Changes in U.S. medical school conflict of interest policies from 2014 to 2023

Shamik Bhat, Devika A Shenoy, Magda Wojtara, Alissa Kainrath, Oak Sonfist, Jantzen Faulkner, Brianna Wang, Linnea Wilson and Timothy S Anderson

PLOS ONE, 2026, vol. 21, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Background: Concerns about the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on medical education, ranging from education of students to professional development, have led professional societies to recommend regulation of interactions between industry and medical schools. The objective of this study was to evaluate conflict of interest (COI) policies at medical schools in 2023 compared to 2014. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design to evaluate the COI policies at the top 30 medical schools identified by US News and World Report rankings. The authors collected policies by survey and review of public websites, and assessed their quality across 15 domains informed by guidelines published by leading national organizations and previous PharmFree Scorecards. Each domain was graded on a 3-level scale derived from professional organization guidelines, which when totaled corresponded to the following letter grades: an “A” (score 38–45), “B” (32–37), “C” (25–31), and “I/F” (

Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0344046

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0344046

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