External Professional Relationships

Pharmaceutical, device, and biotechnology companies frequently collaborate with physicians and basic scientists within an academic medical center to help improve patient care and advance science. These relationships are important in establishing the effectiveness and safety of promising new therapies and achieving scientific breakthroughs. In order to assure objectivity in research and patient care, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and its affiliates (Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation and Northwestern Memorial Hospital) have adopted integrity policies that require full-time, part-time and research faculty to report paid and unpaid, external industry relationships and other academic professional activities. The school expects to survey the remainder of its faculty in the near future and will provide routine updates of disclosures of these relationships on each faculty member’s profile. Please note there may be some discrepancies between this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods or categorization of relationships.

Patients are encouraged to discuss these disclosures with their physician as well as to inquire as to how these relationships are overseen by the Feinberg School. To learn more about our Disclosure Policy, our Conflict of Interest & Professional Integrity Policy, and the conflict of interest policies of other members of our academic medical center, please go to our Office for Regulatory Affairs page.

As of 4/23/2009 Michael M I Abecassis, MD reported the external professional relationships noted below for calendar year 2008.

Industry Relationships

Consulting / Related Activities
Faculty member received compensation for activities such as speaking, advising, consulting, or providing educational programs for the following companies or other for-profit entities:

• Astellas Pharma US, Inc.
• Hines and Associates
• Scientia Advisors
• Ultimus Funds Solutions, LLC
• United Resource Networks (now OptumHealth Care Solutions-Complex Medical Conditions)
• UnitedHealth Group

In addition, faculty member received compensation for medical record consultation and/or expert witness testimony.

Academic and Other Professional Activities

Faculty member received compensation for activities such as authorship, editorial work, grant review, lecturing, or advising for the following academic institutions, hospitals/medical centers, government agencies, professional societies, academic publishers, foundations, and other similar entities:

• Saint Louis University Hospital - Tenet HealthSystem SL, Inc.
• Society for Vascular Surgery
• University of Minnesota