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The American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) code of conduct briefly addresses Conflict of Interest (COI). This statement elaborates the ASB position on COI.

As a starting point, we begin with a definition of COI:

 “A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that professional judgment or actions regarding a primary interest will be unduly influenced by a secondary interest.”[1]

COI policies and statements are about managing and mitigating risks. Disclosure is an integral part of managing risks that arise in conflicted situations. The American Society of Biomechanics expects every presentation at its annual meeting to disclose all relevant COI.

Additionally, the American Society of Biomechanics expects that members will

• Disclose all relevant COI in presentations, publications, and activities of the American Society Biomechanics.
• Recuse themselves from ASB business decisions when they have a COI.
• Remain cognizant that when a COI exists their duty is to hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.

[1]Lo, B. and Field, M.J., Eds. (2009) Conflict of Interest in Medical Research, Education, and Practice. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, p. 46.

Respecting the privacy of our members and of the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) itself is a basic value of the ASB. Diversity-related information is confidential and will not be disclosed to or discussed with anyone without authorization from the ASB executive board or as otherwise required by law. Information will be collected for use in documentation of membership demographics, support for grant proposal preparation and progress reporting, eligibility determination for relevant awards, and related purposes. All reporting of information outside of the executive board will be done in aggregate to protect individual member’s descriptors. Care will also be taken to prevent unauthorized individuals from overhearing discussions of diversity information and to prevent documents containing confidential information from being left in the open or inadvertently shared. Board and committee members of ASB may be exposed to information which is confidential and/or privileged and proprietary in nature. It is the policy of ASB that such information will be kept confidential both during and after active ASB membership, unless required to be disclosed by law. Staff and volunteers, including board members, will be expected to return materials containing privileged or confidential information at the time of expiration of service.

Membership in professional societies, including the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB), has implied expectations for ethical behavior in research, teaching, and service to all segments of society.

All members of and/or participants in ASB events shall:

• Honor and respect the field of biomechanics by conducting oneself responsibly, ethically, and lawfully.
• Participate in respectful scientific debate.
• Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
• Provide truthful, accurate, relevant, and evidence-based information based upon competence in the subject matter and knowledge of the facts and disseminate without deception.
• Abide by the basic principles of respect of persons, beneficence, and justice and comply with regulations in accordance with each person’s institutional review board.
• Endeavor to increase the knowledge in the discipline and within reasonable limits of time and finance, shall make available that knowledge, skill, and training to the public for the benefit of all.
• Disclose any conflicts of interest and review the professional work of others fairly and in confidence.
• Recognize the contributions of others and not associate or allow the use of their name on enterprise known to be illegal, fraudulent or of questionable character.
• Participate in activities contributing to the improvement of the biomechanics community.

The ASB is committed to fostering open dialogue and the exchange of scientific ideas, with mutual trust based upon honesty, integrity, and respect for all persons. It is the policy of the ASB that all participants attending both in-person and virtual ASB-sponsored activities (video meeting attendees or social media contributors) including attendees, vendors, ASB representatives, volunteers, and all other stakeholders will conduct themselves in a professional manner that is welcoming to all and free from any form of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, or retaliation. Creating a supportive environment to enable discourse is the responsibility of all members and all participants at ASB activities.

Inappropriate actions, statements, or conduct based on individual characteristics such as age, religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, nationality, political affiliation, ability status, educational background, or any other personal characteristic, or other disruptive or harassing behavior of any kind will not be tolerated. The ASB has a reporting system with both anonymous and non-anonymous option. All reports will be investigated and sanctions up to and including expulsion from the ASB may be imposed, as detailed in the Investigations Policy.

If a crime is being committed or you fear for your immediate safety, please contact the local authorities or 9-1-1.

All members and participants at ASB activities are expected to be familiar with and positively accept the full ASB Code of Conduct as a condition of participation.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL CODE OF CONDUCT

DOWNLOAD THE INVESTIGATION POLICY

DOWNLOAD THE HONORS AND AWARD POLICY

DOWNLOAD THE GLOSSARY OF TERMS

THE ASB HAS A REPORTING SYSTEM WITH BOTH ANONYMOUS AND NON-ANONYMOUS OPTION. 

Introduction: Many independent non-profit organizations may wish to affiliate with the American Society of Biomechanics (ASB) for certain benefits vis a vis ASB activities and events and in contacting its membership. The ASB wishes to support non-profit organizations whose mission in promoting biomechanics and supporting biomechanists are in alignment with the ASB mission. Thus, the aim of this policy is to establish the process for attaining and maintaining status as a Non-Profit Partner (NPP) of ASB.

Policy Statement: The support of the ASB will increase the visibility and impact the effectiveness of the NPP, and the NPP provides valuable services to ASB members and the biomechanics community that may go beyond what ASB can provide. This proposed policy will require that:

1. ASB NPP status is contingent on alignment with the ASB mission, priorities and values and can be granted or withdrawn by a simple majority vote of the Executive Board.
2. If an NPP has an individual membership category, membership must be open to all ASB members in good standing.
3. ASB will list its NPP on a designated page within its website. That listing can include a short description and a link to the NPP’s own website and/or social media handles.
4. NPP’s are encouraged to establish regular communication with one member of the Executive Board to represent their interests in Executive Board meetings, discussions, and deliberations. NPP’s are responsible for designating the Executive Board member to represent them and for initiating and maintaining that communication with the Executive Board member to make sure their concerns are heard.
5. Communications
1. ASB will publicize programming by NPP’s being held in conjunction with ASB-organized national and international meetings within the conference program.
2. ASB will promote Non-Profit Partner activities and events through ASB social media, including Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts. This promotion will occur only through retweeting, quoting, and liking NPP social media posts.
3. NPP’s may provide one complimentary listing per year that will be distributed by ASB to its membership within a regularly scheduled monthly eBlast.
1. ASB reserves the right to label any advertisement as such, with attribution to the advertiser.
4. ASB reserves the right to decline any advertisement or communication that is not consistent with the ASB mission. If ASB declines, a written explanation will be delivered to the NPP.
5. NPP’s must agree to send one promotional communication to its members per year encouraging membership in ASB. The text of this communication will be written by ASB, but must conform to the rules of and be consistent with the mission of the NPP.
6. Programming at ASB-organized events
1. On a space-available basis, ASB may provide meeting space for the NPP within the ASB-organized meeting as long as that space does not incur any additional cost to ASB.
2. If NPP’s wish to include additional components of an event within an ASB-organized meeting that incur additional costs beyond the scope of the ASB’s contract with the facility, these costs must be borne by the NPP. These may include but are not limited to: space rental, audiovisual services, food & beverage, and speaker fees or honoraria.
3. Requests for meeting space within an ASB-organized meeting by an NPP must be received in writing by the Executive Board (see section 4) at least 3 months before the meeting.
7. Requests for financial support of conferences hosted by NPPs will be reviewed by the Executive Board.

Introduction: The purpose of an ASB Affinity Group is to foster connections among members who have a shared identity and their allies, and to provide service to the Society in better understanding, appreciating, and supporting individuals with such identity. This purpose aligns with the Mission of the ASB. Affinity Groups facilitate leadership skills and mentorship, forge new friendships, and foster new collaborative opportunities among like individuals. Thus, the aim of this policy is to establish the process for forming and supporting ASB Affinity Groups.

Policy Statement: The support of the ASB Executive Board will increase the visibility and improve the effectiveness of Affinity Groups. This proposed policy will require that:

1. ASB Affinity Group status is contingent on alignment with the ASB mission, priorities and values and can be granted or withdrawn by a simple majority vote of the Executive Board.
2. ASB considers Affinity Groups to be part of the Society. Therefore, all Affinity Groups must adhere to the Code of Conduct and other rules that govern all ASB activities and events. As such, Affinity Groups must include “ASB” in their name.
3. Membership to an Affinity Group must be open to all ASB members in good standing.
4. Leaders of the Affinity Group must be ASB members in good standing.
5. ASB Affinity Groups are not legal entities on their own, and therefore are restricted in directly soliciting funds or donations.
6. ASB will provide in-kind support for Affinity Group programming at ASB-organized national and international meetings. This support includes providing space for the Affinity Group to meet within the ASB’s venue contract, and contact information for the Affinity Group to reach out to corporate partners, non-profit partners, and vendors to collaborate on events within national and international meetings.
1. In-kind support by ASB for Affinity Group events is limited to providing space when it incurs no additional costs for the meeting. Any additional costs (including but not limited to space/venue fees, audio-visual support, catering) are the responsibility of the Affinity Group.
2. In some cases, external sponsors may support catering or other expenses for Affinity Group events. All sponsorships (including in-kind donations) and events conducted in collaboration with a corporate partner must be coordinated in advance with and approved by ASB.
7. Current Affinity Groups are listed on the ASB website, and each Affinity Group may have its own page within the ASB website.
1. Affinity Groups may submit content to the ASB Communications Chair to post on its page on the ASB website
2. The ASB Communications Chair will ensure that content provides a consistent look-and-feel with the rest of the ASB website.
3. All content must be approved by the ASB Communications Chair to ensure appropriateness with the mission of ASB and feasibility.
8. All ASB Affinity Groups must agree to adhere to ASB branding policies. As such, any logos created for the group, merchandise created by the group, or other materials bearing the ASB name or logo must be approved by the ASB Communications Chair.
9. ASB will promote Affinity Group activities and events through ASB social media, including Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube accounts.
10. ASB will support recruitment of new members to the Affinity Group through text advertising in regular ASB communications such as monthly eBlasts and the newsletter, and by providing an opportunity for ASB members to declare interest in an Affinity Group when renewing membership.
11. The Affinity Group can designate an ASB Executive Board member who best aligns with their interests to represent them in Executive Board meetings and discussions.
1. The Affinity Group is responsible for maintaining active communication with the designated Executive Board member to assure that their concerns are represented.
2. The designated Executive Board member may include messages regarding the Affinity Group within their column of the newsletter at their discretion when such messages align with the role of that Board member.
12. Affinity Groups must submit an annual registration form to maintain ASB Affinity Group status. This form serves as both an application for new groups and a renewal for existing groups. The form requires the following information:
1. Mission statement and overall goals of the group
2. Description of leadership structure
3. Description of leader selection process
4. Description of activities in the previous 12 months
5. Description of planned activities in the upcoming 12 months
6. Anticipated space requests for upcoming ASB-organized meetings in the upcoming 12 months
7. Designated Executive Board liaison/representative
8. Contact information for the group
9. All social media accounts, email addresses, and websites used by the group