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BOD_Minutes_2010_04_10

MINUTES OF THE
HUNGARIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING – 12:00 PM, APRIL 10TH, 2010
HELMSLEY’S SANDCASTLE HOTEL, SARASOTA, FLORIDA
Voting BOD members present: total votes 8 (plus Presidential tie-breaker)
G. Acs, I. Somkuti, T. Krisztinicz, P. Leidl, I. Pirko, Z, A. Varga
Advisory Board President: P. Forbath (one vote in the absence of L. Mechtler)
K. Kismartoni, A. Matolcsy,
Alternates: L. Toth (voting for Dr. Baffy), G. Paragh (via internet)
Also present: I. Stadler, A. Stadler, J. Bika
I. Approval of Minutes
Quorum was established with 8 voting members present. The Minutes of the October
2009 BOD meetings were approved.
II. Presidential Address (Peredy)
Dr. Peredy will send a written report to the Board, which will also include the results of
the current meeting. Since we have a lot to discuss he urged members not to review
history, but rather focus on the issues at hand. Since our last meeting we had many
successes and challenges. Successes include the upcoming combined meeting with the
MET scheduled for this August. At least six BOD members will attend the MET meeting
and several members will give presentations. Two other meetings are also scheduled for
this summer. Dr. Peredy has talked to Eszter Bodnar, who reported that they are planning
a meeting of the Hungary Chapter within a month and will start collecting dues and they
will help organizing the student meeting. Dr. Peredy has sent a notarized letter to Dr.
Bodnar empowering her to be our agent in Hungary. They will transfer money from the
Barati Kor at Semmelweis to our own account in Hungary. He emphasized the
importance of the student meeting in Balatonfured which is a great opportunity for
students of all medical schools in Hungary to come together and present their work. This
meeting will be held in Balatonfured after August 20 and hosted by Dr. Veress. All
members are welcome to attend. The MET also organizes a travel meeting to Karpatalja
and a number of members have been invited to attend. We need to send a check to the
MET for our collected MET membership dues. Those who are interested in either
renewing their MET memberships or becoming a member should pay $80.00 to A.
Stadler for their membership dues. Dr. Peredy has been in contact with Dr. Ildiko
Suveges, the President of the MET, regarding our participation in their planned activities.2
Regarding the issues about incorporation and taxation discussed at the last meeting, Dr.
Peredy reported that the HMAA was incorporated in Ohio in 1970, which incorporation
unfortunately expired in 1998. Copies of the original incorporation papers were
distributed to BOD members. The contact address on the original paperwork is listed
under the name of Andrea Meszaros in Ohio, who is no longer a member, which probably
accounts for the fact that we have not received any mailings regarding this issue. He
emphasized that being incorporated is important, because otherwise were are personally
liable for any accidents or issues that may occur in connection with the HMAA. Dr.
Peredy reported that we have hired a local attorney by the name of John Moore to help
with this process. Mr. Moore has submitted the paperwork for the reinstatement of our
incorporation in March. His bill for this work and filing fees is approximately $700.00.
By October we will have follow up on the incorporation.
Regarding taxation, we have submitted the required paperwork to the IRS by the
November 15, 2009 deadline as discussed at the last BOD meeting and we were notified
in February 2010 that our 501c tax status as a not-for-profit organization was re-instated.
This means that any money we contribute to the HMAA is tax deductable. It is also
important because with this status we do not have to pay Florida sales tax at the hotel and
allows us to establish a bank account in Hungary. To facilitate this process and to make
sure that this does not happen again we have hired an accountant as our representative
agent in Florida by the name of Charles Margetta, to take care of these issues. He noted
that Dr. Harangozo has expressed some concerns regarding this as he already has an
accountant in Virginia, noting that the engagement of Mr. Margetta appears to be a
duplicative effort. It is Dr. Peredy’s opinion that as the accountant in Virginia cannot
represent us in Florida, we should continue our relationship with Mr. Margetta as our
official representative. Ms. Bika proposed that as she is a CPA, when she moves to
Florida in two years, she will be able to handle these issues for the Association. Dr.
Matolcsy raised the question where all the documents will be kept, so that we will not
have to worry about their availability. It was decided that in addition to the papers being
kept by the Secretary and our official representatives (Mr. Moore and Mr. Margetta) –
who will also make sure to keep them up to date -, they will also be scanned in and put on
a secure part of our website.
With regard to the student exchange program Dr. Peredy reported that he had met with
the representative of the CIEE, the parent company of the HAESF (Hungarian American
Educational Scholarship Fund), which provides the money for some of the exchange
students to participate in our program. The company has certain stipulations with regard
to the fellowship, including the requirement for the students to return to Hungary. We
interview the students from a medical and competency perspective and they interview
them from a political perspective. Dr. Peredy also talked to Dr. Bodnar, who reported that
this year many of the applicants are coming from Debrecen and relatively few people
from Pecs. The exchange program is doing very well, thanks to the efforts of Dr. L.
Mechtler and our members in Buffalo. Dr. Matolcsy reported that he had met with the
leaders of the HAESF, who are very supportive of our exchange program.3
III. Secretary's report (Acs)
Dr. Acs reported that we have chosen the first winner of the HMAA Sudent Travel
Award that we have established on the April 2009 BOD meeting. The winner was chosen
from among nine high quality applications by a committee consisting of Drs. Stadler
(Scientific Program Chair), Somkuti (Awards Committee Chair), P. Acs and G. Acs.
Dr. Acs proposed that in order to facilitate better follow-up of the items the BOD decides
on or discusses, he will include a summary of these items including the names of the
persons responsible for completing them in the Minutes. He has provided a list of items
compiled from the October 2009 BOD meetings to be discussed at the appropriate time
according to the agenda. He mentioned a number of things that needed follow-up and/or
decision by the Board, such as the issue of membership dues for the Auxiliary and the
Student Teaching Award for the Buffalo program, among others.
Dr. Acs proposed that the Board should consider moving the time of the April BOD
meeting from Saturday noon to either Friday or Saturday evening, or Saturday early
morning. A discussion was held, and while members supported the change in time, the
Board will revisit the issue and make a decision in October.
Dr. Acs noted that according to our decision on the last BOD meeting we need to decide
the social program on this meeting to be included on the registration form. We have also
decided that we will organize the Kocsma Party again, for which the best day would be
Wednesday, after the water polo game. As the hotel will not allow us to do the Kocsma
Party on the premises again, we will have to identify another venue for this event. Dr.
Peredy suggested tha we should go over the program for each day of the Annual Meeting
under the Program Committee Report.
IV. Treasurer’s Report (Harangozo)
Although not able to be present, Dr. Harangozo sent a written report and noted that he is
available by telephone if needed. The Net Worth Report Dr. Harangozo submitted
showed that our balance as of 3/31/2010 is $46,003 compared to $50,508 a year ago on
3/31/2009. Compared to an income of $30,115, our total expenses for the 2009 Annual
Meeting were $31,947. Dr. Harangozo also provided a detailed list of expenses for the
last meeting and identified items we have lost money on, such as the banquet and the
taxes we had to pay (which we will be able to avoid this year thanks to our reinstated
501c status).
Regarding other major expenses, A. Stadler reported that since we have sold some of the
replica award books to members, the total cost for the book in the budget was $4,650
(compared to the original cost of $6,000). The expense for the student exchange was
$12,059. The students who receive scholarships from the HAESF pay $150 per month for
housing. A discussion was held regarding he expenses for the student exchange and it
was proposed that we should not lose money on the housing and utility costs and students4
will have to pay the full cost of these items, which should be part of the conditions in
their agreement for the exchange program, irrespective of HAESF support. A discussion
was held about the students’ eligibility for the HAESF scholarship, which include two
main requirements: 1) the students should return to Hungary, and 2) they should bring
back something of value to Hungary in their respective fields. These conditions should be
made clear to the students in Hungary and Dr. Peredy has volunteered to do this. It was
also decided that information regarding the application process for the HAESF should be
included on our website. A decision was made that an ad hoc committee will be formed
to establish guidelines for the finances of the exchange program to make sure that we do
not lose money on it. The committee will be headed by Dr. Peredy and will include Dr. L.
Mechtler and A. Stadler as well.
A. Stadler reported that the total expense for the banquet including the music was $9,480.
The cash bar income was $799 and the income from the tickets was $5,700. The number
of people participating at the banquet was 114 including 10 invited guests. A discussion
was held about making sure that we do not lose money on the banquet. Possible
suggestions included increasing the fee for the ticket (which remained the same $65 for
about 10 years) and/or increasing the price for the cash bar. We also should look into
other venue options for the banquet. Dr. Varga suggested that the banquet is a great
opportunity for fundraising. A discussion was held about opening the banquet to
Hungarian people in the local community to increase revenue.
Dr. Acs noted that on the October 2009 BOD meeting a decision was made to consolidate
the bank accounts of the HMAA and the Auxiliary and that we need to follow up on this
issue. Dr. Peredy reported that he discussed this issue with Dr. Harangozo, who
recommended against this consolidation. The original concern of the Board was the
oversight of the Auxiliary account. Dr. Harangozo clarified that he has clear oversight
over all the accounts and consolidation of the accounts that have different purposes
would be against our interests. Dr. Somkuti made a motion to reverse our past decision
and not move forward with the consolidation of the account. The motion was
unanimously approved.
Dr. Acs noted that he would request Dr. Harangozo to setup a new fund for the HMAA
Student Travel Award in the Treasury, which will consist of a contribution of $2,000 per
year, as previously discussed.
A. Stadler reported that Dr. Harangozo has contacted a fundraiser acquaintance of his in
order to secure some donations for the HMAA and will report to the Board on his success
in achieving this later. Dr. Acs suggested that we should include a link on our website
that would enable individuals or companies to make donations to the Association.
V. Program Report (I. Stadler)
Dr. Stadler brought the Board’s attention to the Summary Evaluation of last year’s
Annual Meeting, a copy of which he has submitted to the Board. The general opinion of5
participants was favorable. He reported that this year we will have the 42nd Annual
Meeting. The First Announcement was already mailed out and he will distribute the
Abstract Forms in the near future. He has received 29 responses for potential lectures so
far, and a list of these was presented to the Board. Proposed sessions include Emergency
Medicine (Drs. Matolcsy and Peredy on Thursday), Breast Cancer (Dr. Acs on Monday),
Multiple Sclerosis (by Dr. Falus on Tuesday), Gynecology (Dr. Somkuti on Friday),
Cardiology and/or Surgery (on Wednesday).
Dr. Peredy reported that he and Dr. Somkuti have met with Erika Platyik, who could help
us with organizing the social program, as she resides here in Sarasota. Ms. Platyik
organizes the week long Hungarian Festival in October. They have discussed the
possibility of combining our meeting with the Hungarian Festival in the future. Dr. Varga
volunteered to set up a booth at the Festival to promote and bring attention to our
Association as thousands of Hungarians show up for this festival. Ms. Bika also
volunteered to come earlier and staff our booth at the Festival. It was noted that we some
PR material that we could distribute at the booth. Erika Platyik offered to include our
Association as a sponsor of the Festival and include our name on all their material (i.e.
flyers, newsletter, etc.). The Board agreed that this would provide us great PR
opportunities and a discussion was held about possible ways to integrate Ms. Platyik
more in our activities.
Dr. Varga raised the issue of including “non-medical” local Hungarians in our activities
and opening the banquet for them. Although there were previous concerns regarding this
issue, the Board agreed that this would be a great opportunity to further our relationship
with the local Hungarian community. Dr. Acs suggested that this is an issue that would
need a vote from the Board, but noted that we could achieve this by establishing a
“Friends of the HMAA” group for those lay people who support our mission and joining
this group would enable them to participate in our activities. The Board will revisit this
issue in October. Dr. Peredy suggested that we should organize a lay medical session for
the community, such as the “Ask the Doctor” session we had previously. Dr. Matolcsy
reported that Dr. Veress, who is coming in October for the meeting, would like to have a
lecture for the lay community about cardiovascular disease as an afternoon session. Dr.
Peredy suggested that we should have this session here in the Hotel and include a panel
of experts from among our members.
Dr. Stadler noted that the details of the Annual Meeting and the abstract submission form
should be updated on the website. The deadline for abstract submission is May 31. He
clarified that the financial contribution we can offer for invited speakers from the US is
$350 for travel, 3 nights of accommodation in the hotel, and waiver of registration,
opening reception and banquet fees. For speakers outside the US, our contribution is
$500 for travel and 5 nights of accommodation in addition to the waiver of registration,
opening reception and banquet fees. The maximum amount of money we can spend on
invited speakers in $7,000, which translates to approximately 10-12 invited speakers. Dr.
T. Krisztinicz commented that for the future we should concentrate our efforts on giving
more lectures ourselves and improving our relationship and developing networking with
our immediate colleagues, rather than focusing on inviting nationally known physicians6
and investigators. Dr. Matolcsy noted that having invited speakers of national and/or
international reputation increases our PR possibilities and networking ability. Dr. Paragh
suggested that we should aim for inviting one outstanding outside speaker each year and
focus the rest of our efforts on increasing the activity of our membership. Members
emphasized that we should find a balance between professional and social activities, as
both are equal goals of our Annual Meeting.
Dr. Stadler reminded the Board to fill out the evaluation form and survey sent out by Ms.
Lori MacMann, CME coordinator for the University of Buffalo, which is important for
securing CME credit for next year. He also emphasized the necessity to establish online
registration as previously discussed. He also noted that we need more help from the
Auxiliary for the registration process.
Dr. Peredy expressed his concerns regarding the quality of some of the speakers and
length of the lectures on the Annual Meeting. He noted that there is no controversy
regarding the fact that we come to the Annual Meeting for both professional and social
reasons. His opinion is that we should finish every scientific session by noon every day,
and if we have too many speakers, we should select the best ones. It was noted, that
alternatively, we could shorten the allowed time for each speaker to 15 minutes,
including discussion. Members noted that we have had problems with lack of audience at
the presentations despite the improving quality of the lectures and emphasized that we
should make every effort to improve this situation. Dr. Matolcsy noted that we should
work on having more people coming to our meeting as participants, not just as lecturers,
but recognized that this is a difficult task in the current situation. He also noted that we
should use our connection with Ms. Sunny Mayer in Sarasota Hospital to increase
attendance from the local medical community. Dr. T. Krisztinicz noted that we should
make an effort to make every presentation more friendly to the general audience in order
to attract more people to attend. More input from the audience is also needed. The
decision was made to restrict the scientific program to 4 hours (8 am to 12 noon) every
day. The method to do this will depend on the number and quality of the abstracts
submitted, and may include limiting the number of presentation and/or shortening the
time allowed for each presentation. A discussion was held regarding finding ways to
increase attendance on our meeting.
Dr. Matolcsy reported that he has identified a keynote speaker for the upcoming Annual
Meeting. His proposal is to invite Dr. Michael Carius, a nationally known emergency
medicine physician. Dr. Carius has held many important national offices and could give a
talk on health care reform, entitled “Health Care Reform 2010: Do We Need It, Did We
Get It?”. Although the Board recognized the potential political implications, members
felt this to be a topic of great interest and agreed to inviting Dr. Carius as keynote
speaker.
Dr. Stadler noted that Dr. Gombos suggested Dr. Kucik from Slovakia as a speaker for
the meeting. He is a Slovakian expert on international and nationality relations. Although
the Board preferred Dr. Carius as keynote speaker, members supported the invitation of7
Dr. Kucik to give a presentation on our meeting. It was also noted that he may also be
considered as a keynote speaker for future years.
With regard to the social program the following program was outlined: Sunday night we
will have the Opening Reception. According to our prior decision the Opening Reception
will be open to children as well. For attendees the opening reception is included in the
registration fee. Thus, the decision was made that accompanying adults (i.e. spouses,
children over 18 years of age) should pay a fee ($25), but children under age 18 will be
admitted free. A discussion was held about the issue whether the Hotel can serve alcohol
if the children are present. It was suggested that at the time of registration everybody
should be issued a wrist band of different color, determining ability to order alcoholic
drinks. On Monday night the BOD Meeting will be held, and in addition, a Movie Night
is planned. Tuesday night a Cultural Program will be held. The suggestion of the
Auxiliary is a show by Nagy Ibolya and Gergely Robi, who would provide an Operetta
night. According to Dr. Varga, as they will be here in the Sarasota area anyway, it will be
relatively inexpensive to hire them. Dr. Peredy noted that the Auxiliary has full
discretion in who they invite for this social program. A discussion was held about the
issue whether this group would be appropriate for the banquet. For Wednesday, in
addition to the water polo game and the langos afternoon, the Kocsma Party is proposed.
Dr. Peredy reported that according to Erika Platyik we can have the Kocsma Party on the
beach and she offered her help in organizing this event. Dr. Peredy noted that we will
need other entertainment for this event as there is no electricity at the beach. According to
discussions with Erika Platyik, we can finalize the organization of this event immediately
before the October meeting. On Thursday we will have the banquet. Dr. Forbath will
formalize the sequence of events for the banquet, and Drs. Somkuti and Acs will work
with him on this. On Friday we will have the BOD meeting immediately following the
scientific program.
A discussion was held about the need for the Auxiliary to help with the registration
process. Dr. Somkuti suggested that we may also consider to reach out to the local
community to help with this process.
VI. Auxiliary Report (Bika)
Responding to Ms. Bika’s question regarding whose responsibility were the banqet and
other functions, A. Stadler and Dr. Varga noted that they have put together a document
outlining the roles and responsibilities of the Auxiliary and that Ms. Bika should refer to
that document. In addition, it was noted that Marti Kismartoni has a lot of experience in
these issues and could provide very useful information if contacted.
With regard to the membership fee for the Auxiliary the Board accepted the prior
proposal of Dr. Peredy that the Auxiliary should have its own sliding fee schedule
according their bylaws, which however, should not be zero.8
VII. Membership Report (S. Mechtler)
Dr. S. Mechtler couldnot attend the meeting and have sent no written report. Dr. Peredy
reported that he has talked to Dr. Mechtler who noted that he had sent out the letters for
the membership dues and he had no other items to report. A discussion was held about
making efforts to increase our membership.
VIII. Student Exchange Program (L. Mechtler)
Dr. L. Mechtler apologized for not being able to attend due to other responsibilities, and
he has sent a written report to the Board. In his report he stated that the Student Exchange
Program, presently has four students from Szeged, of whom 3 have HAESF funding.
They seem to be a good group of students although it is too early to tell. He noted that the
previous three students were disappointing as they were taking too many trips , not
showing up on time and inappropriately used the “Hungarian network” in Buffalo to their
advantage. Accordingly, he has recently presented stricter guidelines for the new
students. He noted that New York State is placing more regulations on the students
participation in the exchange program, but we seem to be doing reasonably well
compensating for the increased “red tape”. The students are participating in high quality
rotations. Eva Tamoga continues to be instrumental in the logistics of the program,
despite her severe illness. Rosette Fortner, his executive secretary has been helping out
and will be expected to take a more active role in the program. There was a short hiatus
of a few months with no students which meant that the apartment was empty. Dr. L.
Mechtler also informed the Board that in the framework of the partnership agreement
between Semmelweis University and the HMAA 10 American medical students from
SUNYAB attended pathology rotations in Hungary at SOTE and POTE. Dr. Mechtler
noted that we are still receiving requests from Hungarian residents who would like to
have the support of the HMAA. We unfortunately cannot fund them and he emphasized
that the HAESF is a separate funding source and not a extension of the HMAA. Their
decision is not dependent on the HMAA’s decision to accept someone in the program.
Dr. L. Mechtler recommended to formally invite Eva Tamoga to the Annual Meeting in
Sarasota in October 2010, and also recommend that we offer her a stipend of $500-1,000.
Dr. Peredy made a motion to offer Eva Tamoga a stipend of $500 along with a note of
thank you and an invitation to our annual meeting along the guidelines as applies to
invited speakers from the US. The Board has unanimously approved the motion.
IX. Publications Committee (Somkuti)
Dr. Somkuti reminded members to send in abstracts in time for the Archives. He also
asked for articles, reports, etc. from officers and Committee Chairs for the upcoming
issues of the Archives. Dr. I. Stadler emphasized that along with the submission of the
abstracts, presenters should also fill out and submit the forms for valid content and
conflict of interest, which are needed for CME and noted that these forms need to be
submitted at least 30 days before the application for CME credits.9
X. Awards Committee (Somkuti)
Dr. Somkuti thanked Dr. Acs for his efforts in organizing the reprint of the book which
we will offer as the Award of the HMAA. He reported that he will work with Dr. Acs to
design and arrange the printing of Certificates for the various awards.
Dr. Paragh reminded the Board of the New Investigator Award we established at the last
meeting and asked for permission to put together a “Call for Applications” flyer that he
can distribute among young researchers in the US and Canada. The Board accepted his
request and noted that Dr. Paragh will email a copy of the flyer to the President, the
Secretary and the Program Chair for approval before distribution.
Following up on the previous proposal to order HMAA related gift items for sale, the
Board assigned the task to the Auxiliary (Ms. Bika and Dr. Varga) to work with Denise
Matolcsy on suitable items, such as ties, scarfs, etc. Dr. Peredy noted that he will obtain a
high resolution photograph of the Presidential medal for this purpose, the image of which
he will also distribute to Board members. The Board has assigned $2,500 for the purpose
of ordering these gift items with the expectation that we will make a profit on these.
XI. Public Relations (Matolcsy)
Dr. Matolcsy reported that he would like to reactivate our connections with the local
medical community in Sarasota Hospital through Ms. Sunny Mayer and invite these
physicians to participate on our meeting. He reminded the Board of the agreement
between Boston University and Semmelweis University in the field of family practice
and noted that the first visiting fellow in this program will come to the US this year. He
expressed his interest in inviting Dr. Brian Jack, and instrumental figure in establishing
this program and a well known physician on his field, to come to our meeting.
XII. New England Chapter Report (Baffy)
Although he could not attend the meeting, Dr. Baffy has sent a written report to the
Board. He reported that the New England Chapter (NEC) of the HMAA continues with
the same level of activity since its inception in 2004, providing a venue for regular
meetings with the participation of members and friends of the HMAA within the greater
New England area. Unfortunately the number of paying members remains low. Most
attendees are recurring guests and it has been difficult to encourage them to join the
HMAA and NEC. At same time, the level of attendance at their quarterly meetings has
been steady. The main goal of the Chapter remains to provide a recruitment ground for
current and potential members of the HMAA in the New England area where there are
many physicians engaged in clinical or research activities temporally or on a permanent
basis. The Chapter has its own accepted Bylaws and fully complies with the HMAA
bylaws, advancing the original mission and vision of the HMAA. He reported that the10
NEC membership fee is $30 per year, in addition to the $150 HMAA membership fee.
The NEC officers are Ildiko Halasz, MD (President, elected Sep 30, 2005) and Agnes
Virga, MD, (Secretary, elected June 10, 2005). Dr. Baffy has also attached a list of the
activities and meeting of the NEC.
Dr. Matolcsy reported that the New England Chapter had a very successful meeting
recently in Boston with 30 people attending, hosted by Dr. Gyongyi Szabo. He noted that
Dr. Szabo has recently become the Associate Dean of the Medical School at UMass
which opened the possibility for expansion of our exchange program in the future. Dr.
Matolcsy noted that they are working on bringing down the Hungarian physicians
participating in the New England Chapter meetings to the Annual Meeting in Sarasota.
He noted that the next New England Chapter meeting will be held during this summer in
his house at Cape Cod, and when the details are finalized he will send invitations to
Board members.
XIII. Old Business
1. Report from Hungary (Bodnar)
Dr. Bodnar could not attend the meeting and she has sent no written report. In her
absence Dr. Matolcsy reported that he has spoken to Dr. Bodnar, who has raised
two questions: She wanted the Board’s permission to move our money in
Hungary to a new account (see discussed above) and noted that they are working
on organizing the student conference in Balatonfured. Dr. Matolcsy reported that
according to Dr. Bodnar the Hungary Chapter is growing and that the Tarnoki
twins are very involved in their activities.
2. Report from Germany (Kovacs)
Dr. Kovacs could not attend and has not sent a written report to the Board. Dr.
Matolcsy noted that Dr. Kovacs should contact Dr. Sutreli, who organized trips
for Hungarian doctors in Germany in the past. He raised the idea of organizing a
meeting in Germany for Hungarian physicians to draw attention to our
Association.
3. Report from Canada (Forbath)
Dr. Forbath had nothing to report, but noted that Hungarian doctors don’t
immigrate to Canada recently due to licensing issues.
XIV. New Business
1. Regarding the Website, Dr. Acs suggested that we should enable online
payment via establishing a PayPal account or other means, which would
enable online payment of membership dues, registration fees and other
contributions to the Association. He will further explore this possibility with
Dr. Garami.
2. Dr. Matolcsy proposed that given the large number of Hungarian physicians in
New Jersey, he is planning on organizing a meeting with these physicians in11
order to form a potential New Jersey Chapter, or bring them into our
Association. He has proposed to organize a “mini” Board meeting in New
Jersey for this purpose in the coming year.
3. Dr. Acs reminded the Board that elections are coming up this October and we
need nominations for a President-Elect. Three Board Members (Drs. Baffy,
Garami and Varga) are up for re-elections in addition to the Alternate
Members. In addition Dr. L. Mechtler is up for election into the Advisory
Board.
4. Dr. Kismartoni, as Chair of the Bylaws Committee, reminded the Board the
recently approved amendment to the Bylaws regarding the organization of
Chapters should be incorporated into our Bylaws. A brief discussion was held
about the question whether the Bylaws need to be reviewed by a lawyer, but
most members felt that this is not required or necessary. As the current
Bylaws of the association are on-line on the website, the Board asked Dr.
Garami to incorporate the approved Amendment into the current Bylaws.
XV. List of Items for Follow-up
A. Decision has been made by the Board
1. Follow-up on incorporation (Peredy, Acs)
2. Committee to establish financial guidelines for student exchange program
and clarifying expectations for students (Peredy)
3. Inclusion of HAESF application for the student exchange on website
(Garami)
4. Fund for HMAA Student Travel Award in the Treasury (Harangozo, Acs)
5. HMAA booth on Hungarian Festival (Varga, Bika)
6. Updating information on Annual Meeting and abstract from on website
(Garami)
7. Keynote speaker (Matolcsy)
8. Social program for Annual Meeting (Varga, Bika)
9. Kocsma Party (Acs, Somkuti, Peredy, Varga)
10. Formalization of sequence of events on banquet (Forbath, Somkuti, Acs)
11. Stipend and invitation of Eva Tamoga (L. Mechtler, Harangozo)
12. Award certificates (Somkuti, Acs)
13. Call for Application for Young Investigator Award (Paragh)
14. HMAA gift items (Varga, Bika)
15. High resolution image of Presidential Medal (Peredy)
16. Hungarian bank account (Bodnar)
17. “Mini Board meeting” in New Jersey (Matolcsy)
18. Nominations for elections (L. Mechtler, Nominating Committee)
19. Addition of Amendement to Bylaws (Garami)
B. Further discussion/research is needed
1. Moving the time of April Board meeting (Acs)12
2. Online payment option a link for donations on the website (Garami, Acs)
3. “Friends of HMAA” for local Hungarian community and their inclusion in
our activities, i.e. banquet (Auxiliary, Acs)
Submitted by
Geza Acs, MD, PhD
Secretary
HMAA