Bylaws

Bylaws

Bylaws of the International Consortium for (the study of) Freezing of Gait (ICFOG).

ARTICLE I: NAME

This organization shall be known as the International Consortium for Freezing of Gait (ICFOG). It represents a consortium of scientific and clinical investigators from international institutions who are committed to cooperative planning, implementation, analysis, and reporting of research about Freezing of Gait (FOG).

ARTICLE II: OBJECTIVES

The overarching objective of the organization is to understand the neurologic origin of FOG and to use this information to develop interventions to prevent FOG or to treat FOG once it appears.

1. To create a research collaborative consortium that will develop research proposals; develop and validate outcome measures; perform research projects including clinical trials and set up a data sharing platform.
2. To advance knowledge about the cause, pathogenesis, clinical impact, treatment, and prevention of FOG in Parkinson’s disease and related disorders.
3. To bring together researchers from a range of countries and from various scientific and clinical disciplines working in the field of FOG for international meetings.
4. To inform clinicians, researchers, and the general public of the results and implications of current research in this area.

ARTICLE III: ORGANIZATION

ICFOG, founded in 2023, is organized as an independent, nonprofit organization of scientific and clinical investigators who conduct research at the institutions with which they are affiliated. The views of the ICFOG do not necessarily represent the views of the institutions with which the investigators are affiliated or those of any individual ICFOG member.

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP

Voting Members will include all Active Members. An active membership is maintained by members who have been active by attending a ICFOG meeting within the past four years, and /or participating in any ongoing ICFOG project, and/or are active members of any ICFOG committees, and/or becoming active ICFOG members within the past four years. Each voting member will have one vote. Votes are not transferable to other persons and cannot be cast as a proxy in instances when the presence of the voting member is required. Only active members may hold office. Any member may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Secretary/Treasurer.

Affiliated members may include any person with interests consistent with the stated goals of the ICFOG. This may include, but is not limited to, former active members who volunteered to withdraw from active membership but remain involved, representatives from industry, Foundations, and patient advocacy groups. Affiliated members have no voting rights.

Approval of a new member’s application to become a member will take place at every Executive Committee meeting. New members can be self-nominated or nominated by an active ICFOG member.

The credentials of the applicant will be reviewed by the Executive Committee, or a subcommittee appointed by the Chair (i.e., Membership Committee). There are no definitive criteria for new membership, however, it is expected that members have already meaningfully contributed to the field of FOG research. The executive committee will vote on approval. A majority of the received votes is necessary to approve the proposed member. A vote is only valid if 2/3 of current members of the Executive Committee cast a ballot. A negative vote will require a statement of reason to be submitted explaining the negative vote. If approved, the Executive Committee will send a letter of invitation to the approved nominee.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS

The ICFOG shall be governed primarily by a seven-member Executive Committee consisting of a Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and 4 at-large members all of whom are elected by the voting members. The Chair and Vice-chair must be from different institutions. The Chair and Vice-chair will hold terms of four years and may be elected to succeed themselves for up to two consecutive terms. The Vice-Chair will be eligible to be elected to Chair after the completion of their term. The Chair is not eligible to be nominated for the Vice-chair position but can serve on the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee members will hold terms of four years and may be elected to succeed themselves for up to two consecutive terms. The Chair of the Executive Committee shall appoint ex officio members of the Executive Committee to act as Standing Committee chairs. Ex officio members of the Executive Committee will not be able to vote on Executive Committee matters. All officers are required to be active members of the ICFOG.

Chair, Vice-Chair. The Chair shall be the chief executive officer of the organization, shall preside at meetings of the Executive Committee and Business Meeting of the organization, shall be responsible for executing policies determined by the Executive Committee, shall act as spokesperson for ICFOG, and shall see that all Orders and Resolutions are carried into effect. The Vice-chair shall assist the Chair when necessary.

The Secretary/Treasurer. The Secretary/Treasurer shall assist in carrying out the functions of ICFOG under the direction of the Executive Committee. The Secretary/Treasurer shall assist the Chair, particularly in the organization of the next meeting, shall be responsible for the minutes of all Executive Committee meetings and the General Business Meeting, and any special meetings. The Secretary/Treasurer shall have signatory powers jointly with the Chair and shall maintain and have custody of the records of the Society. The Secretary/Treasurer will oversee elections. As Treasurer they shall be responsible for all monies and valuable effects in the name and the credit of the organization, and for full and accurate accounting of receipts and disbursements in books belonging to the organization. The Treasurer shall have signatory powers and shall disburse the funds of the organization as may be ordered by the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall render to the Chair and Executive Committee members at its regular meetings, or when required, an account of the financial transactions and status of the organization.

Vacancies. Should the office of Chair become vacant, the Vice-Chair shall become Chair. Should the office of Secretary/Treasurer become vacant, a new Secretary/Treasurer shall be nominated by the Chair and voted by Executive Committee meeting by simple majority of votes of the Executive Committee. Should the position of Vice Chair become vacant, a replacement shall be elected by the same procedure.

Removal from Office. An Officer who is found to carry out the duties of office in a manner counter to the interests of the organization may be removed from the office by vote of four of the seven members of the Executive committee.

ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The ICFOG Executive Committee shall be the governing body of ICFOG. It will consist of the Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and four investigator members who are elected by the voting members. A quorum of Council shall consist of five of the seven Members. The Executive Committee shall meet at least twice each calendar year including an in-person meeting at the biennial meeting and report through the Chair to the membership in annual reports and at the general ICFOG meeting.

The Executive Committee shall be responsible for:

1. Developing and supporting the scientific projects of the ICFOG including but not limited to the review and approval of research protocols, principal investigators, co-principal investigators and steering committees for these research projects.
2. Reviewing and approving the appointments of any administrative persons and ICFOG committees.
3. Managing officer elections.
4. Reviewing and approving new member applications.
5. Formulating and maintaining standards for the ICFOG regarding the conduct of trials, publication policies and conflict of interest guidelines. All research will be conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki and according to Good Clinical Practice Guidelines.
6. Overseeing the program and activities of the ICFOG including the international meetings, symposia, dissemination, and other administrative and scientific activities.
7. Formulating and maintaining current and accurate listings of voting and members and of other qualified investigators who request participation in ICFOG studies.
8. Proposing and overseeing the assessment and collection of dues, fees or surcharges for the ICFOG.
9. Replacing unexpected vacancies. All unexpected vacancies in executive committee positions shall be filled by nomination by the Chair from the list of Regular Members and election by Executive Committee by simple majority of votes.

ARTICLE VII: NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

Elections for the Chair, the Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer and Executive Committee members will be held every four years by email ballot, with the majority of total votes received from voting members required for election.

Within 3 months prior to each election, nominations for a slate of officers and members of the Executive Committee shall be solicited from among voting members. The slate of candidates will be emailed by the Secretary/Treasurer to all members. All voting members of the ICFOG shall have the opportunity to nominate other candidates from the membership by emailing their preference to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall close the nominations one month after sending out the solicitation of nominations. Voting members need to receive nominations from at least three voting members in order to be declared an official candidate. A voting member of the ICFOG may not be on the ballot for more than one position. The Secretary/Treasurer will oversee the election, ensuring that voting members are accorded their rightful votes, and will declare the winners of the election.

Initially, interim officers will be appointed and hold office until the first elections are held. The first election of Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and other Executive Committee members will take place by anonymous written ballot following the adoption of the Bylaws. The four at-large members of the Executive Committee will be elected on the same ballot. Given the staggered terms, 2 of these appointees shall serve a 4 – year term, and 2 will serve an 8 – year term. All may run for a second term.

ARTICLE VIII: ICFOG OFFICES

The offices of the ICFOG are located at the office of the Chair.

ARTICLE IX: MEETINGS

The International ICFOG Meeting. ICFOG will hold a general meeting once every 2 years. At each meeting, the Executive Committee shall hold a meeting chaired by the current Chair at which one or more countries shall be nominated to become the venue for the biennial meeting after the next and the site host who will develop a steering committee.

Business Meetings. The ICFOG shall hold a business meeting of its membership every 2 years at the time of its biennial meeting. At least a majority of voting members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business of the ICFOG.

Notice of Meetings. The Secretary/Treasurer or the Chair of the ICFOG shall give notice of the next meeting and any special meetings of the membership as a whole by e-mailing a notice stating the place, day and time of the meeting and posting it on the ICFOG web site, and in case of a special meeting, the purpose for which the meeting is called. Notice of special meetings shall be made not less than thirty days before the meeting date.

ICFOG Website. The Society shall develop and maintain a permanent web site for the purposes of maintaining and disseminating information about the organization and the biennial meetings. The Chair (or designee as per Article X)) shall be responsible for the maintenance of the web site and its content which shall contain, at a minimum, a copy of the current bylaws, a list of the current Officers and Council membership, and information about the next biennial meeting as soon as such information becomes available. Other content, including active research shall be posted, at the approval of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE X: COMMITTEES

The Executive Committee may appoint other committees to act for the organization for special purposes, designating their duties and powers in the resolution of appointment. Such a resolution may be adopted by a majority of the Executive board members. The Chair, with the approval of the Executive Committee, may also appoint special committees, designating the members and chairpersons, as well as the function of these committees. Unless reappointed by the incoming Chair, such special committees shall cease to function upon the conclusion of the term of the Chair who appointed them. Such committees could include Nominating, Standards, Membership, Website etc.

ARTICLE XI: ICFOG STUDIES

Any active or affiliated member of the ICFOG may submit an application to the Executive Committee for authorization of a ICFOG multicenter study by submitting a sufficiently detailed summary or outline of the proposed protocol and source of funding. In its decision as to whether to authorize a study, the Executive Committee shall comment on the aims, objectives, scientific and clinical adequacy of the protocol, qualifications, and capabilities of the investigators, mechanism for funding, and sponsorship for the proposed trial.

For each authorized study, a Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) will be submitting members of the proposal. The PI and Co-PI, who may or may not be members of the Executive Committee, should represent different institutions. The PI, if not a member of the Executive Committee, shall become an ex officio member of the Executive Committee.

The PI and Co-PI for each authorized ICFOG trial shall appoint a steering committee consisting of four investigators who preferably are not directly involved in the evaluation of subjects for that trial and are not participating as investigators in competing, commercially sponsored trials. All members of the steering committee, including the chief biostatistician, must be approved by the Executive Committee. Every effort should be made by the Chair, Executive Committee, PI, Co-PI and the steering committee to solicit participation from a wide selection of ICFOG sites.

All research will be conducted according to the Declaration of Helsinki and according to Good Clinical Practice Guidelines. All research will receive human studies approval and participants will be required to sign an Informed Consent Form as approved by a human studies committee.

The PI and Co-PI will formulate the protocol and the steering committee will review and approve. The PI and Co-PI along with the steering committee will oversee the implementation, supervising the analysis and reporting of the study. The PI will also be responsible for securing adequate sponsorship and support. Funding for the study will be directed primarily through an account at the affiliated institution of the PI, under the rules and regulations of that institution and of the sponsor. The PI, through his or her institution, will be responsible for sub-contractual arrangements with the participating investigators and their institutions. The Co-PI will assist the PI in carrying out these responsibilities and assume the responsibilities of the PI in the event that the PI is absent or incapacitated.

Each PI, Co-PI and steering committee will be responsible for the selection of site investigators for that study. Participating site investigators for the study will be selected from the current ICFOG listing of voting and affiliated members and of other qualified investigators who request participation.

Each steering committee will also be responsible for removing from active study participation any steering committee member, investigator, or coordinator, who does not fulfill his/her obligations to the study or who does not maintain the standards of the ICFOG with respect to confidentiality, conflict-of-interest, disclosure or publications policies.

ARTICLE XII: ICFOG PUBLICATION POLICIES

Authorship and acknowledgements of various types of articles should be formulated according to the following guidelines:

1. All articles utilizing data on patients recruited as part of a study must acknowledge support from the study sponsor(s), unless advised by the sponsor that an acknowledgment is not necessary.
2. The PI and Co-PI will have discretion on authorship of peer-reviewed articles on the major objectives and general demographic descriptions of the study populations. General guidelines include having either the ICFOG with membership listed in a footnote, or the members of the ICFOG in the following order: the primary author, ICFOG investigators in order of the number of their patients enrolled in the study, ICFOG site coordinators in order of their investigators, ICFOG members without responsibility for subjects, and the Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigator if not the primary authors, unless otherwise agreed on by the authors.
3. Authorship of the reports of ancillary studies should be decided by those who originally proposed such a study.
4. Members of the ICFOG should fully disclose their research support and any significant financial interest with manufacturer(s) of commercial products related to the research project being presented/published.

ARTICLE XIII: CONFLICT OF INTEREST

Members of the ICFOG should maintain the highest personal and professional standards in conducting clinical studies and research. Real and perceived conflict-of-interest should be avoided and if not, disclosed.

To these ends, we agree that:

1. ICFOG members shall not in any way or manner benefit financially from the information obtained as a result of their participation in and knowledge of ICFOG studies. ICFOG members agree to fully disclose any equity in a company whose drugs or products are being investigated by the ICFOG.
2. ICFOG members directly involved with a ICFOG affiliated study sponsored by an “involved company” agree not to serve as paid consultants to an “involved company” in relation to the study drug during the period of an active clinical study (this does not include open-label extensions to studies). Scientific consultation to the “involved company” on issues not related to an ongoing clinical study by the ICFOG is permitted. Such consulting services must be disclosed to the Executive Committee on an annual basis.
3. Certain activities with “involved companies” are not considered to be a conflict-of-interest. These activities include: (a) serving as an educator, e.g., giving a lecture or speaking in a panel discussion at a forum sponsored by an “involved company”; (b) participating in research activities unrelated to the study drug or product, and supported by the “involved company”. Honoraria for speaking in an educational program may be kept by the ICFOG member.
4. These CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST GUIDELINES will apply from the time of recruitment of subjects into a study until one-month following public disclosure of the results of the study or one month after the study has been completed. This will be binding for all members including those who might leave the study, for any reason, prior to its completion.
5. Members of the ICFOG should insist on full and meaningful disclosure of financial support for educational events in which they are invited to participate. Members of the ICFOG should fully disclose their research support, consultation fees, honoraria, and any significant financial interest with manufacturers(s) of commercial products related to the topic of their presentation for education events in which they participate.
6. An ICFOG member may be paid as a consultant to develop a research protocol that will be sponsored by a company so long as the study has not yet begun and there are no other conflicts-of-interest as noted above.

ARTICLE XIV: AMENDMENTS

Amendments to the Bylaws may be proposed by any active member in writing, signed by at least 4 other active members, and submitted to the Executive Committee. On resolution by majority of the Executive Committee, these Bylaws may be amended by a simple majority of votes cast at the General Business Meeting of the organization. Changes in the Bylaws shall go into effect following their adoption at the General Business Meeting.

ARTICLE XV: DATE OF ACTIVATION OF CONSTITUTION AND INTERIM OFFICERS

When approved by at least two-thirds of the votes cast by voting members, the Bylaws will become active.

ARTICLE XVI: DUES, FEES, SURCHARGES, INCOME

The Executive Committee may propose dues for ICFOG members and fees or surcharges in order to support ICFOG activities, including but not limited to the planning and implementation of studies, scientific and educational symposia, maintaining the website and its international meeting. Proposals of the Executive Committee for dues, fees or surcharges will require approval by a majority of votes received from ICFOG members who respond.

Any income or property of the ICFOG shall be applied solely towards the promotion of the objectives of the ICFOG as set forth in Article II, and no portion shall be paid or transferred to any officer, member or employee of the ICFOG, except for reasonable and proper remuneration, including repayment of out-of-pocket expenses, in return for any service actually rendered to the ICFOG. Accurate accounting shall be kept of the money received and expended by the ICFOG and a summary will be presented to the membership at least once annually. This will be done by the Chair and Secretary/Treasurer.

ARTICLE XVII: DISSOLUTION OF THE ICFOG

The dissolution of the ICFOG shall be decided by an affirmative vote by written ballot of three-fourths of votes of voting members of the ICFOG who respond. The procedure on dissolution shall follow that outlined for proposing amendments in Article XV. In the event of the dissolution or termination of the consortium, title to the possession of all the property of the incorporated organization shall pass forthwith to such organization or organizations that in the opinion of the Executive Committee is, or are best fitted, to carry on the purposes of the ICFOG.