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Start a new SIGN Chapter

Apply for Chapter Status

• There is no cost to starting a SIGN chapter. Check if your institution already has a chapter by looking at the .

• Assemble a group of interested students, and select a chapter president to lead the group. You may optionally select co-presidents and other leadership (i.e. secretary, treasurer). 

• Identify a faculty advisor at your institution to oversee the chapter. The faculty advisor's role is to provide guidance on neurology-related events and serve as the institutional memory of the chapter through leadership turnover. 

• Fill out the  to apply for SIGN chapter status, being sure to select the "registering new chapter" option.

• Submit a roster following this through the or directly to sign@aan.com. The roster may change as you hold recruitment events—please update it on a yearly basis after recruitment events are held. As a reminder, the roster must contain the following for each student:

  • First name
  • Last name
  • Institution email address
  • Anticipated graduation year
  • Role (e.g. "member," "faculty advisor," or chapter leadership such as "President" / "Co-president," Vice President," "Secretary," etc.)
  • Alternate (non-institution) email address 

After Applying:  

• Your chapter will be reviewed by the AAN. Please allow at least one week for the AAN to review your application. 
• If approved, you will receive an email confirmation, and your chapter will appear as active on the .  
• Your SIGN chapter will remain active until July 31. You can renew your chapter for the next year beginning August 1. 

Renew your chapter

To renew your chapter status and stay an active chapter, chapter leadership should:

• Complete the .
• Complete the , and select the "renewing existing chapter" option. 
• Update your chapter roster. See above for details.

After completing these items, you will receive an email confirmation, and your chapter will appear as active on the . Please allow at least one week for the AAN to process your renewal request. Your SIGN chapter will remain active until July 31. You can renew your chapter again for the next year beginning August 1.

Leadership Transition

To update your chapter contacts (primary contact, president, faculty advisor, resident mentor) after a leadership transition, please email sign@aan.com. See whether your contacts are up to date by checking the .

APPLY FOR REIMBURSEMENT

Who is Eligible? 

For the 2024-2025 chapter year, only US and Canada-based chapters are eligible for reimbursement for SIGN-related expenses. You must renew your chapter status before submitting new reimbursement requests. Please check the  to make sure your status is active.

Setting Your Chapter Up for Reimbursement â€¯

• First, be sure that your chapter has active status for the year by checking the .
• Then, identify a designated “vendor” within your chapter. A vendor is someone who can be reimbursed; this person could be a chapter member, administrative assistant, or faculty advisor. Other members can make purchases on behalf of the chapter, but it is the vendor who receives reimbursement from the AAN and who is responsible for distributing it to members who have made purchases on behalf of the chapter if applicable.
• The vendor will provide the AAN with financial information (W-9, banking info) so that the chapter can be sent reimbursements. There is a 2-3 business day process involved in adding a new vendor to our system, so we recommend that chapters choose someone who will stick around the longest.
• SIGN chapters may only have one active vendor at a time. Please email sign@aan.com to confirm or update your vendor prior to submitting for reimbursement.  

Submitting for Reimbursement

Keep all receipts for SIGN-related purchases. When ready to submit for reimbursement, the vendor should complete the , and send the along with the receipt(s) to sign@aan.com. 

• Common reimbursable expenses include food and beverage costs, trivia prizes, speaker costs, and printing supplies. 
• Reimbursement limits are unaffected by external funding. We encourage chapters to seek funding from their institutions or other sources as needed. 
• All reimbursements must be submitted within 30 days of the event.

Reimbursement Tiers

Reimbursement request limits reset with the new chapter year (August 1). All new chapters start at Tier 1. For renewing chapters, tiers are based on your chapter activities per the previous (2023-2024) . 

Tiers: 

1. Have active chapter status - $100
2. Submit previous cycle end-of-year form and host a community outreach event - $400
3. Create mentorship, shadowing, and/or research opportunities, or host a regional or large inter-institutional event - $800

Example: Based on your 2023-2024 activities, you were eligible to request $400 and had requested $270 as of April 1. Between April 1 and July 31, you would be able to request up to $130 more. Once the new chapter year starts on August 1, 2025, reimbursement resets and is based on your 2024-2025 activities.

Please email sign@aan.com with any questions, or to indicate that your chapter should be eligible for another tier based on new activities.