Led by Harvard Medical School Dean Joseph Martin, MD, PhD, the group began in November 2000 to draw up stringent guidelines that U.S. medical schools, teaching hospitals, and institutions can use to bolster their existing policies limiting researchers' financial ties to industry partners. This was important in terms of building a consensus.
Policies help guard the safety of human research subjects and protect scientific integrity.
The guidelines address problem areas noted in the journal articles. Recommendations are directed at individuals involved in research and include suggestions on policy formation, disclosure, and policy implementation and review. Specifics range from the establishment of an active institutional oversight committee to an expanded definition of financial interests to include fees or honoraria for consulting and lecturing, stock options, and executive or board positions with collaborating firms. Dr. Cohen emphasizes that the AAMC task force will focus on standardizing principles and policies rather than specific procedures because institutions are organized and structured differently. When completed, the AAMC guidelines will be made available to academic medical institutions for voluntary use.