Conflict of Interest Policy

Conflicts of Interest (COI) come in different forms and are not always apparent. When in doubt, the faculty, or any other staff or student who is aware of the conflict, should err on the side of caution and disclose potential incidences that may cause a conflict of interest. Common sense must prevail in the interpretation of these policies. That is, no matter what the circumstances, if an independent observer might reasonably question whether the individual's professional actions or decisions, including the ethical and objective conduct of scholarship, research or clinical care, are determined to be influenced by personal gain, the relationship should be disclosed immediately. Personal gain can include, but is not limited to, the following examples.

Financial Benefits
Publication
Research
Reputation
Career Advancement
Product Selection

Disclosure, Review & Determination

When a Conflict of Interest (COI) presents itself, the individual who is alerted to this risk should bring the concern to the attention of University administration by contacting joanne.weiss@aspen.edu. Once a notification of the potential COI is reported for a faculty member, the University administration will log the incidence and bring the claim to the appropriate personnel for review and a determination of the extent of conflict, if any. The faculty member in question will be contacted to provide details about the potential conflict and will be invited to a meeting where the conflict of interest will be discussed. Upon a decision, the faculty will be notified of the review of the case. If it is determined that a conflict exists, the faculty will be asked to immediately remove himself/herself from the specific conflict associated with the identified personal gain. If the faculty continues to participate in the conflict of interest, the outcome could be termination.

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