Conflict of Interest

All members of the Health Science Center community have an obligation to ensure that their education, research, patient care, public service, and other responsibilities are conducted in an unbiased manner. As a result, it is the responsibility of the Health Science Center and its employees to guard against conflicts of interest or commitment that may compromise the integrity and objectivity of both the institution and the individual.

Conflicts of interest are generally defined as those situations in which an individual’s financial, professional, or other personal considerations may directly or indirectly affect, or have the appearance of affecting, an individual’s professional judgment in exercising their institutional duty or responsibility. A conflict of commitment refers to a situation where an individual engages in external activities, either paid or unpaid, that interferes with their primary obligation and commitment to the institution.

Conflicts of interest and commitment are not inherently wrong and often cannot or need not be avoided. Indeed, it is in the public interest that faculty and other researchers or clinicians are in the forefront of knowledge in their particular field. In some cases, that means that they are called upon to serve as consultants to industry. In others, they may make an invention that, once commercialized, improve the health and welfare of the citizenry. However, in the areas of personal financial gain and external activities, special steps are needed to assure that conflicts do not interfere with an individual’s institutional responsibilities.

The Health Science Center has established policies and procedures that address conflicts of interest and commitment, as well as interactions between researchers and clinicians with industry—all with the intended result of making certain that the integrity of the individual and the institution are maintained.