Medical Students Chosen For Exemplary Pharmfree Leadership, USA

Main Category: Medical Students / Training
Article Date: 09 Jul 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation's largest, independent medical student organization, today announces the winners of The Medical Letter-AMSA PharmFree Scholarship. The winners, who were chosen for their exemplary PharmFree leadership, will each receive a $500 scholarship in recognition of their research and/or teaching accomplishments pertaining to pharmaceutical conflict of interests in medical schools.

Jonas Hines, University of New Mexico

Hines served as the principle student organizer of the movement to get a PharmFree policy at the University of New Mexico. His efforts were successful and his school developed and implemented a new policy. Hines spoke at a point-counterpoint debate about PharmFree at the annual meeting of the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and has postponed medical school for a year in order to work as a fellow in the Health Research Group at Public Citizen, a patient advocacy group that works on issues that revolve around corporate and government responsibility in health care, where he will address pharmaceutical conflicts of interest from a social organizing perspective.

Lekshmi Santhosh, Harvard Medical School

Santosh organized National PharmFree Week at her school, including lectures from two nationally renowned experts and authors on pharmaceutical conflicts of interest. She then formed a coalition with the other medical schools in the Boston area, assembled a bibliography of scientific literature that demonstrates how pharmaceutical marketing promotes industry-centered medicine over patient-centered medicine, and presented this material to her school in advocating for stronger policies.

Gabriel Silverman, University of Pittsburgh

Silverman served as the student representative on his school's Task Force on Conflicts of Interest and Industry Relationships, where he helped draft and implement a comprehensive policy regulating interactions between industry and Health Sciences faculty as well as all employees of the wider university health system. It should be noted that Silverman's school was one of eight schools in the country to be awarded an 'A' on AMSA's PharmFree Scorecard. Silverman also organized his school's National PharmFree Week, gave several local lectures on conflicts of interest, spoke on conflicts of interest at an international medical conference and presented four posters on research related to marketing influences and conflict of interest in medicine.

Launched in 2002, AMSA's PharmFree Campaign organizes medical students in advocacy for evidence-based rather than marketing-based prescribing practices, the removal of conflicts of interest, and global access to essential medicines. In June 2008, AMSA released its PharmFree Scorecard (http://www.amsascorecard.org), which evaluated restrictions on gifts, paid speaking for products, acceptance of drug promotion samples, interaction with sales representatives, and industry-funded education, among other criteria. According to the scorecard's findings, only 21 of the nation's 150 medical schools have strong policies (those graded A or B). For more information, please visit http://www.pharmfree.org.

About The Medical Letter

The Medical Letter Inc., a nonprofit organization founded in 1958, offers health care professionals objective, independent analyses of both prescription and over-the-counter drugs. In addition to its newsletters, The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics and Treatment Guidelines from The Medical Letter, it also publishes handbooks and software on topics such as adverse drug interactions and antimicrobial therapy. The Medical Letter, Inc., is supported entirely by subscriber fees and is based in New Rochelle, NY. For more information about The Medical Letter call (800) 211-2769 or go to http://www.medicalletter.org.

About the American Medical Student Association

The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), with more than a half-century history of medical student activism, is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. With more than 67,000 members, including medical and premedical students, residents and practicing physicians, AMSA is committed to improving medical training as well as advancing the profession of medicine. AMSA focuses on four strategic priorities, including advocating for quality, affordable health care for all, global health equity, enriching medicine through diversity and professional integrity, development and student well being.

American Medical Student Association