Hospital for Special Surgery and its affiliated companies (HSS) are committed to the highest standards of conduct in research, teaching, clinical care, and other activities that support the core mission. Relationships with the commercial sector can play an important role in supporting HSS’s mission, and institutional and individual financial interests, such as gifts, payments, royalty income, and equity, may arise in the normal course of operations. However, these financial interests should not be permitted to compromise HSS’s standards or integrity or unduly influence decisions in any activity at HSS, and circumstances in which the existence of such financial interests might create the appearance of a conflict of interest should be identified and addressed.
To support and promote integrity and advance the Hospital's mission, HSS recognizes that potential conflicts of interest between HSS’s primary objectives and the financial interests of HSS and individuals at HSS must be identified and properly managed with appropriate policies and procedures. In order to do this, HSS has established a system of disclosure requirements for all financial interests. Disclosure of relevant financial interests is critical to the integrity of the proposed research. It enables HSS to determine whether a potential conflict of interest exists and if so, how that conflict (whether actual or perceived) may be managed and monitored to assure that the research is conducted with objectivity and integrity, and that the results of the research are perceived as objective and reliable.
The Policy on Conflicts of Interest in Research Activities sets forth policies and procedures pertaining to the management of potential conflicts of interest in all research activities at HSS. The Policy applies to all research at HSS, whether or not supported by government or private sponsors.
With respect to research funded by the Public Health Service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and any component of the PHS to which the authority involved may be delegated, including the National Institutes of Health (“PHS”), the Policy addresses the requirements of the PHS regulations on Responsibility of Applicants for Promoting Objectivity in Research for which PHS Funding is Sought (42 C.F.R. Part 50, Subpart F) and Responsible Prospective Contractors (45 C.F.R. Part 94) (collectively, the “PHS FCOI Rule”); and Grants and Agreements Conflict of Interest (2 C.F.R. Subpart B Section 200.112).
Policy on Conflicts of Interest in Research Activities
One of the goals of HSS is to advance the science of orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, and related disciplines for the benefit of patients. Research staff at HSS may collaborate with outside companies for education, research and medical advances. HSS supports this collaboration in order to foster medical breakthroughs; however, HSS also believes that these collaborations must be disclosed.
As part of the disclosure process, and in compliance with the above-cited PHS requirements for PHS-funded research, this website lists research staff collaborations with outside companies if the research staff member received any payment during the prior year or expects to receive any payment in the next year. The disclosures are based on information provided by the research staff and other sources and are updated regularly. Current ownership interests and leadership positions are also listed. Further information may be available on individual company websites.
By disclosing the collaborations of HSS research staff with industry on this website, HSS and its research staff make this information available to patients and the public, thus creating a transparent environment for those who are interested in this information. Further, the Hospital's Conflicts of Interest Policy does not permit payment of royalties on products developed by him/her that are used on patients at HSS.
“Industry Relationships” are identified within the web profiles of the individual research staff.
Feel free to ask the research staff member about these relationships.