POEM Group Registration Status

1. POEM Group Registration Status • Total Registrants till date: 60 • Number of Registered Countries: 14

2. Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean Group (POEM) BY-LAWS (October 2013) Secretariat Office ● POEM ● American University of Beirut Medical Center, Children’s Cancer Institute ● Beirut, Lebanon Phone: +961-1-350000 Ext. 8104 Fax: 961-1-377384

3. By-laws of the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean Group (POEM) The Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean Group hereafter refer to as POEM Group was established in 2013 as a cooperative platform for physicians, scientist and healthcare professionals from institutions in the Eastern and Mediterranean area with the goal of sharing experience, initiation of cooperative trials and establish common strategy to achieve optimization in the field of pediatric oncology. Name of the Organization: Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean Group (POEM) Mission: To learn and share pediatric oncology activities, outcomes, training, education and research by means of integrated teamwork. Vision: To become one of the leading international groups for Pediatric Oncology by close cooperation among regional centers, physicians, scientists and healthcare workers and patient advocates for optimization of patient care.

4. Purpose of the POEM Group: • To promote continuing improvement in all aspects of patient care, academic and research activities associated with Pediatric Oncology in the region • To promote standard-of-care clinical care guidelines for pediatric malignancies, adapted to context-specific considerations and resources • To promote and facilitate training of healthcare and associated professionals in pediatric oncology. • To augment collaborative clinical care in the region, and facilitate proper utilization of expertise in the region • To promote collaborative pediatric oncology research in the region • To collaborate with other international organizations related to pediatric oncology. • To establish standardization for quality control and accreditation • To support and promote the establishment and utilization of registries for pediatric oncology patients in the region

5. Eligibility: 1. Institutional Membership: • Full Membership in POEM Group is open for centers active in pediatric oncology. Eligible memberships are institutions with consistent annual performance of equal or greater than 20 cases per year. • Center in the region that treats more than 20 patients per year for 3 consecutive years. • Commit for active involvement in POEM Group activities. • Associate Membership is open for clinical centers in the region that do not commit for regular reporting for the annual survey and short-form data, the associate members of centers may participate in retrospective research study on selective basis. Eligible institutions are those centers who: • Treats more than 20 cases per year for 3 consecutive years. • Do not commit for data reporting.

6. Eligibility: 2. Individual Memberships: • Full membership will be available to all members (including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, scientists and healthcare professionals) at registered centers in the POEM Group. The application for membership must include the signature of the Program Director of the institution. • Full membership will be available to all professionals (including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, scientists and healthcare professionals) involved in pediatric oncology practice, education, and research, residing and/or working in the East and Middle East region. • Full members will have the following rights and privileges: • The right to vote. • Eligible for reduced fee to attend the annual meeting. • Receive the POEM Group newsletter. • Participation in the activities of the Working Party

7. Eligibility: • Associate membership Will be available for physicians, scientists and healthcare professionals working in Associate member institution.

8. ANNUAL CONFERENCES & BUSINESS MEETING: • Annual Conference: The meeting of POEM Group will take place once a year and should take place in September or October to avoid overlap with other main professional society meetings. Any country participating in POEM Group can propose to be the host country of the annual congress. The site of the host country of next annual congress will be decided during the annual business meeting of POEM Group. Financial support for the meeting will be solicited by the POEM Group from corporate partners. • Annual Business Meeting: The annual business meeting is open to all full members of POEM Group and is held during the Annual POEM Group conference.

9. ANNUAL CONFERENCES & BUSINESS MEETING: • Annual Report of POEM: A report of the POEM achievement, progress with research activity and other information will be presented at the annual congress. • Other Business Meeting: The POEM Group may call for a Business Meeting in addition to the Annual Meeting as needed and whenever possible during the International meetings (ASPHO, SIOP, ASH, ASCO…)

10. Organizational Structure Chairperson, Board of Directors Vice Chairperson Treasurer Scientific Director Members, Board of Directors 1-2 representative members from each participating country • Chairs, Working Committees • Training • Hematologic Malignancies • NeuroOncology • Solid Tumors • Infection Control & Supportive Care • Late Effects & Quality of Life • Pediatric Oncology Translational & Basic Research • Stem Cell Transplantation • Palliative Care • Registries and Data Management • Ethics • Public Awareness and Prevention

11. Duties and Responsibilities: • CHAIRPERSON OF THE BOARD: The Chairperson of the Board is the highest ranking officer in the POEM’s board of directors. The person holding the office is elected by the members of the organization. Duties and responsibilities of the chairperson: • Presides over the board meetings. • Takes full account of the issues and the concerns of all Board members. • Ensures that members of the Board receive accurate, timely and clear information, in particular about the organization’s performance, to enable effective performance of their duties • Monitors progress towards the timely and effective achievement and implementation of the objectives, policies and strategies set by the Board and of other decisions taken by or on behalf of the Board

12. Contd. • Manages the Board’s time to ensure that sufficient time is allowed for discussion of complex or contentious matters • Encourages Board's role in strategic planning and monitors financial planning and reports. • Monitors and addresses the development needs of individual directors and of the Board as a whole and evaluates annually the performance of the organization in achieving its mission. • Establishes a constructive relationship with the members, provides support and guidance while respecting executive responsibility. • Tenure of the Chairperson of the board is 2 years and can be extended for another 2 years but not to exceed 4 years.

13. Duties and Responsibilities: • VICE CHAIRPERSON: The Vice-Chairperson, as the Chairperson's deputy, shall perform on his/her behalf such duties as may be delegated by the chairperson. Duties and responsibilities of the Vice-Chairperson: • The primary function of a Vice-Chairperson is to complete the tasks and responsibilities of the Chairperson when not available at a meeting or event, or when the Chairperson directs the Vice-Chairperson to take over. • Provide support and guidance to the Chairperson • In the absence of the chairperson, then the vice-chairperson shall preside at the said meeting and, while so presiding, shall have all the powers of the chairperson.

14. Contd. • Acting as the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson must put forth motions when members of the board are ready to vote on each item discussed during a meeting. These motions must cover only the issues that have been listed on an agenda before the meeting began. Orderly discussion about scheduled items and new issues that arise during a meeting must be maintained by the Vice-Chairperson throughout. • The Vice-Chairperson must also ensure that all items of discussion, motions and votes are recorded accurately. • The Vice-Chairperson is a representative of the organization at every meeting. Therefore, it is his/her responsibility to keep the organization's best interests at the forefront and ensure that all opinions are given fair treatment.

15. Contd. • As the title suggests, the Vice-Chairperson should help the Chairperson complete each official duty and responsibility as needed. • The Vice-Chairperson will be elected by the BOD • Tenure of the Vice-Chairperson of the board is 2 years and can be extended for another 2 years but not to exceed 4 years.

16. Duties and Responsibilities: • SCIENTIFIC DIRECTOR: The Scientific Director is the Chair for the Working Committees. The person is to be elected by the members of the organization.  Duties and responsibilities of the Scientific Director: • Develops and communicates scientific strategies and oversees related scientific training. • Provides scientific input and strategic support for clinical development, life-cycle management and commercialization strategies for the assigned therapeutic area and/or compound teams. • Leads teams of cross-functional partners to align strategic priorities and knowledge management resources within a given therapeutic area. • Manages change with a positive approach to the challenges of change for the group. Sees an opportunity to improve performance and add value to the organization. • Initiates and sponsors enhancement projects to build scientific and process-oriented best practices • Tenure of the Scientific Director is 2 years and can be extended for another 2 year but not to exceed 4 years.

17. Duties and Responsibilities: • Treasurer: The function of the treasurer is to manage the financial contribution from the supportive members and corporate partners. The treasurer has to account for the use of the funds for POEM purpose. The Office of the treasurer will be set in the headquarters of the POEM office. The treasurer will be elected by the BOD. Duties and responsibilities of the Treasurer: • Maintains an account of funding and use of funding • Provides and presents the Annual Report on activities of the group

18. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: • The Board of Directors is appointed to act and run the programs and service affairs of the organization. • Duties and responsibilities of the Board of Directors: • The board of directors' key purpose is to ensure the organization's prosperity by collectively directing the organization's affairs, whilst meeting the appropriate interests. In addition, boards of directors must deal with challenges and issues relating to governance, social responsibility and ethics. • Board Meetings are classified as Business Meeting and Scientific Meeting held annually, so that directors can discharge their responsibility to control the organization's overall situation, strategy and policy, and to monitor the exercise of any delegated authority, and so that individual directors can report on their particular areas of responsibility.

19. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: • Business and Scientific Meetings are conducted in such a way that the organization’s business for which it was convened is properly attended to, and that all those entitled to may express their views and that the decisions taken by the meeting adequately reflect the views of the meeting as a whole. • Individual directors appointed in each country have authority which have been given to them by the board. Such authority need not be specific or in writing. However, the board as a whole remains responsible for actions carried out by its authority and it should therefore ensure that it is only granted to appropriate persons and that adequate reporting systems enable it to maintain overall control.

20. BOARD OF DIRECTORS: • Establish vision, mission and values. Determine and review the organization’s goals. It is the board's responsibility to create and review a statement of mission and purpose that articulates the organization's goals, means, and primary constituents served. Monitor, and strengthen programs and services. The board's responsibility is to determine which programs are consistent with the organization's mission and monitor their effectiveness. • Ensure adequate financial resources. One of the board's foremost responsibilities is to secure adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission. • Build a competent board. All boards have a responsibility to articulate prerequisites for candidates, orient new members, and periodically and comprehensively evaluate their own performance. • Ensure that the group's organizational structure is appropriate for implementing the chosen strategies. • Tenure of the Board of Directors is 4 years and can be extended for another 2 year but not to exceed 6 years.

21. Working Groups (WG): • POEM Group will form working groups to promote cooperative research. Each working group will be headed by a chairperson. The chairperson of the working groups is elected for two (2) years with possible extension for two (2) additional years. The structure and agenda of the working group is defined by the chairperson. Members are encouraged to participate in one or more of the working groups according to their particular interest. • The working group chairperson must give annual report about the working group activity during the annual meeting.

22. WORKING GROUP (WG) CHAIR General Description of Position: The position of Working Group Chair is a key position within the POEM Group. He/she will be responsible for contributing to the strategic and scientific direction of the POEM Group, including definition of guidelines, policies and procedures as necessary.

23. WORKING Group (WG) CHAIR ASSIGNMENT As WG Chair he/she will be responsible for the scientific direction and output of the WG and for ensuring that POEM Group guidelines, policies and procedures are followed by all WG members. • Lead and direct the scientific activity of the WG / collaborate with WG members in developing scientific research & other activities. • Organize Working Group program for the annual congress and participate in abstract review process. • Organize WG Business Meetings (min. 2 times per year, one in conjunction with annual congress). • Ensure that WG members are familiar with the POEM guidelines, etc. any ad hoc decisions of the Board. • Liaise with relevant WG Chairs and Scientific Director over inter-WG Studies.

24. WORKING Group (WG) CHAIR ASSIGNMENT • Lead and Participate in the educational and clinical activities of the POEM. • Liaise with corporate partners and other sponsors to provide scientific input and encourage collaboration/financial support for scientific investigation and other activities beneficial to the POEM. • Provide an annual report on WG activities to the Secretariat for inclusion in the Annual Report. • Provide periodic reports on WG activities for inclusion in POEM e-News and other communications.

25. List of working groups • Training: pediatric oncology fellowship, pediatric oncology nursing, clinical laboratory, and others. • Hematologic Malignancies: Clinical care guidelines, clinical treatment plans, and improvement of outcome for patients with leukemias and lymphomas, better understanding of biology of leukemias and lymphomas • Neuro Oncology: Clinical care guidelines, clinical treatment plans, and improvement of outcome for patients with brain tumors, better understanding of biology of brain tumors • Solid Tumors: Clinical care guidelines, clinical treatment plans, and improvement of outcome for patients with solid tumors, better understanding of biology of solid tumors • Infection control and Supportive care: Prevention and treatment of infections in pediatric oncology patients, and supportive care guidelines

26. List of working groups • Late effects and Quality of Life: Tackles issues related to long-term survivors of cancer therapy, including clinical and psychological effects • Pediatric Oncology translational and basic research: Design, coordinate and execute translational and basic laboratory research, standardizing and sharing relevant laboratory testing and establish a biorepository for samples. •  Stem Cell Transplantation (SCT): Indications, Clinical Care Guidelines, Clinical treatment plans, protocols, technical aspects and the SCT procedure. •  Palliative Care: Clinical care guidelines related to establishment, evaluation, and quality improvement in palliative care •  Registries and Data Management: Promote the establishment and maintenance of data registries, and facilitate data management across pediatric oncology centers •  Ethics: Tackles issues related to ethical implications of clinical care decisions, including futile care, as well as ethical conduct of research •  Public Awareness and Prevention: Promote interventions targeting increased public awareness, early diagnosis, and prevention strategies

27. Membership fee: No membership fee will be applied (subject to change based on the recommendation of the annual business meeting). • POEM Group Secretarial office: The POEM Group office is located at the Children’s Cancer Institute, American University of Beirut Medical Center in Beirut, Lebanon. The secretarial office will work for the development and maintenance of the group under the collaboration of the executive board and the chairperson of the executive board. The above-quoted By-Laws of the Pediatric Oncology East and Mediterranean (POEM) group have not been revoked, altered or amended and are in full force and effect. Any alterations or amendments of the said By-Laws should be made in voting and approved by the Board of Directors.