Hopkins School of Medicine Dean Edward D. Miller, MD, sent a message to all faculty members last Wednesday reiterating the importance of reporting outside activities and interests in retaining the public’s trust in medical research, education and clinical care.
He noted that the upcoming date for renewal of faculty appointments serves as a good reminder of the School of Medicine’s requirement that faculty members disclose outside activities to both the Office of the Dean and to Departmental Directors, and pointed out that divisions may also have additional reporting requirements. Dean Miller also referred to the federal disclosure regulations that must be observed when conducting federally-sponsored research.
The School of Medicine’s Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) is available to provide information concerning policies and regulations, and its eOPC website has been developed to streamline the process of reporting and updating disclosures. Additional enhancements are in the works to make the electronic reporting process still more convenient to use.
In response to a recent discovery of flaws in reporting at other institutions, both Congress and the press are giving researchers’ disclosures increased scrutiny. The Dean has ordered a review of the conflict of commitment policies and processes at Hopkins Medicine to ensure that the principles of transparency and accountability in scientific practice are carefully maintained with effective reporting.
