Most professional bodies have ‘grass roots’ groupings of members who support the work of the organisation. They may be organised on a geographical basis (regions and branches), by members’ specialist interest, or a combination of the two.
IBMS membership groups are not independent legal entities; their actions and activities are carried out for the IBMS. Therefore, they are ultimately accountable to IBMS Council for their actions and any funds they hold. Their activities need to be consistent with the IBMS’s objectives and strategies.
Regions and branches
Run by members, IBMS regions and branches support scientific and networking events, public engagement activities and work with local employers, universities and policymakers.
All IBMS members are assigned a branch and region when they join, usually based on their work or study address. This connects them to local professionals, employers and students and provides a forum to discuss local professional issues.
Regions and branches are run by elected committees made up of a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer. Branch committees will also include two additional branch members, while region committees will also include one member of each IBMS branch in that region.
Discussion groups
IBMS discussion groups are discipline specific and they organise scientific events, courses and discussion forums.
IBMS discussion groups can be affiliated to IBMS regions or branches and are run by an elected committee made up of a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer. Members of the committee represent the discussion group to their affiliated IBMS region or branch.
IBMS discussion groups cover specialist areas including:
- Bacteriology
- Biochemistry
- Cellular pathology
- Haematology
- Histopathology
- Immunology
- Laboratory managers
- Microbiology
- Quality management
- Training
- Virology