News

Secretary election

The position of Secretary of PReS is to be appointed this year, to take effect from the General Assembly in Prague, September 2022.

Term

September 2022 – September 2026

Role

Alongside the positions of President and Treasurer, these three positions form the PReS Executive. They therefore have senior responsibility for the oversight and delivery of the PReS Mission and its Objectives as laid down in its Constitution.

• The Secretary shall be responsible for organizing the various society meetings (General Assembly, Council and Executive Meetings, etc.) and ensure they are properly minuted; maintaining effective records and administration; ensuring compliance to PReS by-laws;
• Together, the Executive are responsible for ensuring all the activities and initiatives of PReS are dedicated to advance the care and improve the health and well-being of children and young people with rheumatic diseases across the globe, in accordance with the PReS Mission.

In accordance with the PReS Constitution and to ensure smooth transition between the current and future Secretary, the nomination and election of these this post will take place this autumn 2021, so that the successful candidates will be able to work alongside the current incumbent from as Secretary Elect for a year.

Potential candidates

The PReS Executive and Council are looking for exceptional candidates who are fully committed to contributing to and advancing the goals of the Society, in particular the PReS Mission and the success of our strategy ‘PRES 2025’. In view of the seniority and responsibility associated with both these roles, the current PReS Executive and Council are seeking candidates who have already demonstrated commitment and taken on senior position(s) of responsibility within PReS. They would be expected to have had senior positions within their own local / national context (and preferably also international), in which they have had roles and responsibilities demonstrating outstanding leadership qualities, senior management experience, and leadership of large, multi-professional teams. In view of the extensive range of meetings associated with this role entails, candidates need to be resident and working in Europe.

The current PReS Executive and Council are looking for an excellent team player with a clear vision of the future of pediatric rheumatology, willing to explore new ideas and able spend and invest time to contribute to the future of PReS. The current PReS Executive and Council feels that the Executive and Council should reflect gender balance and geographical representation, where possible.

In view of the importance and responsibility of this position, in order to gain insight into the roles and responsibilities of the position, before formal nomination any potential candidates for PReS Secretary would be expected to arrange to speak confidentially with any of the current PReS Executive.

Nominations and elections

In line with our constitution, we will be undertaking a democratic process open to all PReS Members. The position is open to nominations. An anonymous, electronic election will take place in October 2021.

• Only those with up to date PReS Membership will be eligible to vote.
• Only PReS Members in good standing with the Society will be eligible to self-nominate.

All applicants will need by 30 September 2021 to:

• Send a Curriculum Vitae including professional biography and a letter of motivation to:
  • Michael Beresford (m.w.beresford@liverpool.ac.uk), Secretary of PReS, and
  • Angelo Ravelli (angeloravelli@gaslini.org), President of PReS.

Please note, elections will take place electronically in October 2021 amongst PReS members.

• The results will be subsequently announced and the successful candidate will take up the position of Secretary-elect until he/she formerly take over as newly elected Secretary at the General Assembly September 2022.

EMERGE representative

In the past few years together we have built a group of young rheumatologists and researchers with more than 200 members from all over the world. With the support of PReS, we have started some valuable initiatives, such as the PReS/EMERGE Fellowship, and extended the existing one, such as the Young Investigator Meeting. All this wouldn't be possible without the close collaboration of many EMERGE Members.

Nevertheless, to effectively coordinate different activities and represent the group in the PReS council, one member is elected every three years. For the past three years, since the 2018 YIM meeting in Lisbon, this was done by me. Although this period was marked by the global pandemic that prevented us from many activities, we have managed to sustain the continuity of our efforts. Now, the time has come to elect a new head of the EMERGE group, who will work closely with me for another year, and then for three additional years alone, and finally for one more year with the next elected head.

Therefore, please send your nominations to emerge.pres@gmail.com along with a CV and short motivation letter.

With all the best wishes,

Lovro Lamot