Harassment Committee for Awareness, Response and Equity (HCARE)

AABA is committed to creating and promoting a culture in which every member of our community is treated with respect, and to fostering a safe environment free from harassment, intimidation, and retaliation. The purpose of the Harassment Committee for Awareness, Response and Equity (HCARE) is to assist the AABA in establishing accountability measures and procedures for maintaining the highest standards of ethical, professional and inclusive conduct for attendees of our annual meeting, our members, and our academic community. For more information on HCARE or to report a complaint please read below.


The AABA encourages any member of the AABA with a complaint of harassment, bullying and/or assault to come forward. If you were harassed, bullied or assaulted by a member of our AABA community, or if you witnessed harassment, bullying or assault by or to any member of our AABA community, we want to hear from you, regardless of whether the incident occurred at an AABA-sponsored event or elsewhere.


Reporting Procedures:

Any complaint of harassment, bullying, intimidation, or assault should be submitted through NAVEX. 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 AABA.

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). Click here to file a complaint through NAVEX.

You may also reach out directly to the HCARE via email: AAPAhcare@gmail.com with any complaint or concern regarding harassment, bullying or assault. Any email will be received only by the Chair of the HCARE and the AABA President. However, your identity will not be anonymous unless the email is sent via an anonymized email account.

Any complaint, whether submitted through NAVEX or via email, shall remain confidential and be communicated only to members of HCARE, the AABA President, and the AABA Executive Committee; provided that, if HCARE reasonably determines under the circumstances (including consultation with the complainant) that AABA has an unambiguous legal obligation to report the complaint to authorities outside of AABA, HCARE will report that determination to the AABA Executive Committee, which will, if it concurs, authorize the AABA President to comply with such obligation

Review and Investigative Procedures:

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 AABA reserves the right, upon receipt of a complaint, if at AABA’s sole reasonable discretion, the nature of the complaint warrants the immediate removal of an individual from any AABA-sponsored, AABA-run or AABA-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. If HCARE concludes that such immediate removal pending the conclusion of an investigation is warranted, HCARE will report that recommendation on a confidential basis to the AABA Executive Committee, including information necessary to the Executive Committee’s action on the recommendation; if the Executive Committee concurs in the recommendation, the Executive Committee will order such interim removal.


Potential Actions and Consequences for Harassment and Bullying:

If the AABA Executive Committee determines that a violation of the AABA Code of Conduct or the AABA Policy on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault has occurred, the Executive Committee may take any disciplinary action it deems appropriate, which may include, but is not limited to:

If the Executive Committee determinates that disciplinary action is to be imposed, those who are implicated in the completed investigation will receive notification of the disciplinary action in writing and will have an opportunity to appeal to the AABA Executive Committee in writing within 30 days. All disciplinary decisions by the Executive Committee will be final.

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