Conflict of Interest Guidance
No member of the academic staff may engage in an outside activity if it conflicts with his or her public responsibilities to the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.
The UW manages three types of Conflicts of Interest:
- Conflicts of Commitment
- Research Conflicts of Interest
- Financial Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of Commitment may occur when outside professional activities interfere with a UW employee’s ability to fulfill UW expectations, obligations, and responsibilities. These are governed by Policy UW-1075. If an outside activity, whether done as part of your UW appointment or separately, will require more than two days of commitment, it must be preapproved by your supervisor.
KEY POINTS
Update your OAR within 30 days of any to change to your outside activities
Determine if Management Plan is Appropriate
Err on the side of disclosure; conflicts can often be managed.
A financial conflict of interest may exist when an individual has significant financial interest that could lead an independent observer reasonably to question whether the staff member’s public responsibility might be influenced by the possibility of personal gain by the individual or his/her immediate family.
A research conflict of interest may exist when an investigator has significant financial interests that could lead an independent observer to reasonably question whether the design, conduct, or reporting of research might be influenced by the possibility of personal gain to the individual or to his or her immediate family.
What to do?
If you are receiving money from an outside activity, the first thing you should do is update your Outside Activities Report. Further guidance on when that is necessary can be found here. You should then reach out to Kurt Zimmerman to determine if you need a management plan. If so, Kurt will help you get the management plan in place.
The UW has a Conflict of Interest (COI) Committee that reviews reports of outside activities and financial interests to comply with federal, state, and UW regulations and policies. This faculty committee, which includes representatives from the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, also works with faculty and staff to eliminate, minimize or manage any actual or potential conflicts of interest identified by the reporting process.