CONFLICT OF INTEREST MANAGEMENT

This “COI management” section of the ATS website provides and/or links to ATS policies, procedures, and resources for use in the management of conflicts of interest affecting ATS members, staff, and others participating in ATS activities.  Please scroll down and read or click-the-link for items of particular interest.

(1)     FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

• How do I get a Disclosure Form?
• How do I submit my Disclosure Form?
• How do I retrieve my previous Disclosure to review and update?
• Can I use my International Conference Faculty Disclosure Form for other ATS disclosure requests?
• Who needs to submit an ATS Disclosure Form?
• Who will see my disclosure(s) to ATS?
• Why is the ATS Disclosure Form so extensive?  
• What criteria are used to determine conflicts of interest and to manage them?

(2)     CURRENT POLICIES OF THE ATS BOARD OF DIRECTORS RELEVANT TO CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

A.     Policy on Management of Conflict of Interest in Official ATS Documents, Projects and Conferences, as approved by the American Thoracic Society Board of Directors on March 14, 2008. (Note: implementation of this policy was to be “phased-in” during 2008 and 2009, with most new requirements becoming operational with 2009 ATS activities.)

B.     Policy Governing Relationships Between the Tobacco Industry, ATS Members, and Non-Members Who Participate in ATS Activities, as approved by the ATS Board of Directors on March 10, 2007 and amended on December 14, 2007.  (Note: implementation of this policy was to be “phased-in” during 2008 and 2009, with most new requirements becoming operational with 2009 ATS activities.)

(3)     OVERSIGHT:

The ATS Ethics and Conflict of Interest Committee is responsible for oversight of ATS policies and procedures in COI management, in consultation with the ATS Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Several other ATS committees and leaders, such as the committees responsible for Documents Development & Implementation, Education, International Conference, Program and Budget, and Publications Policy, and the Editors of the ATS Journals and the ATS Website, are also integral to this process, as are each of the ATS Assemblies.

(4)     STAFF RESOURCES:
           
Staff implementation and management of the COI policies of the ATS Board of Directors is overseen by ATS Executive Director Stephen Crane, PhD, MPH, who has assigned Shane McDermott as Senior Director, Ethics and Conflict of Interest Policies and to act as “chief COI officer.”  Shane may be reached at: smcdermott@thoracic.org or 212-315-8650.

For staff assistance with the following:

• Questions about the COI Manager submission site or review sites’ procedures or technical issues? Contact Barbara Horner at ATS at bhorner@thoracic.org or 212-315-8693.
• Questions about ATS Journal-specific COI procedures or technical issues? Contact Karin Beehler at ATS at kbeehler@thoracic.org or 212-315-8626.
• Questions about ATS International Conference faculty disclosure procedures? Contact the ATS International Conference unit at 212-315-8652.
• Questions about ATS Website-specific COI procedures or technical issues? Contact Sarah Cerullo at ATS at scerullo@thoracic.org or 212-315-8649.
• Questions about local/regional CME COI procedures or technical issues? Contact Rachel Makleff, PhD at ATS at rmakleff@thoracic.org, 212-315-8644.

 (5)      ARTICLES ON ATS COI MANAGEMENT:

The following articles have appeared in ATS publications regarding ATS conflict of interest management practices or activities. Click on the link to obtain.

• American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, September 15, 2009: An Official ATS Society Policy Statement – Managing Conflict of Interest in Professional Societies
• ATS News: April 2009, “COI Management: More Than An Academic Exercise”
• ATS News: March 2009, “’Universal’ Form Streamlines Submission Process for ATS Disclosures

 (6)     OUTSIDE RESOURCES:

The following web-based resources on ethics and conflict of interest management have been produced by other organizations and may be useful to ATS members, staff and others participating in ATS activities.  The American Thoracic Society has not officially reviewed, approved or endorsed these resources and is not responsible for their content.  Comments or suggestions about their inclusion here, or about other web-based resources on ethics and conflict of interest that may be useful to ATS members, staff and others participating in ATS activities, may be made to Shane McDermott at ATS at smcdermott@thoracic.org or 212-315-8650.  Order of listing is alphabetical.

• American College of Physicians – Center for Ethics and Professionalism
• American Medical Association – Medical ethics
• American Nurses Association – Ethics and standards
• U.S. National Institutes of Health - Bioethics Resources on the Web
• U.S. National Institutes of Health - Ethics Program Website