Recent updates address consulting/speaking relationships and bar expert advisory panel participation
Updated April 2014
The school has implemented a number of programs and policies that foster appropriate industry relationships that support our clinical, educational, and research missions -- while ensuring that our patient care and research is not influenced by industry bias, and that our students receive fair and balanced education.
As a result, we have consistently earned top marks from the American Medical Student Association “PharmFree” scorecard, and were recently featured as a “best practice” case study in the Pew Charitable Trusts report on conflict of interest for academic medical centers.
We have long required all Medical School faculty and senior administrators to disclose any interaction with industry. We have policies regarding industry gifts, visits and other practices, and we do not accept industry funding for continuing medical education. We require our faculty to disclose their relationships with industry to the students and trainees they are teaching.
We also abide by University of Michigan policies and procedures regarding research funding from corporate sources.
We have two committees in the Medical School that review significant conflicts and require conflict management plans as needed.
Recently, we implemented two additional policies restricting certain activities with industry.
One policy limits the type of speaking activities in which Medical School faculty and staff can engage, prohibiting participation in industry speakers bureaus and limiting other types of industry-sponsored speaking.
The second policy defines the conditions under which acceptable, value-added consulting with industry can occur. It bars faculty and staff consulting arrangements with expert advisory panels (EAPs). EAPs are intermediary companies that match scientific experts with business clientele such as hedge fund managers, representatives of brokerage firms, and representatives of biomedical companies. Our faculty and staff may consult with biomedical companies but they must do so directly and under a contract that must be shared with supervisors or oversight offices upon request. The policy required previously existing contracts with EAPs to conclude by Jan. 1, 2014.
We continue to assess other opportunities to improve our review practices and policies. We value our reputation as an institution committed to responsible interaction between industry, academia and medicine.