November 19, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10641 

bankrupted ourselves in this senseless oil 

war in Iraq. We need to understand that we 

need to get off of fossil fuels. 

We can and we have to do better. The country needs strong leadership and I have 

watched you, you are a person of integrity. 

You can give us the leadership, even though 

it will not be the party line. I pray you have 

the courage to make a difference. 

The American public deserves a choice to 

our energy needs and tax incentives for solar 

and wind energy for our homes, will take us 

in that direction. I know this is not consistent with the Big Business energy and 

automobile business model, but I think they 

do not see the wisdom of making hard 

changes, tough choices and creating our own 

energy future. 

The whole period of deregulation we have 

just gone through has not been healthy for 

our country. Deregulation, from Enron to 

sub-prime lending is bankrupting our country. For the past 60 years the housing market has been stable and predictable. Deregulation has been regulation for the wealthy 

and well-positioned. We cannot continue to 

steal the hope for the middle class on the 

back of the rich. 

There have been two major fallacies foisted on the American public. One is that tax 

cuts will stimulate jobs and drilling oil will 

reduce gas prices. The wealthy citizens of 

our country and the oil companies can be 

multi-national citizens and their allegiances 

are to their own wealth accumulation, just a 

factor of human nature. 

We do not have nationalized oil, therefore 

oil drilling will benefit the oil companies and 

the highest bidders in the world market, yet 

the American public is led to believe, oil 

drilling will have an appreciable impact on 

our local gas prices, but indeed the nations 

with more wealth, able to bid and buy the 

commodity will benefit. We are a debtor nation, unlike China. Producing our own 

source of energy is critical to changing that 

reality. 

Tax cuts given to the wealthiest of our nation, without a requirement that those tax 

cuts be re-invested in the USA leaves those 

individuals the option to take those tax cuts 

and invest them in the country of their 

choice, wherever they can get the best return, again leaving the human instinct of 

wealth accumulation to play out. 

If we invest our tax cuts, in our own country and our own energy interests, that will 

create local high paying jobs, we will be investing in our own future, taking us out of 

the status of debtor nation. 

By the way, I, as well as Warren Buffet, am 

in the tax bracket that was advantaged by 

the big tax cuts, and I and Warren Buffet 

have both felt we would be glad to forego 

those tax cuts for a strong economy. 

Again, I ask that you have the courage to 

engage with any in congress, in a bipartisan 

way, who is of a like mind to take us to energy freedom. Jay Inslee the representative 

from Washington State is a great proponent 

of energy issues and a person like you, who 

is a person of integrity. I pray that our representatives in Washington will have the 

sense of urgency required to take the bold 

steps needed for the American People. 

As well, I might suggest, your staff get the 

hearing minutes from a Senate hearing held 

this week on the energy grid where T. Boone 

Pickens gave testimony where he stated ‘‘we 

cannot drill our way out of our current energy crisis’’ proposing wind energy as a 

major part of the solution. It was a very enlightening hearing. 

Thank you for your concern for the plight 

of your constituents. 

TIM, Kuna. 

As a person living on a fixed income, I find 

that the soaring costs of energy in all forms 

are creating a considerable burden on me. 

With gas at $4 per gallon, the cost of everything is sky rocketing. 

The U.S. is being held hostage by two bit 

dictators in the energy market. And it is unnecessary. We are a country that put a man 

on the moon over forty years ago, yet we 

have not found ways of using our abundant 

coal resources in an environmentally safe 

manner, and I am not seeing anything being 

done about it. Why? 

We spend hundreds of billions on foreign 

oil imports yet we allow a few vocal nuts to 

keep us from developing our own resources. 

We must tap the oil in the Alaska Wildlife 

Reserve. Contrary to their claims, oil production and wildlife are not incompatible. 

The noise and bustle of drilling will cause 

the animals to leave temporarily, after the 

drillers leave and the pumps and pipelines 

are in place they will return. 

We are often told that the lack of refinery 

capacity is also a cause of high gas prices. 

How many new refineries are currently 

under construction? How many are planned? 

When was the last completed? 

ALFRED, Twin Falls. 

I wrote a response to your email about energy yesterday and as I sat here another 

issue presented itself to me. This is on a 

community level. My wife and I (with bad 

forethought) bought The Roxy Theatre in 

Cascade. I say the above because now many 

people do not have the extra money to spend 

seeing movies or plays or concerts. Now after 

two years, seeing my available credit shrink, 

and energy costs of my theatre go up, I am 

looking at hard choices. I have chosen not to 

hire employees back. This further hurts the 

overall economy as there are 4 people who 

now have to find jobs. I have tried, but I cannot find a way to end this bleeding. The 

power company asked and got two very large 

rate hikes. Why are we spending almost 2/3 of 

all the fuel refined in the USA making power 

for the grids? We have been cut in the heel 

by a very small but loud group of people who 

say we should have no more reactors in the 

USA. Enough—the good of the few do not 

outweigh the good of the many. We have always been a nation formed on that. From my 

grandfather to my dad to my service in the 

military, I know that. I have served for the 

good of the many. I am still a police officer 

for the good of the many. It is sure not for 

the pay. I read bills all of the time that you 

all are debating on the Hill. I laugh; we 

spend millions of bucks to help out some performing arts center in New York. I provide 

the same arts to Americans too. I guess we 

are too small in Idaho or Cascade, I should 

say. We could all sit around and cry the 

blues, but nothing gets done. I put on my 

uniform 4 days a week and my theatre 

clothes 7 days a week, 364 days a year. I do 

this because it is for the good of the many. 

[I think earmarks should be allowed for 

projects that provide for the good of the 

many and my theatre would qualify for assistance.] You, sir, are elected to serve. I 

hear it just as much as you do. I do not mean 

that I am your boss. I mean we put you there 

because we feel you can fix it. I feel, given 

the responses you have seen, that Idaho’s 

gems have given you the ways to fix the 

problems you asked about. We have to all 

give something up. Again, I have not asked 

you to put me on a spending bill for aid to 

my 1939 theatre that I am sure will not make 

it through the year. The small business will 

not make it that long. When something big 

happens to this country, everyone asks for 

federal aid. Major snowstorms happen here, 

and it is not even reported. Four inches of 

snow in Florida and every news channel is 

calling it a disaster. We want this fixed before there is not debate about it. . . It will 

be a disaster that no one will have thought 

could happen. Many politicians say all of the 

time small business is the backbone of the 

USA. We are all hurting in this town. We are 

all getting close to going under. No joke, 

come up here, I will buy you a movie. I’ll 

show you around like when the mill closed in 

2000. We are on the threshold of something 

very bad. Thanks for your time, I know like 

me you do not have much to spare. 

f 

JASON, Cascade. 

PAYMENTS TO RADIO HOST 

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, several years ago, I started looking at the 

financial relationships between physicians and drug companies. I am doing 

this because I am concerned that there 

is very little transparency on this 

issue. I have also learned that the little 

transparency that does exist is not 

being enforced or is being enforced inconsistently. 

For instance, the National Institutes 

of Health requires researchers to report 

outside payments to their institution if 

they receive a grant from the NIH. But 

I have learned that some researchers 

are failing to properly report this 

money. 

Recently, I examined payments from 

pharmaceutical companies to a professor of psychiatry at the University 

of Cincinnati. I found out that she was 

not reporting tens of thousand of dollars in outside income. 

I then looked at a group of the 

world’s most prominent child psychiatrists, in particular, three researchers 

at Harvard who have taken millions of 

dollars from the drug companies. These 

doctors are funded by several NIH 

grants, but they were not reporting all 

of their money from the drug companies as required by NIH regulations. 

I then discovered a department chairman at Stanford who founded a company that was seeking approval from 

the Food and Drug Administration to 

market a drug for depression. The NIH 

is funding some research on this drug 

which was being led by this same Stanford scientist. Because there were some 

obvious conflicts with this situation, 

the NIH recently forced Stanford to 

pull this professor off the grant. 

I also sent letters to the University 

of Texas and Emory University about 

researchers at their institutions. 

I would now like to discuss another 

troubling aspect about the lack of financial transparency in medicine. 

‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ is a radio show 

that is independently produced but 

runs on over 300 public radio stations. 

It is possibly the most authoritative 

program on psychology and neuroscience in America. This show has won 

over 60 journalism awards. According 

to a biography of the show’s host, it 

has an audience of over half a million 

people. 

Back in my home State of Iowa, 

‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ is broadcast on 

most Sundays, early in the evening. 

My guess is that thousands of Iowans 

tune in. According to its own website, 

‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ prides itself on its 


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S10642 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 19, 2008 

‘‘independence.’’ But there may be 

some problems with their financial 

transparency. 

Last May, a couple of reporters for a 

news site called ‘‘Slate’’ wrote about 

an episode of ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ 

called Prozac Nation: Revisited. During 

this episode, three guests on the show 

discussed problems with 

antidepressants. After listening to a recording of the show, it appeared to me 

that the real effect of this particular 

episode was to undercut any criticism 

that antidepressants might be linked 

to an increased risk of suicide. This is 

an issue I tackled a few years back. 

Maybe these three guests felt that 

there really is no problem with 

antidepressants. But a large number of 

experts believe that antidepressants 

may be associated with an increased 

risk of suicide, particularly in kids. In 

fact, last March, two months before 

this show aired, Britain’s Medicines 

and Healthcare Regulatory Authority 

MHRA, concluded a 4 year investigation of the antidepressant, Paxil. That 

report found that GSK had been aware 

since 1998 that Paxil was associated 

with a higher risk of suicidal behavior 

in adolescents. 

Now don’t get me wrong, experts on 

public radio have a right to express 

their own opinions. However, I am concerned that the host of ‘‘The Infinite 

Mind’’ never pointed out that all three 

of the show’s guests had strong financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry. 

That is right. Every one of them. And 

this was never mentioned during the 

program or by the guests who appeared. 

What listeners also never learned is 

that the host of ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ 

has his own ties to drugmakers. When 

a show runs on National Public Radio, 

NPR, doesn’t the public have a right to 

know where the show’s host gets his 

money? 

The host of ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ is 

Dr. Frederick Goodwin, who I am told, 

is one of our country’s leading experts 

on bipolar disorder. In fact, he has 

written the definitive textbook on bipolar disorder. He is now an adjunct 

professor at George Washington University Medical Center and was formerly the director of the National Institute of Mental Health. 

But what you would never know 

about Dr. Goodwin is that he is also a 

paid spokesman for several drug companies. Now, I don’t know how much 

money Dr. Goodwin actually receives 

from all the drug companies, but based 

on documents my office has received 

from GlaxoSmithKline, I do know that 

GlaxoSmithKline pays him around 

$2500 for every talk his gives on treatments for bipolar disorder and depression. These talks concerned several 

drugs such as Wellbutrin, Eskalith, and 

Lamictal. 

Based on documents that my office 

received from GlaxoSmithKline, Dr. 

Goodwin gives these talks to doctor 

groups around the country. So far this 

year, Glaxo reports that the company 

paid Dr. Goodwin over $130,000 for over 

50 different talks. Of course, Dr. Goodwin may be making more money from 

other drug companies, but I only asked 

GlaxoSmithKline for their information. I do know from a scientific paper 

that Dr. Goodwin published that he has 

also given talks on behalf of Pfizer, 

Solvay, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Astra 

Zeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb. And 

he has served as a consultant for many 

of these companies, as well. 

In fact, Dr. Goodwin was very busy 

the week that the episode of Prozac 

Nation: Revisited started airing last 

March 26. GlaxoSmithKline’s records 

show that the company paid Dr. Goodwin for several talks he gave that week 

on bipolar disorder and Lamictal. 

In fact, records show that he gave 

around eight talks at $2500 each, bringing him around $20,000 in payments. 

Several of the talks were done by teleconference, but Dr. Goodwin also spoke 

about Lamictal at Fleming’s Prime 

Steakhouse in Birmingham, Michigan 

and the Rosebud Steak House in 

Schaumburg, IL. 

Based upon the information provided 

to my staff, Dr. Goodwin was also very 

active on behalf of Glaxo in 2005. That 

year, Glaxo paid Dr. Goodwin over 

$300,000 in speaking fees and around 

$25,000 in expenses to discuss their 

products. And this was the same year 

that he hosted an episode for ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ on bipolar disorder in kids. 

Again there was no disclosure on the 

show about Dr. Goodwin’s financial 

ties to GlaxoSmithKline or other drug 

companies. 

Let’s take this one step further. 

When an episode on bipolar disorder 

first aired on September 20, 2005, Dr. 

Goodwin was once again on the road 

for the Glaxo. Glaxo’s records show 

that the company paid him $2500 for a 

talk he gave that day on drug therapy 

for bipolar disorder. The talk was at 

Lemonia, a Tuscan restaurant located 

at the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort in 

Naples, FL. 

I don’t think it takes a journalism or 

ethics professor to figure out that listeners of a national radio show should 

be told about the host’s financial interests. It just seems obvious. This type of 

information should be out in the open 

and transparent. 

People should know that since 2000, 

GlaxoSmithKline has paid the host of a 

radio program on psychiatry over $1.2 

million in speaking fees and over 

$100,000 in expenses. People should 

know that, based on information from 

Glaxo, most of these fees were paid to 

Dr. Goodwin through Best Practice, a 

pharmaceutical consulting firm that he 

helped establish in the late nineties. 

Among the many services that have 

been offered by Best Practice are marketing consultation, and the ‘‘dissemination of new off label information.’’ 

Now, I have already pointed out that 

this independently produced radio show 

runs on over 300 public radio stations. 

But it also runs on NPR’s satellite station. This got the attention of Margaret Low Smith, a vice president at 

NPR. She has stated that any show 

that runs on NPR’s satellite station, 

and I quote, ‘‘must live up to NPR 

standards .’’ 

So I would like to go over some of 

those standards as found on NPR’s own 

website. According to NPR’s own policies, and I quote, ‘‘confidence in us as 

independent and fair means avoiding 

actual and apparent conflicts of interest or engaging in outside activities, 

public comment or writing that calls 

into question our ability to report fairly on a subject.’’ 

The policy also states that an individual covered under this code ‘‘has the 

responsibility to disclose potential 

conflicts of interest.’’ 

I think these are very fair standards 

on transparency, and I hope that shows 

running on NPR will try to live up to 

them in the future. 

It is not my job as a Senator to 

screen newspapers, the evening news or 

national radio for my constituents. But 

it is my job to watch out for taxpayers’ 

money. According to its website and 

promotional comments made during 

many of the show’s episodes, ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ has been made possible, at 

times, by major underwriting from the 

National Science Foundation and the 

National Institutes of Health. 

And that is why I am sending out two 

letters one to the National Institutes 

of Health and another to the National 

Science Foundation. 

The recently departed director of 

NIH has already acknowledged that 

they have problems with their policies 

when it comes to researchers not reporting outside income. I commend 

him for recognizing this fact. I also 

know that the NIH plans on changing 

its regulations to tighten up disclosure 

requirements. 

But I am not certain about the disclosure requirements when the NIH 

helps to fund a show like ‘‘The Infinite 

Mind.’’ I am going to ask the NIH to 

see if they require ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ 

to disclose the money that drug companies pay to the show’s host. 

And I am asking the NSF to explain 

their policies on financial disclosure to 

see if they might need some changes as 

well. 

I ask unanimous consent to have my 

letters to the National Institutes of 

Health and the National Science Foundation printed in the RECORD. I would 

also like to commend GlaxoSmithKline 

for their cooperation with the Committee and their commitment to transparency. It is greatly appreciated. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

U.S. SENATE, 

COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, 

Washington, DC, November 19, 2008. 

RAYNARD S. KINGTON, M.D., Ph.D., 

Acting Director, National Institutes of Health, 

Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD. 

DEAR ACTING DIRECTOR KINGTON: As a senior member of the United States Senate and 

the Ranking Member of the Committee on 


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November 19, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S10643 

Finance (Committee), I have a duty under 

the Constitution to conduct oversight into 

the actions of executive branch agencies, including the activities of the National Institutes of Health (NIH/Agency). In this capacity, I must ensure that NIH properly fulfills 

its mission to advance the public’s welfare 

and makes responsible use of the public funding provided for medical studies. This research often forms the basis for action taken 

by the Medicare and Medicaid programs. 

Once again I would like to bring to NIH’s 

attention my concerns about the lack of 

oversight regarding conflicts of interest relating to the almost $24 billion in annual 

grants that are distributed by the NIH. I understand that you are now attempting to 

change the regulations covering the extramural research program to ensure more accountability in financial disclosure. I appreciate your work in this area. 

As you know, institutions receiving an NIH 

research grant are required to manage the 

grantee’s conflicts of interest. I would like 

now to let you know that I have discovered 

another problem with an NIH grantee and a 

lack of financial transparency. 

In particular, I am concerned about a radio 

show that discusses psychology and neuroscience called ‘‘The Infinite Mind.’’ This 

show, as I understand it, is independently 

produced and is distributed to over 300 public 

radio stations and appears on National Public Radio’s (NPR) satellite channel. According to this show’s website and promotional 

comments made during several of the show’s 

episodes, ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ claims to receive major underwriting from the National 

Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Mental Health. 

The host of the ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ is research professor Dr. Frederick Goodwin. 

However, I have learned that while hosting 

this radio program, Dr. Goodwin also received substantial compensation from drug 

companies. In the fine print of an article he 

published in the Journal of the American 

Medical Association in 2003, Dr. Goodwin acknowledged that he ‘‘has served on the 

speaker’s bureaus of Glaxo, Solvay, Janssen, 

Pfizer, Lilly, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers 

Squibb; and has served as a consultant for 

Glaxo, Solvay, Pfizer, Lilly, Bristol-Myers 

Squibb Elan, and Novartis.’’ For example, 

over the last seven years, Dr. Goodwin received over $1.3 million in speaking fees and 

honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for 

giving over 480 talks. I discovered this fact 

through documents that I received from 

GSK. 

I have attached a chart detailing the information that GSK supplied to my staff. Many 

of the payments to Dr. Goodwin were made 

through a company called Best Practice LLC 

(BP). Based upon independent research conducted by my staff, it appears that Dr. Goodwin founded BP along with several other scientists in the late nineties. It is my understanding that BP advises pharmaceutical 

companies. 

As mentioned earlier, when one listens to 

‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ there is an acknowledgment that NIH money helps to underwrite 

its production. Accordingly I would appreciate any information that you could provide 

me regarding financial disclosure requirements applicable to this situation. It seems 

to me that if the federal government provides financial support for a radio program 

that is heard by hundreds of thousands of 

American citizens, then the financial transparency of that show’s host is important. 

In light of this, I would appreciate gaining 

a greater understanding of the NIH grants 

received by ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ and the applicable NIH policies on financial disclosure. 

Accordingly, please respond to the following 

questions and requests for information. For 

each response, please repeat the enumerated 

request and follow with the appropriate answer. The time span of this request covers 

January 2000 to the present. 

(1) Please provide a list of all NIH grants 

that have supported ‘‘The Infinite Mind.’’ 

For each grant/contract, please provide the 

following: 

a. Name of grant/contract; 

b. Topic of grant/contract; 

c. Amount of funding for each grant/contract identified; 

d. Amount of funding provided in grant/ 

contract for the host of the show; and 

e. Supporting documents on financial disclosure, pertinent to the grant/contract. 

(2) Please provide a list of all NIH grants, 

if any, made to Dr. Frederick Goodwin. For 

each grant, please provide the following: 

a. Name of grant; 

b. Topic/purpose of the grant; and 

c. Amount of funding for each grant identified. 

(3) For each of the above identified grants, 

please answer the following questions regarding financial disclosure: 

a. Please explain the applicable NIH rules 

on financial disclosure required for the 

grant; and 

b. Please confirm if the applicable rules on 

financial disclosure were followed by the 

grantee. 

(4) Please provide a list of any other interactions that Dr. Frederick Goodwin has had 

with the NIH including membership on advisory boards, peer reviewer on grants, or 

other similar activities. 

(5) Please provide a list of all NIH grants/ 

contract, if any, made to Best Practice LLC. 

For each grant, please provide the following: 

a. Name of grant/contract; 

b. Topic of grant/contract; and 

c. Amount of funding for each grant/contract identified. 

(6) Please provide a list of all NIH grants 

that have supported National Public Radio. 

For each grant, please provide the following: 

a. Name of grant; 

b. Topic of grant; and 

c. Amount of funding for each grant identified. 

(7) For each of the above identified grants/ 

contracts, please answer the following questions regarding financial disclosure: 

a. Please explain the applicable NIH rules 

on financial disclosure required for each 

grant/contract; and 

b. Please confirm that applicable rules on 

financial disclosure were followed by the 

grantee. 

I request your prompt attention to this 

matter and your continued cooperation. I 

would appreciate receiving responses no 

later than December 3, 2008. If you have any 

questions, please contact my Committee 

staff, Paul Thacker. Any formal correspondence should be sent electronically in PDF 

searchable format to 

BrianlDowney@finance-rep.senate.gov. 

Sincerely, 

CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, 

Ranking Member. 

GLAXOSMITHKLINE PAYMENTS TO DR. FREDERICK GOODWIN 

Year Products Topics Speaker 

honoraria Expenses 

2000 .............................................. Wellbutrin, Lamictal ............................................................................ Depression: treatment and therapies ........................................................................................................ $14,400 $2,400 

2001 .............................................. Wellbutrin Lamictal Eskalith ............................................................... Depression updates on treatments. Frontiers in neuropsychiatry ............................................................. 24,000 3,100 

2002 .............................................. Eskalith Wellbutrin Lamictal ............................................................... Managing depression. Treatment for bipolar disorder and mania ........................................................... 55,500 5,400 

2003 .............................................. Wellbutrin Eskalith Lamictal BP ......................................................... Depression. Treating mania and bipolar disorder. Use of Lamotrigine .................................................... 140,800 16,100 

2004 .............................................. Lamictal BP ......................................................................................... Bipolar I disorder: stabilization and treatment ......................................................................................... 193,500 23,100 

2005 .............................................. Lamictal BP ......................................................................................... Strategies and therapies for treating bipolar I disorder ........................................................................... 304,500 24,900 

2006 .............................................. Lamictal BP ......................................................................................... Managing and treating bipolar disorder. National Speaker Series on Lamictal for treating bipolar I 

disorder.

223,000 21,400 

2007 .............................................. Lamictal BP ......................................................................................... Treating bipolar and unipolar depression. Managing bipolar I disorder .................................................. 138,000 18,900 

2008 .............................................. Lamictal Paxil ...................................................................................... Managing and treating bipolar disorder. National Speaker Series: Maintenance treatment for bipolar I 

disorder.

132,500 1,800 

Total: $1,226,300 in fees and $117,300 in expenses for over 480 talks. 

U.S. SENATE, 

COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, 

Washington, DC, November 19, 2008. 

Dr. ARDEN L. BEMENT, Jr. 

Director, National Science Foundation, Wilson 

Boulevard, Arlington, VA. 

DEAR DIRECTOR BEMENT: As a senior member of the United States Senate and the 

Ranking Member of the Committee on Finance (Committee), I have a duty under the 

Constitution to conduct oversight into the 

actions of executive branch agencies, including the activities of the National Science 

Foundation (NSF). In this capacity, I must 

ensure that NSF properly fulfills its mission 

to advance the public’s welfare and makes 

responsible use of the public funding provided for scientific studies and education. 

Research and educational programs sponsored by the NSF may influence public opinion and can affect actions taken by the Medicare and Medicaid programs. 

I would like to bring to your attention my 

concerns about the apparent lack of oversight regarding conflicts of interest relating 

to the almost $6 billion in annual grants that 

are distributed by the NSF. As you know, institutions receiving an NSF research grant 

are required to ‘‘manage’’ the grantee’s conflicts of interest. 

In particular, I am concerned about a radio 

show that discusses psychology and neuroscience called ‘‘The Infinite Mind.’’ This 

show, as I understand it, is: independently 

produced; distributed to over 300 public radio 

stations; and appears on National Public Radio’s (NPR) satellite channel. According to 

this show’s website and promotional comments made during several of the show’s episodes, ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ claims to receive 

major underwriting from the NSF. 

The host of the ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ is research professor Dr. Frederick Goodwin. 

However, I have learned that while hosting 

this radio program, Dr. Goodwin also received substantial compensation from drug 

companies. In the fine print of an article he 

published in the Journal of the American 

Medical Association in 2003, Dr. Goodwin acknowledged that he ‘‘has served on the 

speaker’s bureaus of Glaxo, Solvay, Janssen, 

Pfizer, Lilly, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers 

Squibb; and has served as a consultant for 

Glaxo, Solvay, Pfizer, Lilly, Bristol-Myers 


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S10644 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 19, 2008 

Squibb Elan, and Novartis.’’ For example, 

over the last seven years, Dr. Goodwin has 

received over $1.3 million in speaking fees 

and honoraria from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 

for giving over 480 talks. I discovered this 

fact through documents that I received from 

GSK. 

For your review and future reference, I 

have attached a chart detailing the information that GSK supplied to my staff. Many of 

the payments to Dr. Goodwin were made 

through a company called Best Practice LLC 

(BP). Based upon independent research conducted by my staff, it appears that Dr. Goodwin founded BP along with several other scientists in the late nineties. It is my understanding that BP advises pharmaceutical 

companies. 

As mentioned earlier, when one listens to 

‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ there is an acknowledgment that NSF money helps to underwrite 

its production. Accordingly I would appreciate any information that NSF could provide regarding financial disclosure requirements applicable to this situation. It seems 

to me that if the federal government provides financial support for a radio program 

that is heard by hundreds of thousands of 

American citizens, then the financial transparency of that show’s host is important. 

In light of this, I would appreciate gaining 

a greater understanding of the NSF grants 

provided to ‘‘The Infinite Mind’’ and the applicable NSF policies relating either directly 

or indirectly to financial disclosure. Accordingly, please respond to the following questions and requests for information. For each 

response, please repeat the enumerated request followed by the appropriate answer. 

The time span of this request covers January 

2000 to the present. 

(1) Please provide a list of all NSF funds 

that have supported ‘‘The Infinite Mind.’’ 

For each grant, please provide the following: 

a. Name of grant and/or contract; 

b. Topic of grant/contract; and 

c. Amount of funding for grant/contract; 

d. Amount of funding provided in grant/ 

contract for the host of the show; and 

e. Supporting documents on financial disclosure, pertinent to the grant/contract. 

(2) Please provide a list of all NSF grants, 

if any, made to Dr. Frederick Goodwin. For 

each grant, please provide the following: 

a. Name of grant; 

b. Topic/purpose of the grant; and 

c. Amount of funding for the grant. 

(3) For each of the above identified grants, 

please answer the following questions regarding financial disclosure: 

a. Please explain the applicable NSF rules 

on financial disclosure required for the 

grant; and 

b. Please confirm that applicable rules on 

financial disclosure were followed by the 

grantee. 

(4) Please provide a list of any other interactions that Dr. Goodwin has had with the 

NSF including membership on advisory 

boards, peer review on grants, or the like. 

(5) Please provide a list of all NSF grants 

that have supported National Public Radio. 

For each grant, please provide the following: 

a. Name of grant; 

b. Topic of grant; and 

c. Amount of funding for grant. 

(6) For each of the above identified grants/ 

contracts, please answer the following questions regarding financial disclosure: 

a. Please explain the applicable NSF rules 

on financial disclosure required for the 

grant/contracts; and 

b. Please confirm that applicable rules on 

financial disclosure were followed by the 

grantee. 

In cooperating with the Committee’s review, no documents, records, data, or other 

information related to these matters, either 

directly or indirectly, shall be destroyed, 

modified, removed, or otherwise made inaccessible to the Committee. 

I request your prompt attention to this 

matter. In addition, I would request you provide this information to me no later than 

December 3, 2008. If you have any questions, 

please contact my Committee staff, Paul 

Thacker. Any formal correspondence should 

be sent electronically in PDF searchable format to BrianlDowney@financerep.senate.gov. 

Sincerely, 

CHARLES E. GRASSLEY, 

Ranking Member. 

Attachment. 

GLAXOSMITHKLINE PAYMENTS TO DR. FREDERICK GOODWIN 

Year Products Topics Speaker 

Honoraria Expenses 

2000 .............................................. Wellbutrin, Lamictal ............................................................................ Depression: treatment and therapies ........................................................................................................ $14,400 $2,400 2001 .............................................. Wellbutrin Lamictal Eskalith ............................................................... Depression updates on treatments. Frontiers in neuropsychiatry ............................................................. 24,000 3,100 2002 .............................................. Eskalith Wellbutrin Lamictal ............................................................... Managing depression. Treatment for bipolar disorder and mania ........................................................... 55,500 5,400 2003 .............................................. Wellbutrin Eskalith Lamictal BP ......................................................... Depression. Treating mania and bipolar disorder. Use of Lamotrigine .................................................... 140,800 16,100 2004 .............................................. Lamictal BP ......................................................................................... Bipolar I disorder: stabilization and treatment ......................................................................................... 193,500 23,100 2005 .............................................. Lamictal BP ......................................................................................... Strategies and therapies for treating bipolar I disorder ........................................................................... 304,500 24,900 2006 .............................................. Lamictal BP ......................................................................................... Managing and treating bipolar disorder. National Speaker Series on Lamictal for treating bipolar I disorder.

223,000 21,400 

2007 .............................................. Lamictal BP ......................................................................................... Treating bipolar and unipolar depression. Managing bipolar I disorder .................................................. 138,000 18,900 2008 .............................................. Lamictal Paxil ...................................................................................... Managing and treating bipolar disorder. National Speaker Series: Maintenance treatment for bipolar I disorder.

132,500 1,800 

Total: $1,226,300 in fees and $117,300 in expenses for over 480 talks. 

f 

I LOVE TO WRITE DAY 

Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I wish 

to commemorate I Love to Write Day. 

The designation of November 15 as I 

Love to Write Day allows the Nation to 

focus much-needed attention on the 

value and importance of practicing 

writing skills at every age. 

I Love to Write Day was created by 

Delaware author John Riddle in 2002. 

John came up with the idea for I Love 

to Write Day while driving from his 

home in Delaware to the Blue Ridge 

Mountain Christian Writers Conference 

in Ashville, NC. That first year, more 

than 11,000 schools across the country 

signed up to participate in I Love to 

Write Day events and activities. 

Since Delaware Governor Ruth Ann 

Minner officially declared November 

15th as I Love to Write Day in 2002, 

nine other Governors have joined in 

recognizing it, and more than 20,000 

schools participated last year. 

This year, Children’s Way Foundation teamed up with Mr. Riddle to 

bring together 50,000 elementary 

schools throughout the country to provide students with the opportunity to 

discover and develop the talent of writing. 

John Riddle currently resides in 

Bear, DE, and knows the value of writing first hand. For the last 30 years, he 

has been a freelance author writing for 

magazines, trade journals and Web 

sites, and is the author of 34 books. He 

is a frequent presenter at writers conferences all across the country and 

spoke last year at the National Press 

Club in Washington, DC. 

Writing is vital to improve communication skills and to challenge minds. 

It is a skill that is helpful in every career and the ability to communicate effectively through writing not only enhances one’s educational opportunities 

but also serves as a lifelong asset. It 

doesn’t matter if you write a poem, a 

letter, an essay, or a novel; just as long 

as you are getting your thoughts down 

on paper you are engaging your mind. 

I applaud Mr. Riddle’s efforts to get 

people writing and hope that I Love to 

Write Day continues to be a success 

throughout the Nation. 

ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS 

TRIBUTE TO ALAN AND MARILYN 

BERGMAN 

∑ Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would 

like to take this opportunity to recognize an extraordinary couple in the 

musical world, Alan and Marilyn 

Bergman, who were recently honored 

by the renowned Paley Center for 

Media. Formerly known as the Museum 

of Television & Radio, the Paley Center 

for Media is nationally recognized for 

its efforts to engage communities in a 

dialogue around the cultural, creative, 

and social significance of television, 

radio, and other emerging media platforms. 

This year, Alan and Marilyn 

Bergman are celebrating 50 years of a 

musical partnership that has enchanted and engaged people around the 

world. In honor of their extraordinary 

careers, the Paley Center for Media 

hosted two very special events to pay 

tribute to the Bergmans, the first in 

New York on May 21, 2008, and the second in Los Angeles on November 3, 

2008. The two events were part of the 

Paley Center for Media’s ‘‘Paley After 

Dark’’ series, which features only a select few artists each year. 


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