote.
CHAPTER XI
Section 1. The President shall appoint for the following annual meeting a Committee on Arrangements, Industry Support and the Program Committee as provided in the Constitution. The Program Committee shall consist of four members representing each of the caucuses who shall serve for three years and shall be eligible for reappointment for one additional term. The Program Committee also includes the Recorder (who will act as the Chair), the Secretary-Treasurer, and the President.
CHAPTER XII
Section 1. Active membership shall be forfeited by failure to be present at four consecutive meetings. After failure to attend three consecutive meetings, the Secretary-Treasurer will notify the member that a fourth consecutive absence will terminate his/her membership. In cases where the fourth absence was caused by extremely compelling circumstances, the Council may at its discretion, stay the termination of membership. Failure by any member of the Association to pay dues for one year may be considered sufficient cause to drop the member from the membership roll on recommendation of the Council to the Association. Membership also may be forfeited for reasons deemed sufficient by the Association.
Section 2. Attendance at an annual meeting shall be defined as registration with Secretary-Treasurer, payment of the registration fee and attendance at not less than one scientific session. Retired members and those exempt from dues because of illness shall have the privilege of attending the annual meeting at a registration fee determined by the Council.
Section 3. At the discretion of the Council, and for good and sufficient reasons, an Active Member may be transferred to the list of Senior Members.
CHAPTER XIII
Section 1. A paper shall not presented before this Association which has been published previously or which does not deal with a subject of surgical importance. The member must be present at the close of the discussion.
Section 2. The format of presentation will start with the presenter, followed by primary discussant, then closing discussant. The time allowed for each speaker and overall presentation will be The maximum time allowed for presenters shall be 10 minutes, except by permission of the Program Committee. The primary discussant shall be allowed 5 minutes, each subsequent discussant 2 minutes, and final closing discussant 5 minutes except by permission of the Program Committee.
Section 3. No paper read before this Association shall be published in any medical journal or pamphlet for circulation as having been read before the Association without having received endorsement of the Program Committee.
Section 4. At the discretion of the Program Committee, brief podium sessions may be held during the scientific meeting. Papers representing work from these brief podium sessions may be submitted for consideration for publication to the journal of their choice. The Program Committee will also provide recommendations and guidelines.
CHAPTER XIV
Section 1. The Scientific Meetings shall be open to any member of the association in good standing in his/her profession, provided he/she establish his/her identity, or their invited guest. Only an officially invited guest may register and attend functions.
Section 2. The Association shall have no financial responsibility for invited guests, except distinguished guests invited by the President.
CHAPTER XV
Section 1. Pursuant to Article V, Section 3, of the Constitution, the Nominating Committee shall request some specific information from each of the four regional sections where new candidates are required for the offices of the President-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, Recorder, and Regional Councilor. An election with written mail ballot shall be held within each regional section involved in selecting candidates for each of these four offices. The Regional Councilors will conduct the balloting and provide the Nominating Committee with a report reflecting the wishes of their caucus. The Nominating Committee may review the ballots if questions arise about the voting process.
Section 2. The candidate for Vice President shall be selected by each President-Elect.
CHAPTER XVI
Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended at any annual meeting by a two-thirds vote of the Members present and voting. Proposed amendments shall be made in writing as motions before the Association, and shall then be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of Chapter IX, Section 3, Paragraph 3, of the Bylaws.
PCSA Constitution
(PCSA's Constitution Amendments were voted on and approved at the 2017 Annual Business Meeting. According to Article VIII, Section 1, these changes will lie for one year.)
ARTICLE I
Section 1. The name of this Association shall be THE PACIFIC COAST SURGICAL ASSOCIATION.
ARTICLE II
Section 1. The object of the Association shall be to advance the science and practice of surgery.
ARTICLE III
Section 1. The Association shall consist of Active, Senior, Retired, Honorary, and Non-Resident Members.
Section 2. Active membership shall be limited to 250 Members, the number elected each year to be left to the discretion of the Council. PCSA Council shall have the discretion to increase the number of Active Members in order to maintain the mission of the Association.
Section 3. No one shall be eligible for membership unless his/her practice is limited to surgery and he/she has established a reputation as a practitioner, author, teacher or original investigator, and has been recommended by the Council. Candidates must be in practice for two years on the West Coast. The candidate shall also have been certified either by the American Board of Surgery, the appropriate specialty Board, or its foreign equivalent.
Section 4. The Council shall have the power of decision in the consideration of each candidate’s eligibility and its judgment upon such eligibility shall be final. No candidate for membership shall be voted upon at the executive session of the Association unless recommended by the Council.
Section 5. Proposals for membership shall be made by Members on applications furnished by the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association. The proposal of a candidate for membership shall be supported by letters to the Secretary-Treasurer from each of the three sponsors who shall vouch for his/her character and standing. The application and letters shall be presented to the Council by the Councilor of the region recommending the candidate.
Section 6. Proposals for membership, properly filled out, accompanied by the necessary endorsements and confidential letters from the sponsors, shall be in the hands of the Secretary-Treasurer at least six four months before the date of the annual meeting. Three months before the annual meeting, the Secretary-Treasurer shall send to each member of the Association a list of all candidates for active membership and a printed summary of their qualifications, including educational attainments and professional positions. Members are encouraged to submit to the Council written comments on the candidates’ qualifications for membership. The Council at its annual meeting shall, after full consideration of all information available, recommend to the Association such candidates as are qualified for membership. The Council shall have the power to request from any member of the Association a careful and unbiased investigation of the qualifications of any candidate for election to the Association. Any candidate for active membership may be assigned to a member of the Council for careful investigation as to his/her personal and professional qualifications.
Section 7. After recommendation by the Council, election to membership shall be by ballot at the executive session of each annual meeting and if three-quarters of the ballots are favorable, the candidate shall be declared elected. Candidates for active membership not brought forward to the Association for election by the Council in the first year after nomination may be reconsidered in the two subsequent years at the request of the Councilor and with support from their region.
Section 8. Candidates who have not been recommended for active membership by the Council three years after nomination, shall be withdrawn and their sponsors notified. This action shall not prevent the reproposal of such candidates for membership. Any candidate for membership who has been recommended by the Council, but not selected by the Association cannot be proposed again for membership for at least two years.
Section 9. Prospective Members after election must qualify within three months by the payment of the initiation fee and annual dues to the Secretary-Treasurer and by filing a recent photograph with the Association. To become an Active member, the nominee shall be expected to attend the first Annual Meeting after election to be introduced to the Association and to receive the certificate of membership. Should the nominee fail to attend the first subsequent meeting, the second Annual Meeting must be attended. If the nominee is unable to attend the second meeting, membership will not be conferred subject to action by the Council. Fees contingent on membership will not be refunded.
ARTICLE IV
Section 1. Active members shall have a practice that is limited to surgery.
Section 2. All Members shall automatically become Senior Members at the age of sixty (60) years. They shall pay dues and have the privilege of voting and holding office but are excused from the annual meeting attendance requirement.
Section 3. Active and Senior Members shall be required to pay association dues. They have the privilege of voting and holding office.
Section 4. Members are considered Retired upon reaching the age of seventy five (75) or retirement from active clinical practice, whichever occurs first. They are no longer required to pay Association dues.
Section 5. Candidates for Honorary Membership shall be nominated by the Council and elected by ballot at the executive session of the annual meeting. Honorary Members shall not be required to pay dues or initiation fees and shall enjoy all the privileges of other Members except those of voting and holding office.
Section 6. A Non-Resident Member shall be a Member under the age of sixty (60) who no longer resides in the Pacific Coast geographical area. He/She shall be excused from attendance requirements. He/She may vote at such meetings as he/she attends and enjoy all the privileges of the Association except that he/she may not hold office or membership on standing committees. He/She shall pay annual dues. A request for non-resident status must be submitted in writing to the Secretary-Treasurer and shall be granted only by the Council. Upon written request the Council may restore a Non-Resident Member to active status. At its discretion, the Council may terminate membership as a Non-Resident Member. A Non-Resident Member shall automatically become a Senior Member at age sixty (60).
Section 7. The resignation of a Member may be accepted at the discretion of the Council.
ARTICLE V
Section 1. The officers of the Association shall be a President, a President-Elect who becomes President one year following election, a President-Elect who becomes President two years following election, a Vice-President, a Secretary-Treasurer, a Recorder, an Historian, and four Councilors. There shall be a Program Committee appointed by the President, consisting of five members, one representing each of the four geographical sections of the Association, and the Recorder, who shall act as Chairman. The Council member and the Program Committee member who resides in the same geographical area as the Recorder shall act as an Advisory Committee to him/her.
Section 2. The Presidents-Elect, the Vice-President, the Secretary-Treasurer, the Recorder, and the Historian shall be elected for one year, and a Councilor shall be elected as provided by the Bylaws. The President shall not be eligible for re-election at any time. The Secretary-Treasurer and Recorder shall not serve more than six years, shall not both be retired in the same year, and shall not be elected from the same region of the Association.
Section 3. All officers shall be nominated by a Committee, appointed by the President, consisting of the three most recent past Presidents, at least three (3) months prior to the annual meeting. Additional nominations may be made from the floor.
Section 4. The election of officers shall take place at an executive session of the annual meeting. A majority of votes cast constitute an election.
ARTICLE VI
Section 1. It shall be the duty of the President to be present and to preside at all meetings of the Association; to see that the rules of order and decorum are properly enforced in all deliberations of the Association; to sign the certificates of membership.
Section 2. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall preside, and in the absence of the Vice-President, the Secretary-Treasurer shall preside.
Section 3. In the absence of all three, the Association shall elect one of its Members to preside pro tem.
Section 4. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep the minutes of the Association and shall issue, at least six weeks prior to the annual meeting, a preliminary notice of the time and place of the council meeting, and the business to be transacted. He/She shall issue the final program of the annual meeting and a list of the names of the candidates for Membership who are under consideration by the Council. He/She shall attest all official acts requiring certification, in connection with or independent of the President, notify officers and Members of their election and take charge of all papers not otherwise provided for. He/She shall serve as Secretary-Treasurer and keep minutes of the meetings of the Council. He/She shall, with the President, sign the certificates of Membership and receive all monies and funds belonging to the Association. He/She shall pay the bill of the Association, collect all dues and assessments as promptly as possible, report to have, in accordance with the Bylaws, regulating the same, forfeited their Membership. It shall be the duty of the President of the Association to appoint an Audit Committee, consisting of two (2) Members of the Association, whose duty it shall be to consult with a Certified Public Accountant, to examine the books of the Secretary-Treasurer, and to report on the same to the membership during the annual meeting. A full audit shall be performed as determined by the President and President-Elect in the final year of the Secretary-Treasurer term.
Section 5. It shall be the duty of the Historian to assemble and preserve the Archives of the Association for storage and reference. The Archives shall consist of the roster of the members of the Association since its inception, and such photographs as are available. At each Annual Meeting of the Association, the Historian shall be called on by the President to give a presentation of historical significance to the membership.
Section 6. The Recorder shall, as Chairman of the Program Committee, assemble the scientific program and forward it to the Secretary-Treasurer at least two months before the annual meeting. The Recorder shall receive all papers and reports of discussion on papers presented before the Association and as the Chairman of the Program Committee take charge of the publication of the papers presented before the Association.
ARTICLE VII
Section 1. Vacancies occurring in the offices of the Association shall be filled by appointment by the President until the next meeting. He/She shall also have the authority to appoint all committees not otherwise provided for.
ARTICLE VIII
Section 1. The Constitution may be amended at any regular meeting by a written resolution embodying the proposed changes, which shall lie over for one year and which must receive approval by two-thirds of the members present and voting.
ARTICLE IX
Section 1. The President, the two Presidents-elect, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer, Recorder and Historian shall act as ex-officio members of the Council with the right to vote.