Thank you for your interest in participating as a 2010 SHSMD volunteer. Below is a description of the volunteer opportunity currently planned for 2010. Please review the description and complete the Leadership Pathways Volunteer Questionnaire.

The deadline for completion is October 30, 2009. If you have a question about the opportunities listed below, please visit the Common Questions page for answers, or contact the SHSMD office at 312.422.3888 or shsmd@aha.org.

Time commitment required
Volunteers can anticipate participating in at least bi-monthly conference calls, e-mail discussions, and additional time to complete projects as needed.

Contributors:
There is no immediate selection process for contributor volunteer opportunities. Please select the opportunity you are interested in on the Leadership Pathways Volunteer Questionnaire and as opportunities arise throughout the year, you will be notified.

• Annual Conference Speaker
  Annual Conference Speakers are individuals who possess excellent presentation skills and have demonstrated expertise and experience related to the subject on which they are speaking. Quality speaker references are required in addition to a compelling Call for Speakers proposal.
  
  
• Annual Conference Moderator
  Next to being a speaker, serving as a moderator is one of the most important jobs at the conference. Moderators act as hosts and coordinators for the sessions, introducing the speakers, ensuring that everything goes as planned, and providing a safety net when quick action in coordination with staff is required. Also, we always need someone to tell people to turn their cell phones to vibrate. (All conference expenses are the responsibility of the moderator.)
  
  
• Annual Conference Round Table Leader
  Round Table Leaders have informal discussions at tables for 10 held during the lunch. Each table has a topic and leader to guide the discussion. Attendees choose what table to sit at on a first-come, first-served basis. Information regarding singing up as a Round Table leader will be sent out closer to the Annual Conference date. (All conference expenses are the responsibility of the Round-Table Leader.)
  
  
• Author
  SHSMD periodically calls upon members to submit articles for Spectrum as well as other publications.
  
  
• Peer/Content Reviewer
  Occasionally, SHSMD needs members to review submitted content, proposals, and projects. This group reviews the content and provides feedback to SHSMD.
  
  

Committees:
Committees are charged with the responsibility for major Society initiatives of a strategic and ongoing nature. They are:

• Annual Conference Planning Committee
  The Annual Conference Planning Committee members take recommendations regarding general session speakers and concurrent session tracks. They serve as track leaders, reviewing the proposals received from the annual Call for Speakers.
  
  
• Membership Experience Committee
  The Membership Experience Committee is the voice of SHSMD from within the member base. The Committee stays connected to members through personal interactions and reports back to SHSMD regarding ways processes/services can be improved to better meet the needs of members. The Committee supports the membership recruitment and retention efforts of SHSMD staff though phone calls to members, review of campaigns, participation in membership events, and the development of member benefits.
  
  
• Products Committee
  The Products Committee is expected to identify opportunities for new products, including, but not limited to, print and electronic publications, educational programs (excluding the annual conference), and related services, to meet the needs of SHSMD members and related healthcare professionals and to leverage the value of related SHSMD initiatives to achieve enhanced professional development opportunities for members.

Task Forces:
SHSMD uses a flexible task force structure designed to bring together leaders with expertise in specific strategic and functional arenas. Task forces are charged with making recommendations to address an immediate or short-term need of the Society. The work of task forces is typically accomplished over a short time period. Task forces disband when their recommendations are submitted and any work products they develop are complete. Task forces may be brought together at a future time to review action and implementation plans.

• 2015 Annual Conference Task Force
  This Task Force will be asked to make recommendations to enhance and expand future SHSMD Annual Conferences and online education.
  
  
• Emerging & Social Media Task Force
  In 2010, this Task Force will be asked to make recommendations on how SHSMD and its members can leverage emerging and social media technologies to enhance the SHSMD member experience, further establish SHSMD as the leading professional organization for provider-based healthcare marketers, planners, and communicators, and serve as a content and expertise resource for healthcare strategy leaders.
  
  
• Physician Strategy & Resource Development Task Force
  This Task Force makes recommendations on resources, products, and services designed to address the most current issues facing hospital/healthcare systems and their medical staffs. The Task Force may become involved in developing resources.
  
  
• Annual Conference Scholarship Task Force
  This Task Force will review the criteria used to award scholarships to the 2009 Annual Conference and make recommendations regarding any changes or additions to the criteria. They will review scholarship applications and select scholarship recipients for the 2010 Annual Conference.
  
  
• Senior Leadership Task Force
  The members of this Task Force composed of senior-level executives with 20+ years in healthcare marketing, planning, or communications experience is charged with making recommendations for information, services, and professional development opportunities for members with senior management responsibilities in healthcare organizations.
  
  

Advisory Groups:

• SHSMD Advisory Panel
  As a member of the Advisory Panel, you will be invited to weigh in on current healthcare issues by answering periodic online surveys. The group’s work is done primarily through e-mail and online surveys throughout the year.