As federal, state, and local regulators attempt to tackle transparency within the health industry, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) is releasing the first guidelines for academic dental institutions in their professional interactions with the dental industry.
Many academic dental institutions are engaged in various forms of interactions with the dental industry, as indicated in a recent ADEA survey. The ADEA Guidelines for Academia-Industry Interactions provide a framework from which these relationships can be defined to meet the needs of these academic dental institutions in support of education, research, patient care, and community service.
“Recognizing certain challenges, the ADEA Task Force on Academia-Industry Interactions offers these broad guidelines for establishing a mutually beneficial relationship between academia and industry so that educational opportunities may continue while maintaining transparency and ethical conduct,” says Chair of the ADEA Task Force on Academia-Industry Interactions Lily T. Garcia, DDS, MS, FACP.
Dental education leaders and industry representatives both value their relationships, but each group has its own set of goals and views related to the interactions. Dental school deans and program directors value the opportunities for enhanced research and financial support, while the industry values the access to faculty, staff, and students and the product feedback received from academic dental institutions.
“The ADEA Guidelines for Academia-Industry Interactions reaffirm the importance and the value of the interactions and relationships between academia and industry,” says ADEA President Leo E. Rouse, DDS.
In addition to local, state and federal regulations that define interactions between academia and industry, many academic dental institutions must comply with institutional policies. Similarly, the industry must comply with internal industry compliance guidelines and external state and federal regulations. These ADEA guidelines, available at www.adea.org/InteractionGuidelines, remain a constant to promote an ongoing professional and mutually beneficial relationship.
