Conflict of Interest

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Conflict of Interest

About Us Conflict of Interest

Penn State College of Medicine takes potential conflicts of interest seriously.

The Conflict of Interest Review Committee provides oversight for clinical, educational, and research conflicts on the College of Medicine campus. The Committee is charged with determining whether an actual or perceived conflict of interest does exist between any significant financial interests reported by a faculty or staff member and their clinical, educational, research, or administrative responsibilities.

When these conflicts, or potential conflicts, are found, it is the responsibility of this committee to oversee their management, in order to maintain the integrity of any faculty members' professional responsibility.

The Committee will attempt to recommend management of the conflict of interest, taking steps to reasonably eliminate bias in research, teaching, or clinical care.

If this cannot be accomplished, then the committee and the conflict of interest staff will suggest optimal ways to reduce, or even eliminate the conflict.

Public Disclosure of Financial Conflicts of Interest

Public disclosure of financial conflicts of interest involving individual employees of Penn State College of Medicine or Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center will be made only, as required in Federal PHS regulations (42 CFR, Part 50, Subpart F revised in 2011), for conflicts of interest involving studies funded by the Public Health Service (PHS).

Response to Requests for Public Information

The Conflict of Interest staff will respond via email or in writing to anyone requesting this information within 5 business days of receipt by the COI Program, for Financial Conflict of Interest involving PHS studies performed at the College of Medicine or Hershey Medical Center.

The requestor will receive a letter from the COI program either providing the information below or specifying one of the following reasons it could not be provided:

  • the individual for whom the information is requested is not a current COM/HMC employee;
  • the individual for whom the information is requested is not a PHS-funded investigator or the study requested is not funded by PHS; or
  • the study for which information is requested was not performed at Penn State College of Medicine or Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

The information to be made public will include the following:

  • the investigator's name;
  • investigator's title and role with respect to the research project;
  • name of the entity in which the significant financial interest is held;
  • nature of the significant financial interest; and
  • approximate dollar value of the significant financial interest or a statement that the interest is one whose value cannot be readily determined through reference to public prices or other reasonable measures of fair market value.

If the investigator has no applicable conflict of interest, that information will be provided as well.

The investigator will be copied on this response.

Requests for Public Financial Conflict of Interest Information

Requests for Publicly Accessible information regarding Conflicts of Interest in PHS-Sponsored Studies should specify the full name of the individual and/or the study for which information is requested and be made via one of the following methods:

Online form: Submit the online form here

Email: COM_COIProgram@pennstatehealth.psu.edu

The COI program may not be able to provide complete information if the requestor does not request information regarding a specific employee or employees or a specific funded study or studies.

If you have any questions or require further information, email COM_COIProgram@pennstatehealth.psu.edu or call 717-531-0003, ext. 283526.