Interests

Our commitment to declaring and managing interests

The Academy of Medical Sciences records and manages the interests of the members of its key decision-making and advisory bodies, including: Council members, Honorary Officers; grants panels; sectional committees; and working groups that make policy recommendations.

Members of our key committees bring a range of experiences and perspectives to the Academy’s work. It is likely they will have a variety of interests, arising from different contexts, activities, and relationships in a professional or personal capacity. This can include employment and other sources of income, speaking engagements, shareholdings, publications and research, and membership of professional or voluntary organisations.

Having members of key committees with varied interests and specialist knowledge is a positive attribute, but it is vital that interests are openly declared so they can be appropriately managed. Declaring an interest does not mean there is a conflict of interest.

Our report ‘Enhancing the use of scientific evidence to judge the potential risks and benefits of medicines’ considers the declaration and management of interests. It highlights the principles of identification, mitigation, and openness. Although this report focused on those involved in the conduct and reporting of research about medicines, it prompted us to review the way that we considered the interests of those involved in the Academy’s work.

As a result of this review, we have committed to increasing the amount of information about interests that we collect from Council members (including Honorary Officers); members of our Finance Committee and members of our policy working groups.

• The interests of our Council members will be published on our website.
• We will ensure that the information collected from our selection panels (for Fellows and awards) is limited to that which is relevant.
• We will ensure that our guidance on how interests will be handled is clear.

View Register of Interests, Academy of Medical Sciences Council 2024