One of America’s most important medical research centres has begun disclosing all employees’ industry links on its website.

The Cleveland Clinic is making public “payments to its physicians and scientists for speaking and consulting of $5,000 or more per year, and any equity, royalties, and fiduciary relationships in companies with which they collaborate”. Anyone searching the staff directory on the centre’s website can now find out this information just by scrolling to the bottom of an individual doctor’s page.

This move follows conflict of interest allegations concerning clinic employees, see the Cleveland Plain Dealer for more on this.

David Rothman, president of the Institute on Medicine as a Profession, told the New York Times that the clinic was “breaking a new path here”.

Praise has also come from senator Charles Grassley, who has been running a high profile campaign against conflicts of interest in the medical research sphere (see links below). “Patients deserve easy access to information about their doctors’ relationships with drug companies and the Cleveland Clinic is making that possible,” says Grassley in the Times.

See also

This programme was brought to you in association with… – November 21

Department of beams in the eye – October 23

Conflict of interest inquiry claims psychiatrist scalp – October 06