Recommendations from individual institutions will be brought to the Association of American Medical Colleges' conflict of interest taskforce and, through the AAMC, final guidelines will be brought to academic medical centers for consideration. The number of individuals contacting the Ombuds Office increased by 10 percent over the previous year. Wilcox said that while sexual harassment cases had declined, research issues continued to grow. Based on the trends, she remains concerned about bullying behavior, privacy issues, and disagreements between foreign visitors and the laboratories in which they work. She also said that pressures on faculty and staff in the hospitals are likely to increase.
All matters discussed are strictly confidential.
The Silen Type Next, Martin reported that he had consulted widely with members of the HMS minority community to get their opinions on who should succeed William Silen, who stepped down as dean for faculty development and diversity on Jan. 1. He said that Augustus White, professor of orthopedic surgery, agreed to chair the search committee for the new dean. Martin then introduced and thanked Joan Reede, associate dean for faculty development and diversity, for her efforts, especially at this crucial time. He also thanked Alvin Poussaint, faculty associate dean for student affairs, for his willingness to assist Reede during this time with the many programs that her office sponsors. Reede then presented a summary of the programmatic efforts of the Office for Faculty Development and Diversity that include initiatives aimed at groups ranging from elementary school children to faculty members.