12/1/15 University of Colorado response to my CORA request re: records associated with Dr. David C. Goff Jr. (Dean of the Colorado School of Public Health) signing CSPI's 11/5/15 request

8/20/2019 12/1/15 University of Colorado response to my CORA request re: records associated with Dr. David C. Goff Jr. (De…

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1

Cundiff, Derek

From: Goff, David

Sent: Wednesday, November 04, 2015 8:28 AM

To: Philip Greenland; Donald M Lloyd-Jones; Linda Van Horn; Mercedes R Carnethon; Mark

Daniel Huffman; [email protected]; Russell Luepker; David Jacobs Jr PhD;

[email protected]

Subject: RE: Letter to BMJ re Dietary Guidelines--Please respond by Nov. 3

I would be delighted to be included as a co‐signer.

Best regards,David

David C. Goff, Jr., MD, PhDDean, Colorado School of Public Health

13001 E. 17th Place, Mailstop B119 | Bldg. 500, 3rd Floor | Aurora, CO 80045303.724.7304 | [email protected] | t: @GoffColoradoSPH http://publichealth.ucdenver.edu | [email protected]

Connect with us online at:

ColoradoSPH News

| Facebook

| Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

From: Philip Greenland [mailto:p‐[email protected]]

Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2015 9:30 AM

To: Donald M Lloyd‐Jones <[email protected]>; Linda Van Horn <[email protected]>; Mercedes R

Carnethon <[email protected]>; Mark Daniel Huffman <m‐[email protected]>;

[email protected]; Russell Luepker <[email protected]>; Goff, David <[email protected]>; David

Jacobs Jr PhD <[email protected]>

Subject: FW: Letter to BMJ re Dietary Guidelines‐‐Please respond by Nov. 3

In case you wish to sign on to this and have not seen it yet.

Phil

From: Bonnie Liebman [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2015 10:18 AM

To: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Philip Greenland <p‐

[email protected]>; [email protected]; [email protected];

[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]

Subject: Letter to BMJ re Dietary Guidelines‐‐Please respond by Nov. 3

CORAGOFF001



2

Dear Colleague:

On Sept. 24, the BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) published an “investigation” entitled, “The Scientific Report

Guiding the US Dietary Guidelines: Is it Scientific?” The article (attached) was written by Nina Teicholz, a journalist and

author of The Big Fat Surprise” Why Butter, Meat, & Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet .

The article is riddled with errors. For example, Teicholz claims that the report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory

Committee used “weak scientific standards” because it relied on fewer reviews by USDA’s Nutrition Evidence Library

(NEL) than

the

2010

DGAC

committee

and

instead

conducted

“ad

hoc

examinations

of

the

scientific

literature.”

In fact, there were no ad hoc examinations. The appendices to the 2015 DGAC report specify the search strategy,

inclusion criteria, search results, and AMSTAR ratings for the systematic reviews, meta‐analyses, and other studies used

by the DGAC. The attached letter documents ten additional factual errors in the article.

(Note: The BMJ article was timed to coincide with an October 7 hearing of the House Agriculture Committee, where it

was used to criticize the 2015 DGAC’s scientific integrity.)

The attached letter urges the BMJ to retract the investigation. More than 150 scientist have already signed the letter,

including Henry Blackburn, Robert Eckel, Philip James, Martijn Katan, Daan Kromhout, Lewis Kuller, Darwin Labarthe,

Kaare Norum, Miguel A. Martinez‐Gonzalez, Pekka Puska, Kalevi Pyörälä, Frank Sacks, Matthias B. Schulze, Jeremiah

Stamler, and

Matti

Uusitupa.

Please let us know by Today, November 3, if you would like to co‐sign the letter. (Please also feel free to pass it on to

your colleagues.)

Thanks,

Bonnie Liebman

_______________________________

Bonnie F.

Liebman,

MS

Director of Nutrition

Center for Science in the Public Interest

1220 L St., NW Suite 300

Washington, DC 20005

Ph: (202) 777‐8335

Fax: (202) 265‐4954

CORAGOFF002



1

Cundiff, Derek

From: Bonnie Liebman <[email protected]>

Sent: Thursday, November 05, 2015 10:25 AM

To: Bonnie Liebman

Subject: request for retraction of Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report investigation

Attachments: bmj retraction letter 11-05-15 final.pdf

Dear Colleague: Thank you for agreeing to sign the letter urging the BMJ to retract its “investigation” of the Dietary

Guidelines Advisory Committee’s report. The letter was signed by more than 180 scientists in 19 countries.

We sent the final version of the letter (attached) to the BMJ editors this morning. You can also find a version of the lette

with live links to the footnotes is on our website (see URL below). The letter notes (at the end of the last page) that

affiliations were listed for purposes of identification only.

http://cspinet.org/bmj‐retraction‐letter.html

Best wishes,

Bonnie Liebman

_______________________________

Bonnie F. Liebman, MS





Ph: (202) 777‐8335

Fax: (202)

265

‐4954

From: Jeff Cronin


To: [email protected]

Cc: [email protected]

Subject: request for retraction of Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee report investigation

Dear Editors,

Please accept this letter asking the BMJ to retract the investigation by Nina Teicholz into the report of the Dietary

Guidelines Advisory Committee.

Sincerely,

Jeff Cronin

Director of Communications


CORAGOFF003



2

1220 L Street, NW, Suite 300


Ph: 202.777.8370

Cell: 202‐421‐8911

CORAGOFF004



1.

conducted an [sic] hoc examination of the scientific literature without well defined

systematic

criteria

for

how

studies

or

outside

review

papers

were

identified, selected, or evaluated

Correction:

2.

ad hoc selection of

seven review papers “no

methodology for this section of the report

Correction:

1 http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h4962

2 http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015scientificreport/

3 http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015scientificreport/14appendixE2/

4 http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015scientificreport/05methodology.asp

5 http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015scientificreport/14appendixE2/e243.asp

CORAGOFF005



3. external

reviews

by

professional

associations

is

problematic

Correction

4.

none supports the hypothesis

that saturated fats cause heart disease

Correction:

because

5. studies

that

have

never been systematically reviewed by any of the dietary guideline committees

6 http://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/suppl/2015/09/23/bmj.h4962.DC1/teicholzmaster2609.wt1_default.pdf

7 http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/healthpro/guidelines/indevelop/cardiovascularriskreduction/lifestyle


CORAGOFF006



Correction:

6. there have been at a minimum, three National Institutes

of Health funded trials on some 50 000 people showing that a diet low in fat

and saturated fat is ineffective for fighting heart disease, obesity, diabetes,

or

cancer

Correction:

9 Hooper L, Summerbell CD, Thompson R, Sills D, Roberts FG, Moore HJ, Davey Smith G. Reduced or modified

dietary fat for preventing cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 May 16;5:CD002137. doi:

10.1002/14651858.CD002137.pub3

10 Mozaffarian D, Micha R, Wallace S. Effects on coronary heart disease of increasing polyunsaturated fat in place

of saturated fat: a systematic review and metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials. PLoS Med

2010;7:e1000252. 11

Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial Research Group. Multiple risk factor intervention trial. Risk factor changes

and mortality results. JAMA 1982;248:146577. 12

Walden

CE,

Retzlaff

BM,

Buck

BL,

Wallick

S,

McCann

BS,

Knopp

RH.

Differential

effect

of

National

Cholesterol

Education Program (NCEP) Step II diet on HDL cholesterol, its subfractions, and apoprotein AI levels in

hypercholesterolemic women and men after 1 year: The beFIT Study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2000;20:1580

7. 13

Knopp RH, Walden CE, Retzlaff BM, et al. Longterm cholesterollowering effects of 4 fatrestricted diets in

hypercholesterolemic and combined hyperlipidemic men. The Dietary Alternatives Study. JAMA 1997;278:150915. 14Hooper L, Summerbell CD, Thompson R, Sills D, Roberts FG, Moore HJ, Davey Smith G. Reduced or modified

dietary fat for preventing cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 May 16;5:CD002137. doi:

10.1002/14651858.CD002137.pub3

CORAGOFF007



7.

committee reviewed other,

more

recent

studies

but

not

using

any

systematic

or

predefined

methods.”

Correction:

8.

ad hoc review

no systematic methodology is given

for the selection of these studies

Correction:

because

9.

.

these

reviews

include

eggs,

fish,

and

dairy

and

therefore

do

not

isolate

the

health

effects

of

red

meat .

Correction: do



http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015scientificreport/14appendixE2/e227.asp


18 http://www.nel.gov/vault/2440/web/files/DietaryPatterns/DPRptFullFinal.pdf

19 http://www.nel.gov/template.cfm?template=sort_list_template&key=835

20 http://www.nel.gov/evidence.cfm?evidence_summary_id=250271






CORAGOFF008



10.

The

foundation

of

that

advice

has

been

to

recommend

eating

less

fat

and

fewer

animal

products

(meat,

dairy,

eggs)

Correction:

New

York

Times

Dietary Guidelines for

Americans

DGA

11.

were dismissed by the USDA

Correction:

Toward Healthful Diets

Toward

Healthful

Diets, after

26 Teicholz N. The government’s bad diet advice. The New York Times, 2015 Feb 20.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/21/opinion/whenthegovernmenttellsyouwhattoeat.html 27

National Research Council, Food and Nutrition Board, National Academy of Sciences. Toward Healthful Diets.

National Academy Press, 1980.

CORAGOFF009



*Steven Abrams, MD

Chair of PediatricsDirector, Dell Pediatric Research InstituteDell Medical SchoolUniversity of Texas at AustinAustin, Texas, USA

*Lucile L. Adams-Campbell, PhD

Professor of OncologyAssociate DeanAssociate Director, Minority Health & Health Disparities ResearchGeorgetown University Medical CenterWashington, D.C., USA

Sharon R. Akabas, PhDDirector, MS in NutritionAssociate Director for Educational InitiativesColumbia UniversityInstitute of Human Nutrition New York, New York, USA

*Cheryl Anderson, PhD, MPH

Associate Professor of Preventive MedicineDepartment of Family and Preventive Medicine

School of MedicineUniversity of California, San DiegoLa Jolla, California, USA

Lawrence J. Appel, MD, MPH

C. David Molina, MD, MPH Professor of Medicine Epidemiology and International HealthDirector, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical ResearchJohns Hopkins Medical InstitutionsBaltimore, Maryland, USA

Fernando Arós Borau, MD, PhD

Department of CardiologyUniversity Hospital of ArabaVitoria, Spain

Alberto Ascherio, MD, DrPH

Professor of Epidemiology and NutritionDepartment of Nutrition

CORAGOFF010



Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthProfessor of MedicineHarvard Medical SchoolBoston, Massachusetts, USA

Guy De Backer, MD, PhDEmeritus Professor in Public HealthGhent UniversityGhent, Belgium

Adam B. Becker, PhD, MPH

Executive DirectorConsortium to Lower Obesity in Chicago ChildrenChicago, Illinois, USA

Maira Bes-Rastrollo, PharmD, PhDAssociate ProfessorDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public HealthFaculty of MedicineUniversity of Navarra Navarra, Spain

Henry Blackburn, MD

Professor Emeritus, Epidemiology & Community HealthDivision of Epidemiology & Community HealthUniversity of Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Carol J. Boushey, PhD, MPH, RD

Associate Research ProfessorEpidemiology ProgramUniversity of Hawaii Cancer CenterUniversity of Hawaii at ManoaHonolulu, Hawaii, USA

Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault, MD, PhD

Medical Practitioner, Internist, and GastroenterologistPractitioner at Antoine Béclère University HospitalInserm Research DirectorHead of INSERM UMR 1018Clamart, France

*J. Thomas Brenna, PhD

Professor of Human Nutrition and of Chemistry

CORAGOFF011



Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York, USA

Ingeborg Brouwer, PhD

Professor of Nutrition for Healthy Living

Health SciencesVU University AmsterdamAmsterdam, The Netherlands

Kelly D. Brownell, PhD

Dean, Sanford School of Public PolicyRobert L. Flowers Professor of Public PolicyProfessor of Psychology and NeuroscienceDuke UniversityDurham, North Carolina, USA

Aurora Bueno Cavanillas, MD, PhD

Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public HealthUniversity of GranadaGranada, Spain

Pilar Buil-Cosiales, PhD, MD

Primary Health Care Practitioner Servicio Navarro de Salud-Osasunbidea National Health System Navarra, Spain

Joanne Burke, PhD, RD, LD

Director of the University of New Hampshire Dietetic InternshipThomas W. Haas Professor in Sustainable Food SystemsUniversity of New HampshireDurham, New Hampshire, USA

Carlos A. Camargo, Jr., MD, DrPH

Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical SchoolProfessor of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health

Boston, Massachusetts, USA

*Wayne Campbell, PhD

Professor, Department of Nutrition SciencePurdue UniversityWest Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Raffaele De Caterina, MD, PhD

CORAGOFF012



Professor and Chair of CardiologyG. d’Annunzio University - Chieti-PescaraChieti, Italy

Alan Chait, MD

Edwin L. Bierman Professor of MedicineHead, Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology & NutritionUniversity of WashingtonSeattle, Washington, USA

Jorge E. Chavarro, MD, ScD

Associate Professor of Nutrition and EpidemiologyHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthAssistant Professor of MedicineHarvard Medical School


*Steven K. Clinton, MD, PhD

John B. and Jane T. McCoy Chair of Cancer ResearchThe Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer CenterProfessor Division of Medical OncologyDepartment of Internal MedicineThe Ohio State University School of MedicineColumbus, Ohio, USA

Isobel R. Contento, PhDMary Swartz Rose Professor of Nutrition and EducationCoordinator, Program in NutritionFaculty Director, Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & PolicyDepartment of Health and Behavior StudiesTeachers College Columbia University New York, New York, USA

Dolores Corella, PhD

Professor, Preventive Medicine and Public Health

Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology UnitSchool of MedicineUniversity of ValenciaValencia, Spain

Patricia Crawford, DrPH

Senior Director of Research, Nutrition Policy InstituteCooperative Extension Specialist

CORAGOFF013



University of California Agriculture and Natural ResourcesBerkeley, California, USA

Lidia A. Daimiel-Ruiz, PhD

Principal Investigator

Pabellón Central del Antiguo Hospital de CantoblancoUniversity de CantoblancoMadrid, Spain

Richard J. Deckelbaum, MD, CM, FRCPC

Robert R. Williams Professor of NutritionProfessor of PediatricsProfessor of EpidemiologyDirector, Institute of Human NutritionCollege of Physicians and Surgeons

Columbia University Medical Center New York, New York, USA

Jean-Pierre Després, PhD, FAHA, FIAS

Scientific DirectorInternational Chair on Cardiometabolic RiskProfessor, Department of KinesiologyFaculty of Medicine, Université LavalDirector of Research, CardiologyQuébec Heart and Lung InstituteQuébec, Canada

William Dietz, MD, PhD

Director, Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and WellnessMilken Institute School of Public HealthGeorge Washington UniversityWashington, D.C., USA

Deirdre A. Dingman, DrPH, MPH, CHES

Postdoctoral FellowPublic Health Law Research

Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Ligia J. Dominguez, MD

Geriatric UnitUniversity of PalermoPalermo, Italy

CORAGOFF014



Ana Clara Duran, MS, PhD

Postdoctoral Research FellowUniversity of Illinois, ChicagoChicago, Illinois, USA

Robert H. Eckel, MDProfessor of MedicineDivision of Endocrinology, Metabolism and DiabetesDivision of CardiologyProfessor of Physiology and BiophysicsCharles A. Boettcher II Chair in AtherosclerosisUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusDirector Lipid Clinic, University HospitalUniversity of Colorado, DenverDenver, Colorado, USA

Ibrahim Elmadfa, PhD

Emeritus Professor of NutritionUniversity of ViennaVienna, Austria

Javier Díez Espino, MD, PhD

Primary Care ManagerServicio Navarro de Salud-Osasubidea Navarra, Spain

Ramon Estruch, MD, PhDDepartment of Internal MedicineHospital Clinic, University of BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain

Wafaie Fawzi, DrPH

Richard Saltonstall Professor of Population SciencesProfessor of Nutrition, Epidemiology, and Global HealthChair, Department of Global Health and PopulationHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health


Alejandro Fernández-Montero, MD, PhD

Project Director, “Healthy Diet, It’s up to you”Department of Prevention of Occupational HazardsUniversity of Navarra-IDISNA Navarra, Spain

CORAGOFF015



Oscar H. Franco, MD, PhD, FESC, FFPH

Professor of Preventive MedicinePI Cardiovascular Epidemiology groupDirector ErasmusAGECEO Erasmus Epidemiology Resources

Deputy Science Director NIHESDepartment of EpidemiologyErasmus MC, University Medical Center RotterdamRotterdam, The Netherlands

Gary E. Fraser, MD, PhD

Professor of EpidemiologyLoma Linda UniversityLoma Linda, California, USA

Itziar Zazpe Garcia, PhD, RDProfessor Department of Clinical Science and PhysiologyUniversidad de Navarra Navarra, Spain

Christopher Gardner, PhD

Professor of MedicineDirector of Nutrition StudiesDirector of NIH/NHLBI Postdoctoral Training ProgramStanford Prevention Research Center

Palo Alto, California, USA

Alfredo Gea, PhD

Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Preventive Medicine & Public HealthUniversity of Navarra, Spain Navarra, Spain

Angel Gil, PhD

President of the Iberoamerican Nutrition Foundation (FINUT)

Full Professor Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology IIInstitute of Nutrition and Food TechnologyCentre of Biomedical ResearchUniversity of GranadaGranada, Spain

David C. Goff, Jr., MD, PhD

Dean

CORAGOFF016



Colorado School of Public HealthAurora, Colorado, USA

Carlos A. González, MD, PhD

Unit of Nutrition and Cancer (Emeritus)

Cancer Epidemiology Research ProgrammeCatalan Institute of Oncology (ICO)Barcelona, Spain

Teresita González de Cosío, PhD, MSc

Directora de Departamento de SaludUniversidad IberoamericanaMexico City, Mexico

Michael I. Goran, PhD

Director, Childhood Obesity Research CenterCo-Director, USC Diabetes and Obesity Research InstituteProfessor of Preventive Medicine; Physiology & Biophysics; and PediatricsThe Dr. Robert C. & Veronica Atkins Chair in Childhood Obesity & DiabetesUSC Keck School of MedicineLos Angeles, California, USA

Antonio M. Gotto Jr., MD, DPhil

Professor of MedicineProvost for Medical Affairs and Dean Emeritus Weill Cornell Medical College

New York, New York, USA

Philip Greenland, MD

Harry W. Dingman ProfessorDepartment of Preventive Medicine Northwestern University Feinberg School of MedicineChicago, Illinois, USA

Joan Gussow, EdD

Mary Swartz Rose Professor Emerita of Nutrition Education

Teachers CollegeColumbia University New York, New York, USA

Michael W. Hamm, PhD

C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable AgricultureDirector, Center for Regional Food SystemsDepartments of CSUS, PSM, FSHN

CORAGOFF017





Philip T. James, CBE, MD, DSc

Honorary Professor of NutritionLondon School of HygieneLondon, United Kingdom

David Jenkins, MD, PhD, DScProfessor, Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and MetabolismDepartment of Nutritional SciencesDirector, Risk Factor Modification Centre, St. Michael’s HospitalUniversity of TorontoToronto, Canada

Laura Johnson, PhD

Lecturer in Public Health NutritionCentre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences

School for Policy StudiesUniversity of BristolBristol, United Kingdom

Martijn B. Katan, PhD

Emeritus Professor of NutritionVU University AmsterdamDepartment of Health SciencesAmsterdam, The Netherlands

David Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACP

Director, Yale University Prevention Research CenterPresident, American College of Lifestyle MedicineFounder, True Health Initiative New Haven, Connecticut, USA

George A. Kelley, DA, FACSM

Professor & Director, Meta-Analytic Research GroupSchool of Public HealthDepartment of BiostatisticsCo-Director, WVCTSI Clinical Research Design, Epidemiology, and Biostatistics Program

West Virginia UniversityMorgantown, West Virginia, USA

Thomas Kelly, PhD, MA

Chief Sustainability Officer/DirectorSustainability InstituteUniversity of New HampshireDurham, New Hampshire, USA

CORAGOFF019





Kaiser PermanenteOakland, California, USA

Darwin R. Labarthe, MD, MPH, PhD

Professor of Preventive Medicine

Northwestern University Feinberg School of MedicineChicago, Illinois, USA

Rosa M. Lamuela-Raventos, PhD

Associate ProfessorDepartment of Nutrition and Food ScienceSchool of Pharmacy, University of BarcelonaBarcelona, Spain

José Lapetra, MD, PhD

Médico de FamiliaResponsable del Grupo de Investigación "Dieta, Nutrición y Prevención de Enfermedades enAtención Primaria"CIBEROBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos IIIUnidad de Investigación del Distrito Sanitario Atención Primaria SevillaSevilla, Spain

Robert S. Lawrence, MD

Director, Center for a Livable FutureProfessor of Environmental Health Sciences and International HealthJohns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Sally Ann Lederman, PhD

Special LecturerInstitute of Human NutritionColumbia University New York, New York, USA

Allen S. Levine, PhD

Professor, Food Science and Nutrition

University of MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Elyse Levine, PhD, RD

AssociateBooz Allen HamiltonRockville, Maryland, USA

CORAGOFF021



David A. Levitsky, PhD, MPhil, MS

Stephen H. Weiss Presidential FellowProfessor of Nutrition and PsychologyCornell UniversityIthaca, New York, USA

Barry Lewis, MD, PhD, FRCP, FRCPath

Emeritus ProfessorUniversity of LondonLondon, United Kingdom

*Alice Lichtenstein, DSc

Senior Scientist and DirectorCardiovascular Nutrition LaboratoryJean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging

Professor of MedicineTufts University School of MedicineBoston, Massachusetts, USA


Director of NutritionCenter for Science in the Public InterestWashington, D.C., USA

Esther Lopez-Garcia, PhD, MPH

Associate Professor

Department of Preventive Medicine and Public HealthSchool of MedicineUniversidad Autónoma de MadridMadrid, Spain

José López Miranda, MD, PhD

Catedrático de Medicina InternaVicedecano de Asuntos HospitalariosDirector UGC Medicina InternaHospital Universitario Reina Sofia

Facultad de MedicinaUniversidad de CordobaCordoba, Spain

Graham MacGregor, MA, MB, BChir

Professor of Cardiovascular MedicineWolfson Institute of Preventive MedicineBarts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary

CORAGOFF022



University of LondonLondon, United Kingdom

Meena Mahadevan, PhDAssociate ProfessorProgram Coordinator for Applied NutritionDepartment of Health and Nutrition SciencesMontclair State UniversityMontclair, New Jersey, USA

Vasanti Malik, ScDResearch ScientistHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBoston, Massachusetts, USA

Mario Mancini, MDEmeritus ProfessorUniversity of Naples Naples, Italy

James Mann, MDProfessor, Human Nutrition and MedicineDunedin School of MedicineUniversity of OtagoOtago, New Zealand

JoAnn E. Manson, MD, DrPHProfessor of Medicine

Michael and Lee Bell Professor of Women's HealthHarvard Medical SchoolProfessor, Department of EpidemiologyHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthChief, Division of Preventive MedicineBrigham and Women's HospitalBoston, Massachusetts, USA

Barrie Margetts, PhD, FFPH, MScProfessor Emeritus of MedicineUniversity of Southampton

Southampton, United Kingdom

Miguel A. Martinez-Gonzalez, MD, PhD, MPH

Chair, Department of Public HealthUniversity of Navarra-CIBEROBN Navarra, Spain

CORAGOFF023



J. Alfredo Martinez Hernandez, D.Pharm, MD, PhD

Professor Department of Nutrition, Food Science, Physiology and ToxicologySchool of PharmacyUniversity of Navarra

Navarra, Spain

William McCarthy, PhD

Adjunct ProfessorUCLA Fielding School of Public HealthDepartment of Health Policy and ManagementLos Angeles, California, USA

*Barbara Millen, DrPH, RD

Founder and President

Millennium Prevention, Inc.Westwood, Massachusetts, USA

Nana Gletsu Miller, PhD

Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Nutrition ScienceCollege of Health and Human SciencesPurdue UniversityWest Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Marc Molendijk, PhD

Assistant Professor Clinical PsychologyLeiden University and Leiden University Medical CenterLeiden, The Netherlands

Carlos A. Monteiro, MD, PhDProfessor of Nutrition and Public HealthDepartment of Nutrition, School of Public HealthUniversity of Sáo PauloSáo Paulo, Brazil

Roni Neff, PhD, MSAssistant Professor, Environmental Health SciencesBloomberg School of Public HealthProgram Director, Food System SustainabilityCenter for a Livable FutureJohns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, Maryland, USA

CORAGOFF024



*Miriam Nelson, PhD

Associate Dean, Tisch College of Citizenship and Public ServiceProfessor, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and PolicyTufts UniversityBoston, Massachusetts, USA

*Marian L. Neuhouser, PhD, RD

Full Member, Cancer Prevention ProgramDivision of Public Health SciencesFred Hutchinson Cancer Research CenterSeattle, Washington, USA

Kaare R. Norum, MD, PhD

Professor EmeritusDepartment of Nutrition

Faculty of MedicineUniversity of OsloOslo, Norway

Salvatore Panico, MD, MS

Professor of Internal MedicineFederico II University Naples, Italy

Angeliki Papadaki, PhD, MSc, FHEA

Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition

Programme Director, MSc Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public HealthCentre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health SciencesSchool for Policy StudiesUniversity of BristolBristol, United Kingdom

Diana C. Parra, PhD, PT, MPH

Assistant ProfessorProgram in Physical Therapy and Department of Surgery (Prevention)Scholar, Institute for Public Health

Washington University School of MedicineSt. Louis, Missouri, USA

Emma Patterson, PhD

Project Manager for School Food SwedenCommunity Nutrition and Physical ActivityKarolinska InstitutetStockholm, Sweden

CORAGOFF025



Jan I. Pedersen, MD, PhDEmeritus ProfessorDepartment of NutritionInstitute of Basic Medical SciencesUniversity of Oslo

Oslo, Norway

*Rafael Perez-Escamilla, PhD

Professor of Epidemiology and Public HealthDirector, Office of Public Health PracticeDirector, Global Health ConcentrationYale School of Public Health New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Francisco Perez-Jimenez, MD, PhD

Full Professor of Internal Medicine

Reina Sofia University HospitalUniversity of CordobaCordoba, Spain

F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, MD

Professor of MedicineInstitute of Human NutritionColumbia University New York, New York, USA

María Puy Portillo, DPharmProfessor of NutritionDirector, Nutrición y ObesidadDepartment of Pharmacy and Food ScienceUniversity of the Basque CountryBilbao, Spain

John D. Potter, MD, PhD

Senior Advisor, Public Health Sciences DivisionFred Hutchinson Cancer Research CenterSeattle, Washington, USA

Neil Poulter, MD

Professor of Preventive Cardiovascular MedicineImperial CollegeLondon, United Kingdom

Pekka Puska, MD, PhD, MPolSc

CORAGOFF026



Professor, National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), FinlandPast President, World Heart Federation (WHF)Past President, International Association of National Public Health InstitutesHelsinki, Finland

Kalevi Pyörälä, MDEmeritus Professor of MedicineUniversity of Eastern FinlandKuopio, Finland

Tim Radak, DrPH, MPH, RD

Academic Coordinator for DrPH and PhD Public Health ProgramsCollege of Health SciencesWalden UniversityMinneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Sujatha Rajaram, PhD

Chair, SPH Doctoral CommitteeProgram Director, DrPH in NutritionSchool of Public HealthLoma Linda UniversityLoma Linda, California, USA

Mike Rayner, DPhil

Professor of Population HealthDirector, British Heart Foundation Centre on Population Approaches for Non-Communicable

Disease Prevention Nuffield Department of Population HealthUniversity of OxfordOxford, United Kingdom

Cristina Razquin Burillo, PhD

Colaborador de investigaciónDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public HealthSchool of MedicineUniversity of Navarra Navarra, Spain

Bill Reger-Nash, EdD

Professor EmeritusWest Virginia University School of Public HealthAssociate Chair, Morgantown Pedestrian Safety BoardMorgantown, West Virginia, USA

CORAGOFF027



Shaun Riebl, PhD, RDN, LDN

Clinical Assistant ProfessorThe University of North Carolina at Chapel HillGillings School of Global Public Health and UNC School of Medicine

Department of NutritionDepartment of Medicine - Division of Nephrology and HypertensionUNC Hospitals Kidney and Hypertension Specialty ClinicChapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Eric Rimm, ScD

Professor of MedicineHarvard Medical SchoolChanning Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's HospitalProfessor of Epidemiology and Nutrition

Director, Program in Cardiovascular EpidemiologyHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBoston, Massachusetts, USA

Ulf Risérus, MMED, PhD

Associate Professor in Clinical NutritionDepartment of Public Health and Caring SciencesClinical Nutrition and MetabolismFaculty of Medicine, Uppsala UniversityUppsala, Sweden

Lorrene Ritchie, PhD, RDDirector, Nutrition Policy InstituteCooperative Extension SpecialistUniversity of California Agriculture and Natural ResourcesBerkeley, California, USA

Juan Rivera Dommarco, PhD, MS

DirectorCenter for Research in Nutrition and HealthInstituto Nacional de Salud Publica

Cuernavaca, Mexico

Kim Robien, PhD, RD, CSO, FAND

Associate ProfessorDepartment of Exercise and Nutrition SciencesDepartment of Epidemiology and BiostatisticsMilken Institute School of Public HealthGeorge Washington University

CORAGOFF028



Washington, D.C., USA

Fernando Rodríguez-Artalejo, MD, PhD

Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public HealthSchool of Medicine

Universidad Autónoma de MadridMadrid, Spain

Dora Romaguera, MSc, PhD

Institut d’Investigació Sanitària de Palma (IdISPa) and CIBER-OBNHospital Universitari Son Espases, Unitat de RecercaPalma de Mallorca, Spain

Emilio Ros, MD, PhD

Former Director, Lipid Clinic

Endocrinology & Nutrition ServiceHospital ClínicCIBERobn, ISCIII, SpainBarcelona, Spain

Donald (Diego) Rose, PhD, MPH

Professor and Head of Nutrition SectionSchool of Public Health and Tropical MedicineTulane University New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Miguel Ruiz-Canela, PhD, MPHAssociate ProfessorDepartment of Preventive Medicine and Public HealthUniversity of Navarra Navarra, Spain

Joan Sabaté, MD, DrPH

Professor of NutritionSchool of Public HealthLoma Linda University

Loma Linda, California, USA

Frank Sacks, MD, ScB

Professor of Cardiovascular Disease PreventionDepartment of NutritionHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBoston, Massachusetts, USA

CORAGOFF029



Guillermo Saez Tormo, MD, PhD

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyCoordinator for International Relations and Mobility ProgramsFaculty of Medicine and OdontologyService of Clinical Analysis

University Hospital Doctor Peset AleixandreUniversity of ValenciaValencia, Spain

Jordi Salas-Salvadó, MD, PhD

Professor of NutritionDirector, Human Nutrition UnitDepartment of Biochemistry & Biotechnology, IISPVSchool of MedicineRovira i Virgili University

CIBERobn, Instituto Carlos IIIDirector, Centre Català de la Nutrició - Institut d'Estudis CatalansPast President, Federation of Spanish Food, Nutrition and Dietetic Scientific SocietiesDirector, Red Iberoamericana RIBESMETChairman, INC - World Forum for Nutrition Research and DisseminationReus, Spain

Almudena Sánchez-Villegas, PhD

Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine and Public HealthDepartment of Clinical SciencesUniversidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria

Las Palmas, Spain

Wim H.M. Saris, MD, PhD

Professor of Human NutritionDepartment of Human Biology NUTRIM: School of Nutrition and Translational ResearchMaastricht University Medical CentreMaastricht, The Netherlands

Dennis Savaiano, PhD, MS

Virginia C. Meredith ProfessorDirector, North Central Nutrition Education CenterDepartment of Nutrition SciencePurdue UniversityWest Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Matthias B. Schulze, DrPH

German Institute of Human Nutrition

CORAGOFF030



Department of Molecular Epidemiology Nuthetal, Germany

Ursula Schwab, PhD

Associate Professor, Nutrition Therapy

Department of Public Health and Clinical NutritionSchool of MedicineUniversity of Eastern Finland, Kuopio CampusKuopio, Finland

Marlene B. Schwartz, PhD

DirectorRudd Center for Food Policy and ObesityUniversity of ConnecticutStorrs, Connecticut, USA

Jacob C. Seidell, PhD

Professor of Nutrition and Health/University ProfessorVU University AmsterdamAmsterdam, The Netherlands

Lluis Serra-Majem, MD, MSc, PhD

Professor of Public HealthDirector, Public Health Nutrition Research Center, University of BarcelonaPresident, Nutrition Without BordersUniversity of Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria, Spain

A. G. Shaper, FRCP, FRCPath, FFPHM

Ex-director, British Regional Heart StudyUniversity College of LondonLondon, United Kingdom

*Anna Maria Siega-Riz, PhD

Professor of Epidemiology and NutritionAssociate Dean for Academic Affairs

Gillings School of Global Public HealthChapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Lesley Schmidt Sindberg, MPH

Senior Research Coordinator Healthy Eating ResearchUniversity of Minnesota School of Public HealthSt. Paul, Minnesota, USA

CORAGOFF031



Jeremiah Stamler, MD

Professor Emeritus, Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology Northwestern University Feinberg School of MedicineChicago, Illinois, USA

Meir Stampfer, MD, DrPH

Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical SchoolProfessor of Epidemiology and Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthAssociate Director, Channing Division of Network MedicineDepartment of Medicine, Brigham and Women's HospitalBoston, Massachusetts, USA

Marie-Pierre St.-Onge, PhD, FAHA

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine

New York Obesity Research CenterInstitute of Human NutritionCollege of Physicians & SurgeonsColumbia University New York, New York, USA

*Mary Story, PhD, RD

Professor of Global Health and Community and Family MedicineDuke UniversityDurham, North Carolina, USA

Boyd Swinburn, MBChB, MD, FRACP, FNZCPHMProfessor of Population Nutrition and Global HealthUniversity of AucklandAlfred Deakin Professor Deakin University, MelbourneMelbourne, Australia

Daniel R. Taber, PhD, MPH

Assistant ProfessorDepartment of Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences

University of Texas School of Public HealthAustin, Texas, USA

Lindsey Smith Taillie, PhD, MPH

Research Assistant Professor, Department of NutritionFellow, Carolina Population CenterUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

CORAGOFF032





Josep A. Tur, PhD

Professor of PhysiologyResearch Group on Community Nutrition & Oxidative StressUniversity of the Balearic Islands & CIBERobn CB12/03/30038Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Matti Uusitupa, MD, PhD

Professor EmeritusInstitute of Public Health and Clinical NutritionUniversity of Eastern FinlandJoensuu, Finland

Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD

Professor, Preventive MedicineAssociate Dean for Faculty Development

Feinberg School of Medicine Northwestern UniversityChicago, Illinois, USA

Carlo La Vecchia, MD

Professor of Medical Statistics and EpidemiologyDepartment of Clinical Sciences and Community HealthUniversità degli Studi di MilanoMilan, Italy

Jesus Vioque, MD, PhD, MPH

Unidad de Epidemiología de la NutriciónCampus San Juan. Facultad de MedicinaUniversidad Miguel HernandezAlicante, Spain

David Wallinga, MD

Senior Health Officer Natural Resources Defense CouncilSan Francisco, California, USA

May Wang, DrPH

Professor, Community Health SciencesDavid Geffen School of MedicineUniversity of California, Los AngelesLos Angeles, California, USA

Dianne S. Ward, EdD

Professor, Department of NutritionGillings School of Global Public Health

CORAGOFF034



University of North CarolinaChapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Julia Wärnberg, PhD

Nutritionist

University of MalagaMalaga, Spain

Connie M. Weaver, PhD

Distinguished Professor and Department HeadDepartment of Nutrition ScienceDirector, Women's Global Health InstitutePurdue UniversityWest Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Howell Wechsler, EdD, MPHChief Executive OfficerAlliance for a Healthier GenerationWashington, D.C., USA

Elisabete Weiderpass, MD, PhD, MSc

Professor of Cancer Epidemiology, Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of HealthSciences, University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of NorwayTromsø, NorwaySenior Cancer Epidemiologist, Department of Etiological Cancer Research, Cancer Registry of Norway

Oslo, NorwayProfessor of Medical Epidemiology, Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics,Karolinska InstitutetStockholm, SwedenGroup Leader, Genetic Epidemiology Group, Folkhälsan Research Center Helsinki, Finland

Shelley Weinstock, PhD, CNS, FACN

Career ServicesInstitute of Human Nutrition

Columbia University New York, New York, USA

Emily Welker, MPH, RD

Program CoordinatorHealthy Eating ResearchDuke Global Health InstituteDuke University

CORAGOFF035



Durham, North Carolina, USA

Paul Whelton, MD, MSc

Show Chwan Professor of Global Public HealthTulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Walter Willett, MD, DrPH, MPH

Frederick John Stare Professor of Epidemiology and NutritionChair, Department of NutritionHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthProfessor, Department of MedicineHarvard Medical SchoolBoston, Massachusetts, USA

Alicja Wolk, DMScProfessor of Nutritional EpidemiologyVice-chairman, Institute of Environmental MedicineHead, Division of Nutritional EpidemiologyKarolinska InstitutetStockholm, Sweden

Jayne Woodside, PhD

Nutrition and Metabolism GroupCentre for Public HealthBelfast, United Kingdom

Kana Wu, MD, PhD

Senior Research ScientistDepartment of NutritionHarvard T.H. Chan School of Public HealthBoston, Massachusetts, USA

Lisa R. Young, PhD, RD

Adjunct Professor of Nutrition New York University

New York, New York, USA

*2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee member

CORAGOFF036



CORAGOFF037



Graduate Students

Stacy Blondin, MSPH

USDA Doctoral FellowChildObesity180Friedman School of Nutrition Science and PolicyTufts UniversityBoston, Massachusetts, USA

Larissa Calancie

Doctoral Candidate - Nutrition Interventions and PolicyUniversity of North Carolina Gillings School of Public HealthUNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Christina Chauvenet, MSc

Doctoral StudentMaternal and Child HealthRoyster FellowUniversity of North Carolina Gillings School of Public HealthChapel Hill, North Carolina, USA

Cesar Octavio Ramos Garcia, MHN, CN

Doctoral Student in Public Health Sciences

Director of NutritionTonala University CenterUniversity of GuadalajaraGuadalajara, Mexico

Violet Kiesel

Graduate StudentPurdue UniversityWest Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Alexandra B. MorshedDoctoral StudentBrown SchoolWashington UniversitySt. Louis, Missouri, USA

Taulant Muka, MD, MSc, DSc

PhD Candidate, Erasmus MC, The Netherlands

CORAGOFF038



Visiting Researcher at Harvard School of Public HealthBoston, Massachusetts, USA

Luis A. Rodríguez, MPH, RD, CNSC

Doctoral Student, Epidemiology & Translational Sciences

UCSF School of MedicinePediatric Clinical Dietitian, UCSF Benioff Children's HospitalSan Francisco, California, USA

Christian Wright, MS

Doctoral CandidateDepartment of Nutrition ScienceLaboratory of Nutrition, Fitness, and Aging NSGSO PresidentPurdue University

West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

Affiliations are listed for identification purposes only.

CORAGOFF039



1

Cundiff, Derek

From: Bonnie Liebman <[email protected]>


To: Bonnie Liebman

Subject: COIs needed for BMJ retraction letter

Attachments: bmjpolicyondeclarationofinterestsmarch2014.docx

Dear Colleague:

In response to our letter asking the BMJ to retract the “investigation” by Nina Teicholz, the journal has told us that “the

BMJ is continuing to review this article and plan to respond more fully when our further enquiries are complete.”

In the meantime, the BMJ has invited us to post the letter as a rapid response to the online article. In order to post the

letter, we have to send the journal a conflict‐of ‐interest form for each co‐signer.

Please fill out page 4 of the form (attached) and email it back to my colleague, Angela Amico ([email protected]).

Once we hear from everyone, she will submit the forms to the BMJ.

More information about competing interests for a rapid response is available here:

http://www.bmj.com/about‐bmj/resources‐authors/forms‐policies‐and‐checklists/declaration‐competing‐interests

Best wishes,

Bonnie Liebman

_______________________________

Bonnie

F.

Liebman,

MS





Ph: (202) 777‐8335

Fax: (202) 265‐4954

CORAGOFF040



1

BMJ policy on declaration of interests

BMJ is committed to ensuring the independence and integrity of our content, products, and services.We strive, therefore, to be transparent about any interests that our users, customers, and partnersmight want to know about. This policy on declaration of interests applies to everyone involved in theconception, creation, and delivery of our content, products, and services.

1. What interests should I declare?

We want to hear about interests that might conflict with the work you are doing or have been asked todo for BMJ. A conflict of interest arises when a person has a personal or organisational interest thatmay influence or appear to influence the work they are doing. Usually this is a financial interest, but itmay also be non-financial. Above all we want transparency about any personal or organisational interests that might be seen asa conflict of interest in relation to the task a person is being asked to do for BMJ.

Conflicts of interest are often unavoidable, and should be managed as far as possible rather thanprohibited. But some interests may be so conflicting that the individuals involved should not do thetask the BMJ needs doing.

The examples given in this document are not an exhaustive list. Individuals should ask themselves if

there is anything that may strongly bias their judgement and potentially preclude them fromperforming the task requested of them, as well as anything that someone using BMJ products andservices might want to know, or that might cause embarrassment or reputational damage ifdiscovered after the event.

We ask people to be as clear and specific as possible about the activities, relationships, and viewsthey are declaring. We may ask for more details about any declaration. We would want to know, forexample, what honorariums were for and how much they were for. In declaring travel expenses, wewould want to know the task that was carried out during that travel.

To make things manageable we would like to know about interests in the 36 months before thedeclaration and those known to be going to occur during the next 12 months.

2. How we categorise declaration of interests

We categorise declaration of interests into four main areas:

2.1 Personal financial interests

A personal financial interest is considered present when payments are made directly to an individual,whether as a salary or as fees or honorariums; or where an individual receives benefits from a thirdparty who is not their main employer, such as a fellowship, equipment, writing or administrativeassistance, or travel and accommodation expenses; or where an individual owns stocks and shares,patents, or other assets.

Examples include: Employment Paid consultancy or directorship

Ownership of stocks and sharesPatent ownership or applications Paid membership of speakers panels/bureaus and advisory board Acting as an expert witness Being in receipt of a fellowship, equipment, writing, or administrative support Travel and accommodation expenses Writing or consulting for a medical education promotional or communicationscompany.

CORAGOFF041



2

We do not consider personal financial interests to be present in the case of assets over whichindividuals have no control, such as unit trusts, occupational pension funds, and accrued pensionrights.

2.2 Organisational financial interests

An organisational financial interest is said to exist where the interest belongs at arm’s length to the

individual—for example, where payments are made to the individual's organisation rather than to theirown bank account.

Examples include: Research grantsFunds for staff or department

2.3 Non-financial interests

Non-financial interests can take many different forms, including personal or professional relations withorganisations and individuals. Those that we want people to declare are unpaid positions that mighthave a bearing on the product or service being delivered by BMJ. We would also want to know aboutstrongly held beliefs where they are relevant to the task in hand.

In addition, we encourage people to declare other personal interests that they consider may be aconflict of interest in the context of the task they are being asked to perform for BMJ.

Examples include: Unpaid officership of advocacy, charity, non-governmental organisation, orrelevant professional groupUnpaid membership of a guidelines panelUnpaid advisory positions in commercial organisationsPersonal relationships with authors or editors of material, including havingheld grants, co-authored articles or papers, or worked together.

2.4 Interests of related parties

Conflicts of interest may also arise where a related party (spouse, partner, or other close familymember) has a financial or non-financial interest as described above that could be seen to conflictwith the task a person is being asked to do for BMJ.

Examples include: A spouse holding stocks or shares or being on the board of an organisationthat might be affected by the task the person is doing for BMJ.

3. When will you be asked to make declarations of interest?

We expect people to declare their interests before taking up any work for BMJ or entering into acontract with us for your services.

Where we are recruiting new staff, a declaration of interests will be part of the job application.

If we invite you to join an advisory board, or commission an article, lecture, or peer review report fromyou, we will ask you to declare your interests at the first approach in case there are conflicts of

interest that preclude you from accepting the invitation.

Articles submitted for consideration must be accompanied by a completed declaration.

BMJ staff and members of advisory boards will be asked to review their declarations of interestsannually (for staff this will be at the time of appraisal).

4. Dealing with declarations of interest

CORAGOFF042



3

In most cases disclosure will be sufficient, but in some cases an interest may be too conflicting. Theseare most likely to be current financial relationships or contractual arrangements that appear to preventan individual from providing an unbiased expert judgement, such as where a person has signed acontract in which he or she agrees to be paid for advocating the opinion of that organisation orcompany. Any such conflicts would be discussed with the individual who has disclosed them by theperson who has asked them to do the work for BMJ.

Decisions about whether or not an interest disqualifies the person from taking on a particular task forBMJ will be taken by the relevant senior staff member. For BMJ staff this would be the person thatthey report to.

There would be a right for anyone considered to have a conflict of interest sufficient to preclude themfrom working with BMJ on a particular task to appeal to the head of the relevantdepartment.

If a full declaration was not made at the time and a conflict of interest comes to light after the event,BMJ reserves the right to retract any content affected by this conflict. BMJ may also seek to terminatecontracts or employment affected in this way, and may choose not to work with the individual in thefuture.

5. Who should declare?

All of the following people are asked to declare their interests before working for or undertaking a taskfor BMJ

● Members of staff● Members of BMJ board● Editors in chief of BMJ journals and products● Members of BMJ advisory boards● Consultants, contractors, and freelancers producing material for BMJ products and services,

authors, series editors, peer reviewers.

We also encourage our partners and the co-owning societies we work with to use our declaration ofinterest policy and forms.

6. What happens to declarations?

Whenever possible, we will publish declarations of interest statements alongside the material to whichit relates: at product level on the relevant website for senior staff, board members, and advisers orotherwise at the level of the article, module, or event. These published statements may comprise thefull declarations, or summary statements with full declarations available on request.

Speakers at BMJ Masterclasses or conferences will be asked to show a slide summarising theirdeclaration at the beginning of their talk.

We will review staff, board member, and adviser declarations of interest annually. Signed declarationsfrom BMJ staff will be kept by the Human Resources department in accordance with our informationgovernance policy.

Where material is peer reviewed, requests for declarations will be sent to the peer reviewers, andeditors will send any author declaration of interest statements to the peer reviewer.

BMJ has regular brand integrity meetings where it will review declarations of interest policies andaudits of decisions.

Declarations of interest are kept on file in accordance with our information governance policies.

Last amended March 2014

CORAGOFF043



4

BMJ Group declaration of interests statement

Please complete the declaration below. You may complete and return this form electronically in Wordformat—a physical signature/hard copy is not required.

I have read and understood the BMJ Group policy on declaration of interests and declare thefollowing interests: [list them or state “none”].

Name: Date:

Manager sign off (for internal use)

Comments:

Review date

Name: Date:

CORAGOFF044





6

3) Advice—at least annually for on-going advisors. (For advisors who sit on boards or committeesupdating declarations should be an agenda item at committee meetings at appropriate intervals, butshould be considered formally at least annually)

4) Staff—at every annual appraisal. Staff have an obligation to tell their manager at any time if theinformation changes.

What happens if a person fails to make a full declaration of interests?

If we are alerted to the fact that someone may have an undeclared and potentially conflicting interest,this will almost always require careful handling. The first step is almost always to raise the concern

with the person involved and ask if the conflict does exist and for their reasons for not declaring it.Based on their response various actions may follow. Their declaration of interests may simply need tobe updated or a clarification notice or response published. Where a conflict is substantial and risks theintegrity of the content, product, or service, the person is likely to have to be removed fromundertaking the relevant task and articles or other content they have been working on may need to beretracted. Such cases must be discussed with senior staff (the line manager in the first instance) andrecords kept of all decision making.

When documenting the decision making process care should be taken to only record the facts of thecase under review and to avoid any speculation or making any personal comments about a person’sdeclaration of interests.

FG, LD, RM December 2012

CORAGOFF046



1

Cundiff, Derek

From: Goff, David

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2015 4:55 PM

To: Angela Amico

Subject: RE: Reminder: COIs needed for BMJ retraction letter

Attachments: bmjpolicyondeclarationofinterestsmarch2014 Goff.docx

Here is mine.

David

David C. Goff, Jr., MD, PhDDean, Colorado School of Public Health

13001 E. 17th Place, Mailstop B119 | Bldg. 500, 3rd Floor | Aurora, CO 80045303.724.7304 | [email protected] | t: @GoffColoradoSPH http://publichealth.ucdenver.edu | [email protected]

Connect with us online at:

ColoradoSPH News

| Facebook

| Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn

From: Angela Amico [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Monday, November 23, 2015 3:07 PM

To: Angela Amico <[email protected]>

Subject: Reminder:

COIs

needed

for

BMJ

retraction

letter

Dear Colleague:

This is a reminder to please fill out page 4 of the conflict‐of ‐interest form (attached) for the BMJ retraction letter. If you

do not have any interests to declare, please write “None” above your name.

Once we hear from everyone, I will submit the forms to the BMJ. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Best Regards,

Angela

Angela Amico, MPH

Project Coordinator

Health Promotion Policy & Biotechnology


1220 L Street NW, Suite 300

Washington, D.C. 20005

Direct: 202‐777‐8307

[email protected]

CORAGOFF047



2

From: Bonnie Liebman


To: Bonnie Liebman <[email protected]>

Subject: COIs needed for BMJ retraction letter

Dear Colleague:

In response

to

our

letter

asking

the

BMJ

to

retract

the

“investigation”

by

Nina

Teicholz,

the

journal

has

told

us

that

“the

BMJ is continuing to review this article and plan to respond more fully when our further enquiries are complete.”

In the meantime, the BMJ has invited us to post the letter as a rapid response to the online article. In order to post the

letter, we have to send the journal a conflict‐of ‐interest form for each co‐signer.

Please fill out page 4 of the form (attached) and email it back to my colleague, Angela Amico ([email protected]).

Once we hear from everyone, she will submit the forms to the BMJ.

More information about competing interests for a rapid response is available here:

http://www.bmj.com/about‐

bmj/resources‐

authors/forms‐

policies‐

and‐

checklists/declaration‐

competing‐

interests

Best wishes,

Bonnie Liebman

_______________________________




1220 L St.,

NW

Suite

300


Ph: (202) 777‐8335

Fax: (202) 265‐4954

CORAGOFF048



CORAGOFF049



1

BMJ policy on declaration of interests

BMJ is committed to ensuring the independence and integrity of our content, products, and services.We strive, therefore, to be transparent about any interests that our users, customers, and partnersmight want to know about. This policy on declaration of interests applies to everyone involved in theconception, creation, and delivery of our content, products, and services.

1. What interests should I declare?

We want to hear about interests that might conflict with the work you are doing or have been asked todo for BMJ. A conflict of interest arises when a person has a personal or organisational interest thatmay influence or appear to influence the work they are doing. Usually this is a financial interest, but itmay also be non-financial. Above all we want transparency about any personal or organisational interests that might be seen asa conflict of interest in relation to the task a person is being asked to do for BMJ.

Conflicts of interest are often unavoidable, and should be managed as far as possible rather thanprohibited. But some interests may be so conflicting that the individuals involved should not do thetask the BMJ needs doing.

The examples given in this document are not an exhaustive list. Individuals should ask themselves if

there is anything that may strongly bias their judgement and potentially preclude them fromperforming the task requested of them, as well as anything that someone using BMJ products andservices might want to know, or that might cause embarrassment or reputational damage ifdiscovered after the event.

We ask people to be as clear and specific as possible about the activities, relationships, and viewsthey are declaring. We may ask for more details about any declaration. We would want to know, forexample, what honorariums were for and how much they were for. In declaring travel expenses, wewould want to know the task that was carried out during that travel.

To make things manageable we would like to know about interests in the 36 months before thedeclaration and those known to be going to occur during the next 12 months.

2. How we categorise declaration of interests

We categorise declaration of interests into four main areas:

2.1 Personal financial interests

A personal financial interest is considered present when payments are made directly to an individual,whether as a salary or as fees or honorariums; or where an individual receives benefits from a thirdparty who is not their main employer, such as a fellowship, equipment, writing or administrativeassistance, or travel and accommodation expenses; or where an individual owns stocks and shares,patents, or other assets.

Examples include: Employment Paid consultancy or directorship

Ownership of stocks and sharesPatent ownership or applications Paid membership of speakers panels/bureaus and advisory board Acting as an expert witness Being in receipt of a fellowship, equipment, writing, or administrative support Travel and accommodation expenses Writing or consulting for a medical education promotional or communicationscompany.

CORAGOFF050



2

We do not consider personal financial interests to be present in the case of assets over whichindividuals have no control, such as unit trusts, occupational pension funds, and accrued pensionrights.

2.2 Organisational financial interests

An organisational financial interest is said to exist where the interest belongs at arm’s length to the

individual—for example, where payments are made to the individual's organisation rather than to theirown bank account.

Examples include: Research grantsFunds for staff or department

2.3 Non-financial interests

Non-financial interests can take many different forms, including personal or professional relations withorganisations and individuals. Those that we want people to declare are unpaid positions that mighthave a bearing on the product or service being delivered by BMJ. We would also want to know aboutstrongly held beliefs where they are relevant to the task in hand.

In addition, we encourage people to declare other personal interests that they consider may be aconflict of interest in the context of the task they are being asked to perform for BMJ.

Examples include: Unpaid officership of advocacy, charity, non-governmental organisation, orrelevant professional groupUnpaid membership of a guidelines panelUnpaid advisory positions in commercial organisationsPersonal relationships with authors or editors of material, including havingheld grants, co-authored articles or papers, or worked together.

2.4 Interests of related parties

Conflicts of interest may also arise where a related party (spouse, partner, or other close familymember) has a financial or non-financial interest as described above that could be seen to conflictwith the task a person is being asked to do for BMJ.

Examples include: A spouse holding stocks or shares or being on the board of an organisationthat might be affected by the task the person is doing for BMJ.

3. When will you be asked to make declarations of interest?

We expect people to declare their interests before taking up any work for BMJ or entering into acontract with us for your services.

Where we are recruiting new staff, a declaration of interests will be part of the job application.

If we invite you to join an advisory board, or commission an article, lecture, or peer review report fromyou, we will ask you to declare your interests at the first approach in case there are conflicts of

interest that preclude you from accepting the invitation.

Articles submitted for consideration must be accompanied by a completed declaration.

BMJ staff and members of advisory boards will be asked to review their declarations of interestsannually (for staff this will be at the time of appraisal).

4. Dealing with declarations of interest

CORAGOFF051



3

In most cases disclosure will be sufficient, but in some cases an interest may be too conflicting. Theseare most likely to be current financial relationships or contractual arrangements that appear to preventan individual from providing an unbiased expert judgement, such as where a person has signed acontract in which he or she agrees to be paid for advocating the opinion of that organisation orcompany. Any such conflicts would be discussed with the individual who has disclosed them by theperson who has asked them to do the work for BMJ.

Decisions about whether or not an interest disqualifies the person from taking on a particular task forBMJ will be taken by the relevant senior staff member. For BMJ staff this would be the person thatthey report to.

There would be a right for anyone considered to have a conflict of interest sufficient to preclude themfrom working with BMJ on a particular task to appeal to the head of the relevantdepartment.

If a full declaration was not made at the time and a conflict of interest comes to light after the event,BMJ reserves the right to retract any content affected by this conflict. BMJ may also seek to terminatecontracts or employment affected in this way, and may choose not to work with the individual in thefuture.

5. Who should declare?

All of the following people are asked to declare their interests before working for or undertaking a taskfor BMJ

● Members of staff● Members of BMJ board● Editors in chief of BMJ journals and products● Members of BMJ advisory boards● Consultants, contractors, and freelancers producing material for BMJ products and services,

authors, series editors, peer reviewers.

We also encourage our partners and the co-owning societies we work with to use our declaration ofinterest policy and forms.

6. What happens to declarations?

Whenever possible, we will publish declarations of interest statements alongside the material to whichit relates: at product level on the relevant website for senior staff, board members, and advisers orotherwise at the level of the article, module, or event. These published statements may comprise thefull declarations, or summary statements with full declarations available on request.

Speakers at BMJ Masterclasses or conferences will be asked to show a slide summarising theirdeclaration at the beginning of their talk.

We will review staff, board member, and adviser declarations of interest annually. Signed declarationsfrom BMJ staff will be kept by the Human Resources department in accordance with our informationgovernance policy.

Where material is peer reviewed, requests for declarations will be sent to the peer reviewers, andeditors will send any author declaration of interest statements to the peer reviewer.

BMJ has regular brand integrity meetings where it will review declarations of interest policies andaudits of decisions.

Declarations of interest are kept on file in accordance with our information governance policies.

Last amended March 2014

CORAGOFF052



4

BMJ Group declaration of interests statement

Please complete the declaration below. You may complete and return this form electronically in Wordformat—a physical signature/hard copy is not required.

I have read and understood the BMJ Group policy on declaration of interests and declare thefollowing interests: [list them or state “none”].

None

Name: David C. Goff, Jr. Date: 11/23/2015

Manager sign off (for internal use)

Comments:

Review date

Name: Date:

CORAGOFF053



5

[For internal use]

Guidance on how to apply the BMJ Group declaration of interestspolicy

This policy applies to people involved in the conception and creation of content and services or

making major business decisions on that content or services

Who is responsible for getti ng the declaration of interests?

1) Products and services (boards and advisors): the editorial director of the product of service, or hisor her delegate

2) Content or events (authors, speakers and reviewers): the commissioning/handling editor

3) Advice: the person getting the advice (e.g. an editor)4) Staff: HR is responsible for getting declaration of interests when a new staff member arrives andthe line manager is responsible for existing staff. Staff will be told to read the policy and (in line withthe Business ethics policy) to inform their manager at any time if they have any personal interestwhich might affect, could be seen to affect or leave them open to allegations that this could affect theirimpartiality about the work they are doing.

How/when will the declaration be obtained?

1) Product or service—at the time of convening of boards and advisory groups, and when newmembers are recruited2) Content or event—at commissioning or (for research and other unsolicited content) at submission3) Advice—on requesting the advice4) Staff—as part of their application for the job.

What should be done with the information?

The person responsible for getting/receiving/using the information provided in the declaration shouldask themselves: does anything in this declaration compromise the person’s ability to do the task thatneeds doing—or could be perceived as compromising this. If the answer is yes or possibly, theresponsible person should discuss it with their line manager or other appropriate person. Practices

may differ between products and department – the point is that there should be some discussionabout this before a decision is made and there should be some documentation of the decision, thedecision making process, and the reasons for the decision.

What constitutes “a conflict of interest too far” will differ according to the task the person is beingasked to do. As far as possible the types of interest that we have agreed constitute a “conflict ofinterest too far” will be listed within the quality indicators for individual products and services. At aGroup level they would be anything that interferes with the unbiased output of the BMJ Group. This islikely to occur if the person declares a current financial relationships or contractual arrangements thatappear to prevent him or her from providing an unbiased expert judgement, e.g. where a person hassigned a contract in which he or she agrees to be paid for advocating the opinion of that organisationor company, or where he or she is in receipt of significant personal financial benefits.

Where will the declaration be published?

1) Product or service—on the relevant website2) Content or event—alongside each article/module or at the beginning of each talk3) Advice—to those receiving the advice (e.g. to authors and editors in the case of reviews)4) Staff—to line managers and department heads, and on the relevant website for staff makingeditorial or business decisions (generally staff in grade 4 or above).

How often should declarations be reviewed?

1) Product or service—annually2) Content or event—for content that is formally updated: at every updating

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3) Advice—at least annually for on-going advisors. (For advisors who sit on boards or committeesupdating declarations should be an agenda item at committee meetings at appropriate intervals, butshould be considered formally at least annually)

4) Staff—at every annual appraisal. Staff have an obligation to tell their manager at any time if theinformation changes.

What happens if a person fails to make a full declaration of interests?

If we are alerted to the fact that someone may have an undeclared and potentially conflicting interest,this will almost always require careful handling. The first step is almost always to raise the concern

with the person involved and ask if the conflict does exist and for their reasons for not declaring it.Based on their response various actions may follow. Their declaration of interests may simply need tobe updated or a clarification notice or response published. Where a conflict is substantial and risks theintegrity of the content, product, or service, the person is likely to have to be removed fromundertaking the relevant task and articles or other content they have been working on may need to beretracted. Such cases must be discussed with senior staff (the line manager in the first instance) andrecords kept of all decision making.

When documenting the decision making process care should be taken to only record the facts of thecase under review and to avoid any speculation or making any personal comments about a person’sdeclaration of interests.

FG, LD, RM December 2012

Documents

12/1/15 University of Colorado response to my CORA request re: records associated with Dr. David C. Goff Jr. (Dean of the Colorado School of Public Health) signing CSPI's 11/5/15 request