Conflicts of Interest

What is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest is any circumstance where the person, professional, financial, or other private interests of a person or institution compromise, have the potential to compromise or may be perceived as compromising the exercise of professional judgment or obligations. Common types of conflicts within academic research include financial conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment.

Financial Conflicts of Interest

A financial conflict of interest arises when the potential for the financial interests of individual researchers or their immediate family, affects or has the appearance of affecting the design, conduct, or reporting of their research. Examples could include investigators holding equity or ownership in a company sponsoring their research or receipt of income from intellectual property held by the researcher.

Conflict of Commitment

A conflict of commitment is when an investigator's external professional commitments conflict with their primary responsibilities to the institution, including when investigators devote extensive time to outside commitments that interfere with their ability to complete their responsibilities to UMSOM.

Our Staff

Joni Prasad, PhD
Conflict of Interest Officer, UMSOM
Assistant Dean for Research Affairs
Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology & Immunology
410-706-6353
jprasad@som.umaryland.edu

Robertha Simpson, MBA
Director, Academic Program Support
Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development
410-706-8633
rsimpson@som.umaryland.edu