About ORS Sections

All ORS Research Sections report to the ORS Board of Directors and abide by the ORS Bylaws. Each Section develops its own initiatives and goals that align with the ORS 2025 Mission: to accelerate musculoskeletal discovery to improve health with the vision of a world without musculoskeletal limitations.

Each Section contains its core Section Officer executive committee: Section Chair, Section Chair-Elect, Section Past Chair, Section Secretary, Section Treasurer, and Section Research & Education Chair(s).

Other additional Section Officers that may serve as part of the leadership may include: Section Membership Chair, Section Communications Chair, and Section Member-at-Large.

There are also many Section members who serve as volunteers on Section Committees: Awards, Membership, Research & Education, Communications, and more. These officer and committee volunteer positions create opportunities for members to get involved and assist in achieving Section initiatives and activities.

Section Officers Roles

Section Chair

• Participate in quarterly (or as needed) Section Council meetings.
• Oversee the successful execution of all Section goals, initiatives, and related activities that align with the Section’s strategic goals and the ORS Strategic Plan.
• Set the agenda and preside over Section Officer and business meetings.
• Present approved Section Officer and committee volunteers to the ORS Sections Chair.
• Collaborate with the Section Secretary and Chair-Elect on the development and submission of Section reports summarizing activities.
• Represent the Section in meetings with the Section Chairs/Chair-Elects and the ORS Section Council Chair.
• Oversee the development and submission of the Section annual budget in collaboration with the Section Treasurer.

Section Chair-Elect

• Participate in regularly scheduled Section Council meetings.
• Assist the Chair in executing Section activities and serve as backup when the Chair or other Officers are unavailable.
• Help set agendas and preside over meetings.
• Represent the Section in the absence of the Chair.
• Lead programming and activity planning for the following year in collaboration with the Section Chair and Officers.

Section Past Chair

• Participate in Section Council meetings as needed.
• Support the execution of Section activities and provide guidance to Section Officers.
• Lead special projects or initiatives such as satellite meetings, collaborations, workshops, or joint programs with other ORS Sections.
• Promote ORS Section membership, meetings, events, and activities within the ORS and broader scientific community.

Section Secretary

• Record and distribute meeting minutes in collaboration with the ORS Section Staff Liaison.
• Assist the Chair and Chair-Elect in developing and submitting Section reports.
• Help assemble agendas for meetings.

Section Research Chair

• Oversee the development of scientific content for the Section’s meeting at the ORS Annual Meeting and related workshops or sessions.
• Work with Section Officers, especially the Education Chair, to promote awards and publications complementing scientific activities.
• Collaborate with other Section Officers to co-organize sessions that support Section member interests.
• Participate in ORS meetings to ensure collaboration, avoid redundancy, and promote integration with the ORS Annual Meeting.

Section Member-at-Large

• Support the scientific, educational, and special activities of the Section to achieve Section goals.
• Actively participate in Section Officer meetings and designated activities.
• Assist with planning Section meetings, events, or membership initiatives.
• Perform other duties as designated by the Section Chair.

Section Treasurer

• Collaborate with the Section Chair and other Officers to develop the annual Budget Request Form.
• Assist in managing satellite meeting budgets when applicable.

Section Membership Chair

• Be knowledgeable about ORS and Section membership requirements and benefits.
• Oversee the Section Membership Committee.
• Report to the ORS Membership Committee and participate in related meetings when invited.
• Work with ORS staff to develop Section member needs assessments and evaluations.
• Collaborate with ORS staff and the Membership Committee on recruitment, engagement, and retention initiatives.

Section Communications Chair

• Oversee the content for Section newsletters, communications, and social media in collaboration with ORS staff.
• Lead the Section Communications Committee and related initiatives.
• Work with Section Officers and committees to develop Section member outreach strategies.
• Section Officer and committee volunteer positions create volunteer opportunities to get involved for its members and assist in achieving Section initiatives or activities.
• Sections may have also contain Section Committees such as Membership, Research & Education, Communications, and more that create volunteer opportunities to get involved for its members and support of Section initiatives or activities.