The AAPA encourages any member of the AAPA with a complaint of harassment, bullying and/or assault to come forward. If you were harassed, bullied or assaulted by a member of our AAPA community, or if you witnessed harassment, bullying or assault by or to any member of our AAPA community, we want to hear from you, regardless of whether the incident occurred at an AAPA-sponsored event or elsewhere.
Reporting Procedures:
Any complaint of harassment, bullying or assault should be submitted through NAVEX, a secure on-line reporting system. Complaints may be made on a confidential or anonymous basis. If you file an anonymous complaint, this means your identity will not be known to HCARE or the AAPA. Click here to file a complaint through NAVEX
You will be asked to provide details of the incident(s), names of individuals involved and name(s) of any witnesses. Any complaint will be automatically assigned a report number and will be referred to the Harassment Committee for Awareness, Response and Equity (HCARE) for evaluation (excluding any Committee member who might be implicated in the complaint). This information will be viewed only by members of HCARE, and will be kept confidential by members of this committee.
You may also reach out directly to the HCARE via email: [email protected] with any complaint or concern regarding harassment, bullying or assault. Any email communication shall remain confidential and be communicated only to members of HCARE and the AAPA Executive Committee. However, your identity will not be anonymous unless the email is sent via an anonymized email account.
Review and Investigative Procedures:
If disciplinary action is being considered, those who are implicated in the completed investigation will have an opportunity to appeal to the AAPA Executive Committee before a final disciplinary action is taken. All disciplinary decisions by the Executive Committee will be final.
A specific timeline for the investigation cannot be predicted in advance, as it may depend upon the nature of the allegations and the investigation process. Every effort will be made to complete investigation in a prompt and timely manner.
The AAPA reserves the right, upon receipt of a complaint, if at AAPA’s sole reasonable discretion, the nature of the complaint warrants the immediate removal of an individual from any AAPA-sponsored, AAPA-run or AAPA-affiliated event in order to ensure that the safety of the complainant and to ensure that the event may proceed safely and without undue interruption. In such circumstances removal of an individual can occur prior to undertaking an investigation as described herein.
Potential Actions and Consequences for Harassment and Bullying:
If the AAPA determines that a violation of the AAPA Code of conduct or the AAPA Policy on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault has occurred, the AAPA may take any disciplinary action it deems appropriate, which may include, but is not limited to:
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