Introduction to GHHS Advisory Council - The Arnold P. Gold Foundation

The Gold Humanism Honor Society was founded in 2002 to recognize students, faculty, and physicians who embody humanism in healthcare. It is a life-long membership of like-minded individuals who provide compassionate and clinically excellent patient care. This page offers an overview of the role of the GHHS Advisory Council and its 4 standing committees.

Co-founder of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation, Dr. Sandra Gold, and GHHS members alike speak to the creation of the Gold Humanism Honor Society and its purpose and importance.

The Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) Advisory Council was created in September 2012 to support and further the mission of the Society. The GHHS Advisory Council advises and recommends policies and activities for the Society to the staff and board of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. The Council also assesses and responds to members’ needs to further the mission of GHHS.

The Advisory Council is composed of students, residents, fellows, deans, institution officials, program directors, practicing physicians, GHHS Chapter Advisors, Tow Award winners, members at large, and a trustee of the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. It meets four times a year, either via conference calls or at face-to-face meetings. If interested, GHHS will be accepting new Trainee member applications to the Advisory Council beginning in March 2023. To learn more visit the Policies and Procedures for Governance of the Gold Humanism Honor Society.

There are 4 standing committees of the Advisory Council: The Executive Committee, The Governance Committee, The Chapter Affairs Committee, and The Programming Committee.

The Executive Committee is comprised of the officers of the Advisory council, the chairs of the Governance, Chapter Affairs, and Program Committees and the director of GHHS. Its charges include functioning as the administrative advisory committee for the GHHS, serving as an authority for the Advisory council between meetings, delegating responsibilities to committees, and reviewing new chapter applications.
The Governance Committee, while its chair must be a member of the Advisory council, is open to all members of the GHHS. It is charged with stewarding the Policies and Procedures for Governance of the Gold Humanism Honor Society, examining issues that arise pertaining to governance of the GHHS, identifying a slate of candidates and overseeing the selection process for vacancy positions on the Advisory Council and its committees.
GHHS Chapter Affairs Committee, open to all GHHS members, provides resources, support-groups, and a place to troubleshoot challenges for chapter advisors and liaisons. This committee is charged with periodically identifying needs of chapters through the chapter check-ins, providing follow up support, remaining connected to chapter advisors, and overseeing chapter awards.
The Program Committee, while its chair must be a member of the Advisory Council, is open to all members of the GHHS. Its charges include identifying and cataloguing existing GHHS programs, anticipating current and future GHHS programming needs, assessing potential programming materials and activities and making recommendations for implementation.