Newswise — BETHESDA, MD, February 6, 2012 – The members of the Association for Molecular Pathology voted in favor of adopting significant changes to the structure of its governing body. The changes resulted in two primary refinements; 1) a shift from management by a Council to management by a Board of Directors and an Executive Committee, and 2) the transition of Subdivision Chairs from the role of Annual Meeting programming to one that focuses directly on the interests and needs of the subdivision discipline.

The shift from the Council model to a Board and Executive Committee structure allows the Board to continually appraise the Association at a high level and to develop long-range goals, plans, and policies, thus allowing the Executive Committee to focus on operational issues including the implementation of the strategy, direction, and policies established by the Board. The overall strategy of management by a Board and Executive Committee, adopted by an increasing number of nonprofit organizations, allows for greater flexibility, adaptability, and nimbleness on the part of AMP to establish and easily modify its direction moving forward.

AMP’s membership includes four distinct subdivisions; Genetics, Hematopathology, Infectious Diseases, and Solid Tumors. Each subdivision represents a vital segment of AMP membership, reflecting the diversity, vitality, and wide range of specialties encompassed by AMP members.

“AMP has now matured as an organization and is ready to be governed differently than when it was founded,” said Iris Schrijver, MD, AMP President. “Over the course of several months, we studied many aspects of nonprofit governance, examined other organizations, and discussed how to create a model that best suits AMP. Our new governance structure will facilitate decision-making that is informed and strategic.”

The overarching catalyst for the changes to the AMP governance structure is the newly implemented strategic plan. The plan centers on five essential areas: advocacy, education, innovation and improved patient care, governance, and management. AMP’s policies, programs, resources and structure will all serve to support these elements of the strategic plan. For more information about the AMP Strategic Plan, visit www.amp.org.

ABOUT AMP:The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) is an international medical professional association dedicated to the advancement, practice, and science of clinical molecular laboratory medicine and translational research based on the applications of molecular biology, genetics, and genomics. For more information, please visit http://www.amp.org/about/strategic_plan.cfm.