Conflicts of Interest

Consistent with Morehouse School of Medicine and Morehouse Medical Associate's (MSM) research, teaching, patient care and public service mission, MSM encourages faculty, staff and students to engage in appropriate professional and business interactions with public and private entities. However, such activities can create conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of interest that have the potential to threaten the integrity of MSM's research, scholarship, instruction, evaluation and administrative functions. To ensure that its reputation and research programs are not compromised by even an appearance of inattention to this matter, MSM has put in place policies - consistent with federal guidelines - that require the reporting and management of the potential conflicts of interest of its trustees, faculty, investigators, administrators and staff.

There are risks if conflicts are not appropriately managed; for example, protection of human subjects may be compromised; integrity of research may be at risk; violation of scientific norms may result; federal funding may be lost; the public may lose trust in MSM and its research; the investigator/faculty member may lose the respect of the academic community; scandals or negative media attention may occur; there may be a negative impact on students' ability to pursue their research interests; research results may not be published, or may be excessively delayed; MSM may lose intellectual property; inferior or more costly goods and services may be purchased; and MSM resources may be improperly used.

Disclosure by MSM employees, trustees and students of financial, personal or professional relationships that raise a potential COI or its perception is at the heart of MSM's COI policies and is a prerequisite for determining whether a conflict, once recognized, can be managed or reduced, or, in some cases, eliminated. To promote awareness and understanding of COI issues and their importance to MSM's mission and research integrity, MSM provides COI-related policies and procedures, compliance forms, resources and training materials, etc. through the links below:

COI Policies