It is the policy of the American College of Osteopathic
Family Physicians (ACOFP) to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and
scientific rigor in all its individually sponsored or jointly sponsored
educational programs. All faculty participating in any ACOFP sponsored programs
are expected to disclose to the program audience any real or apparent
conflict(s) of interest that may have a direct bearing on the subject matter of
the continuing education program. This pertains to relationships with
pharmaceutical companies, biomedical device manufacturers, or other
corporations whose products or services are related to the subject matter of
the presentation topic. The intent of this policy is not to prevent a speaker
with a potential conflict of interest from making a presentation. It is merely
intended that any potential conflict should be identified openly so that the
listeners may form their own judgments about the presentation with the full
disclosure of the facts. It remains for the audience to determine whether the
speaker's outside interests may reflect a possible bias in either the
exposition or the conclusions presented.