Feb. 22, 2006

Quick Takes: Medical College Group to Study Conflicts of Interest, Virginia Professors Object to Semester at Sea Link

• The Association of American Medical Colleges announced Tuesday that it would create a special panel to examine potential conflicts of interest in the relationships between pharmaceutical companies and medical schools, teaching hospitals and their employees. Jordan J. Cohen, the association’s president, said its executive committee had agreed to establish the committee in the wake of an recent studies suggesting that the drug industry’s marketing efforts could undermine the objectivity of medical educators and future doctors.
• Some University of Virginia professors are protesting the institution’s decision to become the new academic home of Semester at Sea, The Daily Progress reported. The program moved to Virginia from the University of Pittsburgh and some U.Va. faculty members say that they were not consulted — a statement disputed by university officials.

— Doug Lederman