Bioethics & Institutional Conflicts of Interest: A Case Close to Home

Why we picked it

The literature on biomedical conflicts of interest tends to focus on the ways in which research integrity and patient safety are prejudiced when researchers are funded by the Pharmaceutical Industry. But similar ethical problems also arise at the macro level when institutions, such as hospitals and universities depend on drug company funding to support research or patient care. Over the past half century, the University of Toronto and three of its affiliated hospitals — Sick Kids, CAMH, and UHN — have been involved in a series of major scandals. One scandal in particular — involving the U of T, Sick Kids Hospital, Apotex and Dr. Nancy Olivieri — achieved worldwide infamy and has resulted, to date, in the publication of four books, a blockbuster movie, a plethora of scholarly articles, plus innumerable newspaper and magazine stories and television programmes. Another book is on the way, and a Netflix series is on the cards. In this talk, I'm going to explore the conceptual elements of