The Association of Psychoneurocutaneous Medicine of North America (APMNA) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it at all times. This online privacy statement explains how the APMNA collects, uses and safeguards information on its website. This Internet Privacy Statement applies only to information collected by the APMNA through its website.

As our organization, membership and benefits change from time to time, this Internet Privacy Statement is expected to change as well. We reserve the right to amend the Internet Privacy Statement at any time, for any reason. We will post a notice that this Internet Privacy Statement has been amended by revising the “Last updated” date at the bottom of this page.

If you have questions about this Internet Privacy Statement, please send us an email. Please note that we cannot process opt-out requests sent to this email address.

When you browse www.psychodermatology.us and do not interact with the site for any online service or product from the APMNA, you browse anonymously. Personally identifiable information–such as your name, address, phone number and email address–is not collected as you browse.

When you become a registered user on our site, or choose to interact with our site in other ways, such as subscribing to APMNA services, purchasing an APMNA product, applying for APMNA membership, participating in online surveys and forums, submitting questions or comments or requesting information or materials, we will collect certain personal information from you. The type of personal information collected will vary but may include name, address, phone number, billing and delivery information, email address, credit card information and other demographic information. We do not collect Social Security numbers via the APMNA website. The type of product or service that you seek will determine the personal information that is collected. For a listing of the exact type of personal information that will be collected from you, please refer to the appropriate online form.

We track how our site is used by both anonymous visitors and visitors who interact with the site. One way we track is by using “cookies.” A cookie is a small file or string of text on the site user’s computer that is used to aid Web navigation. Two types of cookies are commonly used. A session cookie is created by a website when that website is accessed; that type of cookie is automatically deleted by closing the Web browser. A persistent cookie is a cookie that is stored on the hard drive of the user’s computer for a period of time chosen by the website that set the cookie, usually for a number of years, unless the user deletes it manually. This policy distinguishes between short-lived cookies and long-lasting cookies. Short-lived cookies include all session cookies and those persistent cookies that are set to be stored for no more than one week. APMNA-related websites may at times require users to accept short-lived cookies in order for the websites to function properly. Long-lasting cookies may be used on the site to track visitor practices to help determine which site features and services are most important and guide editorial direction. Other long-lasting cookies may make it possible for the user to access the site without requiring entry of a user name or password, allow the user to view different restricted areas of the site without reregistering, allow the user to personalize the site for future use and provide other features and benefits. Users who do not desire the functionality created by the long-lasting cookie can disable the long-lasting cookie function, either by indicating when asked that they do not wish to have a long-lasting cookie created or by disabling the long-lasting cookie function in their Web browser. Individuals can opt out of long-lasting cookie functions that permit tracking of personal information at any time.

Cookies are required for the Members-Only areas of the website. Cookies are essential for site administration and security.

Once collected, we may use your personal information (except for email address, which is outlined below) for the following purposes:

• Register you for programs and services you have requested.
• Process, fulfill and follow up on your orders or membership application.
• Answer your emails or on-line requests.
• Send information you request.
• Send and process surveys.
• Ensure the APMNA site is relevant to your needs.
• Deliver APMNA services such as newsletters, meetings or events.
• Notify you about new products/services special offers, upgrades and other related information from the APMNA and other approved third parties.

The following defines how email will be handled for physicians and medical students, APMNA members and nonphysicians who have supplied their email address to the APMNA.

Physicians and medical students: All physicians and medical students who have opted in may be sent an APMNA newsletter.

Physicians, medical students, and nonphysicians: The APMNA may also send “transactional or relational email messages” to physicians, medical students, and nonphysicians with whom we already have a relationship.

We do not share, sell, trade, exchange or rent your email address to vendors for them to market their products or services to you. When we hire vendors to deliver emails to you on our behalf, they are under agreement and limited from using your email address for any other purpose.

When we send email to you, we may be able to identify information about your email address, such as whether you can view graphic-rich HTML email. If your email address is HTML-enabled, we may choose to send you graphic-rich HTML email messages.

How to opt out of email — To opt out of an email list, go to our APMNA e-newsletter sign-up page or click the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any email newsletter from the APMNA.

The APMNA may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to legal requirements or comply with legal process served on the APMNA; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of APMNA; or (c) protect the personal safety of APMNA personnel or members of the public in urgent circumstances. In addition to the disclosures identified above, if you are a physician or medical student, the personal information you provide through the APMNA website may be incorporated into the APMNA’s physician database commonly known as the Physician Masterfile. The names and addresses of physicians and medical students in the APMNA Physician Masterfile are made available only for communications that are germane to the practice of medicine or of interest to physicians or medical students as consumers.

Children under 13 — We do not knowingly solicit data online from or market online to children under the age of 13.

Information security — The APMNA implements security measures to protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure or destruction of data. We restrict access to personal information to the APMNA’s business partners who may need to know that information in order to operate, develop or improve our services. These individuals are bound by confidentiality obligations and may be subject to discipline, including termination and criminal prosecution, if they fail to meet these obligations.

Site security features
SSL technology and how you benefit from it — APMNA realizes the importance of security, so we’ve taken a number of steps to enhance the protection of information sent to or from APMNA over the Internet. First, we require that a “secure session” be established, using Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. This is done any time you supply or access information in one of our secure online areas.

SSL technology creates a private conversation that only your computer and APMNA systems can understand. The SSL technology encodes information as it is being sent over the Internet between your computer and APMNA systems, helping to ensure that the transmitted information remains confidential.

User ID and password — Many areas of the site require the use of a user ID and password as an additional security measure that helps protect your information. This allows APMNA to verify who you are, thereby allowing you access to your account information and preventing unauthorized access.

When you have finished using a secure area of APMNA’s website, make sure you always click on the “Log Out” link which appears on every secure page. When you click on the “Log Out” link, you will be given the option to end your secure session. No further secure transactions can be conducted without re-entering your user ID and password. You should be aware that browser software often “caches” a page as you look at it, meaning that some pages are saved in your computer’s temporary memory. Therefore, you may find that clicking on your “Back” button shows you a saved version of a previously viewed page. Caching in no way affects the security of your confidential user ID or password.

No guarantee — Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. Accordingly, and despite our efforts, APMNA cannot guarantee or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us, or to or from our online products or services.

You should be aware that other Internet sites that link to the APMNA site or to an APMNA email may contain privacy provisions that differ from the provisions of this Internet Privacy Statement. To ensure your privacy is protected, we recommend that you review the privacy statements of other Internet sites you visit.

If you are a registered user of the APMNA website, subscriber to APMNA publications, purchaser of APMNA products or an APMNA member, you may review and update/correct your information by using your user name and password.

Physicians and medical students may update or correct any information the APMNA may have on file by going online.. Updates or corrections to certain types of information (e.g. physician licensure, medical education or training, etc.) will require independent verification prior to effectuating any (permanent) change to our files.

Last updated November, 2012