Job descriptions for BIS council members

President

Secretary

Treasurer

Clinical services coordinator

External affairs officer

Meetings secretary

Membership secretary

Trainee representatives

Workforce and training

Responsibilities
• Organise 4 council meetings per year, including one to coincide with the Spring Meeting of BIS and one to take place at the FIS Meeting.
• Organise the AGM, usually held at the Spring Meeting.
• Take minutes at the council meetings and AGM and circulate in an appropriate timescale to council members.
• Prepare and circulate the agenda for council meetings and the AGM.
• Serve as one of the company directors of BIS and share responsibilities for the corporate governance of the Society, including providing minutes, and details of elections and accounts (submitted by the Honorary Treasurer) as required under Company Law.
• Keep and file all relevant documentation circulated to the Society by post or email.

Time commitment
• 4 council meetings a year (each taking about 4 hours, plus travel time).
• Spring Meeting (1.5-2 days depending on whether involved in trainees' day).
• Attend FIS Meeting (3 days' study leave).
• Preparation before and after each council meeting (preparing agenda, writing and checking minutes, sending correspondence: around 1 day for each meeting, ie 4 days a year).
• Around 0.5-1 hour each week responding to letters, telephone calls, emails and filing.

• Additional commitments on behalf of BIS, attending NICE / DoH Meetings, Journal of Infection publisher’s meetings etc (up to 10 half-days annually).

Responsibilities
• Ensure that monies held by BIS is accounted for and spent with regard to council wishes and Charity and Company Law.
• Ensure the financial health of BIS.
• Ensure end of year accounts are produced and lodged with Companies House.
• Liaise with the bank, broker and accountant regards monies held by BIS.
• Serve as one of the Company Directors of BIS and share responsibilities for the corporate Governance of the Society, including providing documentation including Minutes, details of Elections and Accounts as required under Company Law.

Time commitment
• 4 council meetings a year, each taking approximately 4 hours plus travel time.
• Collect appropriate documentation for the production of year end reports, liasing with BIS accountants and Broker for finalisation of Annual Accounts (approx 1-2 days).
• Respond to letters, telephone calls, emails, signing cheques and filing (0.5-1 hour a week).

Responsibilities
• Lead development of clinical guidelines for the BIS
• Chair clinical guidelines group
• Co-ordinate BIS responses to guidelines produced by other societies
• Maintain section of BIS website devoted to guidelines.

Time commitment
• 4 council meetings a year, each taking approximately 4 hours plus travel time.
• 3 clinical guidelines group meetings per year, 2.5 hours plus travel and preparation.
• Review of submitted guidelines and liaison with guideline writing groups.

Responsibilities
• Respond to current affairs that are of interest to members.
• Disseminate views of the membership and council concerning clinical and political matters of direct interest to BIS.
• Provide a service to the media by giving them access to appropriate expertise from within the BIS membership.

Time commitment
• Time taken to identify members willing to respond to the media on specified topics; to keep the media informed that BIS is able to provide expert opinion; to liaise with media when issues are identified and to provide contact details.

Responsibilities:
• Attend 4 council meetings/annum
• Attend workforce review team meeting and RCP workforce review meetings and second or liaise possibly with RCP/RCPath Joint ID/Tropical committee (4+/annum)
• Liaise with RCP and RCPath about uptodate figures
• Update annually together with Society President the workforce data for ID
• Input into other council activities as appropriate

Time commitment
• 4 council meets
• 4+ workforce meets
• Additional admin time for data collection and analysis
• Additional availability for input into relevant workforce/training issues
• Attendance of BIS scientific meets if appropriate
• Minimum 6-8 days/annum if post holder from outside London otherwise 3-4 days/annum

Responsibilities
• Continue to develop links with other organisations, eg national organisations such as BHIVA,BSAC,AMA – work in progress with joint meetings; an international organisations such as ESCMID, IDSA, ISID.
• Develop contacts and increase our profile. May include discussion with key players or named sponsorship of Symposia at their meetings. Develop strong informal links first using key members of our own society.
• Develop links with infection charities. May include working with influential members of the Society to encourage initial informal links and the development of a contacts database. Also to offer possible underwriting of projects with BIS's scientific prowess.
• Develop an expertise database with a point of contact provided to the press network, ie information links officer.
• Future developments may include developing a BIS sponsored teaching programme of infectious diseases, and attracting trainees and trainers to the programme. Also to encourage hits on the BIS website by asking trust guideline committees to place us as the preferred infection link.

Responsibilities • Maintain the scientific standards of BIS.
• Encourage infection trainees to undertake research and research training.
• Administer the Society’s grant and prize portfolio.
• Establish a scientific committee to support the administration of the grants.
• Develop new directions for the Society’s grant and prize portfolio.
• Support the meetings secretary in the selection of abstracts and in devising the programme for the BIS Spring meeting.
• Take part in the general functions of council.

Tasks
• BIS Fellowships – set closing dates after checking with council that there is sufficient funding. Send email reminders to BIS members. Shortlist applicants with the help of the advisory committee and then send out for further expert review. Collate referees' reports and refer back to committee. Write to applicants and sponsors with results.
• Barnett Christie Lectureship - set closing date with sufficient time before FIS. Send email reminders to BIS members/advertise in FIS announcements. Shortlist and select lecturer with the help of the advisory committee. Notify the organisers of FIS. Ask the Journal to accept a review article from the lecturer. Write to applicants with results.
• Young investigator prize: need to review applications.
• FIS – select and award the prizes with the help of an ad-hoc committee of senior participants. Negotiate commercial sponsors as necessary/advertise in FIS announcements.
• BIS Spring Meeting – select and award the prizes with the help of an ad-hoc committee of senior participants.
• Exchange Awards and Travel Awards - set closing dates (3 a year). Select appropriate candidates with the help of the advisory committee where necessary. Write to applicants with results.
• Scientific committee - appoint an advisory committee of at least 4 members, ideally with representation from ID, microbiology/ virology, tropical medicine and public health.
• Newsletter - Formulate a profile for publication in the newsletter at the beginning of term of office; ensure that the grants and prizes are well advertised in the newsletter.
• Website - Keep schemes and prize winners sections updated.

There are three trainee representatives on the BIS council. The roles are overlapping with some specific responsibilities.

Joint responsibilities
• Attend (up to) 4 council meetings a year, including one to coincide with the Spring Meeting of the BIS and one to take place at the FIS Meeting.
• Contribute to and update the trainees' section of the BIS website.

Produce the BIS newsletter twice a year (spring and autumn editions).

Organise trainees' meetings.
The role of the trainee rep with responsibility for training issues broadly includes the following:
• Attend and contribute to meetings of the Infectious Diseases Specialist Advisory Committee and Joint Committee for Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Training meetings (4-6 per year).
• Update trainees on relevant matters via the trainees’ e-mail list, and to keep the list up to date.
• Respond to any other training issues that arise.

Responsibilities
• Attend 4 council meetings a year.
• Attend workforce review team meeting and RCP workforce review meetings and possibly RCP/RCPath Joint ID/Tropical committee (4 plus a year).
• Liaise with RCP and RCPath about up-to-date figures.
• Update annually together with Society President the workforce data for ID.
• Input into other council activities as appropriate.
• Attendance of BIS meets is encouraged.

Time commitment
• 4 council meetings.
• 4 plus workforce meetings.
• Additional admin time for data collection and analysis.
• Additional availability for input into relevant workforce/training issues.
• Attendance of BIS scientific meetings if appropriate.
Minimum 6-8 days a year if post holder is outside London; otherwise 3-4 days a year.