Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine faculty member publishes paper in American Journal of Bioethics

Paper calls for 'full transparency of financial conflicts of interests among authors of biomedical education materials'

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SCRANTON, PA (02/27/2018) Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine faculty member, Brian J. Piper, Ph.D., of Waverly, assistant professor of neuroscience, is the author of a paper accepted for publication in the American Journal of Bioethics--Empirical Bioethics. The article is entitled, "Undisclosed Conflicts of Interests among Biomedical Textbook Authors." After selecting textbooks that met multiple criteria - including use in professional schools and having multiple editions - the investigation involved researching author names in publicly available databases, Google Scholar and ProPublica Dollars for Docs. The authors and editors of six textbooks, widely used in the training of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and dentists, together received twenty million dollars from pharmaceutical companies and were awarded almost seven-hundred patents. Dr. Piper's research concludes that "an appreciable subset of biomedical authors has patents and has received remuneration from medical-product companies and this information is undisclosed to readers." The author further concludes, "Full transparency of financial conflicts of interest should become standard practice among the authors of biomedical education materials."

Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (Geisinger Commonwealth) is a member of the Geisinger family. Geisinger Commonwealth offers a community-based model of medical education with campuses in Danville, Doylestown, Scranton, Sayre and Wilkes-Barre. Geisinger Commonwealth offers Doctor of Medicine (MD) and Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) degrees. The college's innovative curriculum, focused on caring for people in the context of their lives and their community, attracts the next generation of physicians and scientists from within its 17-county region in northeastern and north central Pennsylvania, as well as from across the state and the nation. Geisinger Commonwealth is committed to non-discrimination in all employment and educational opportunities. Visit www.geisinger.edu/gcsom.