Faculty of Medicine Policy on Conflicts of Interest and Commitment

In January of 2009, Dean Jeffrey S. Flier convened a committee of more than 30 faculty and students to examine the existing Harvard Medical School (HMS) Policy on Conflicts of Interest and Commitment (part of the HMS Policies on Integrity in Science) and to make recommendations for changes to the policy. This committee completed its work in the spring of 2010. On July 21, 2010, Dean Flier announced his acceptance of the committee's recommendations. The committee's recommendations have been implemented over the course of 2011. An Interim Policy Statement incorporates the recommendations into policy form. If you are a faculty member seeking guidance on the policy, contact the Office for Professional Standards and Integrity.

Pursuant to HMS Policy, all members of the Faculty of Medicine are required to periodically report outside activities as well as update those reports if changes arise. The committee recommended that HMS move to an annual process for faculty reporting of outside activities and that such reports cover the previous calendar year. The reporting system for Calendar Year 2011 outside activities is now open. To access the Calendar Year 2011 Outside Activity Report, go to http://ecommons.med.harvard.edu/gopage.asp?aoa.asp. Faculty will be prompted to log in using an eCommons username and password and then directed to the Outside Activity Reporting interface. Faculty may return to the link at anytime to update reports or submit additional reports.

Conflict Disclosure in Student Medical Education

In 2008, the HMS Curriculum Committee formally adopted policies that require disclosure of conflicts of interest in undergraduate medical education and prohibit pharmaceutical marketing representatives on campus. The written policies appear in the 08-09 HMS Student Handbook, within the Conflict of Interest (PDF) Section (4.14).