Previous News and Events

Action Required: Statement of Financial Interests Submission – Due March 1, 2012

Posted March 22, 2012

To: UT Southwestern Faculty and Individuals Covered by the Conflict of Interest in Research Policy

You are receiving this message because you have been identified as a “covered individual” (i.e., all faculty, study team members, IACUC, IRB, and COI committee members, Research Grants and Contracts and Technology Development staff) subject to reporting requirements under the new Conflict of Interest Policy.

Annual Collection of Statement of Financial Interests (Statements)

At this time, you are requested to:

File an annual Statement of Financial Interests via the eCOI system; and
Read and to adhere to the “Financial Conflicts of Interest in Research: Disclosure, Management and Reporting” (Policy# RES-401). Please note that access to the policy is limited to MyUTSW, UT Southwestern’s intranet.

The deadline for submitting statements is March 1, 2012.

Please note:

If you completed a new statement in eCOI prior to January 1, 2012, and you have not already completed a statement in eCOI for 2012, you are required to update your statement now, even if there have been no changes to your financial interests. The update process will take just a few minutes of your time.

New Process for Submitting Statements

A new system for the submission of Statements, called eCOI (i.e., electronic conflict of interest), has been designed to comply with the new policy and is part of the planned enterprise-wide management system for research. The eCOI system will replace the current iAIM system.

Prior Statements in iAIM will be maintained as read-only and printable during the initial submission process for your reference in the completion of new Statements in eCOI.

The first Statements in eCOI will be completed as “new” Statements. However, any subsequent updates and annual renewals of the Statement will retain the prior information so interests can be easily revised.

Assistance and Questions

We understand that a new policy and a new electronic system may generate questions. As such, we have several tools that are available to assist you with the new process:

eCOI Online Tutorial
eCOI Quick Reference Guide
“Office hours” for individualized assistance will be in Room C1.210 on:
- Mondays from 8 a.m. - Noon
- Wednesdays from 10 a.m. - Noon
- Fridays from 2 - 4 p.m.
Key Contacts:
- For “Office Hours” - Kimberly Taylor at 214-648-4043 or kimberly.taylor@utsouthwestern.edu
- For COI Office - Sheria Oswalt at 214-648-5398 or sheria.oswalt@utsouthwestern.edu
- COI Website

New COI Training Requirement

Following the annual collection period for Statements, UT Southwestern will deploy the second phase of the new COI requirements. UT System and NIH Policy require that covered individuals complete a training course every four years. We have developed a web-based CITI course to meet this requirement and will deploy this training beginning March 1, 2012. We will contact you with additional information and instructions at that time.

I want to thank you in advance for your continued assistance and cooperation with this important institutional requirement.

Angela R. Charboneau Wishon, J.D.
Vice President for Research Administration
UT Southwestern Medical Center
5323 Harry Hines Blvd.
Dallas, TX 75390-9105
Phone: 214-648-0455
Fax: 214-648-4474
angela.wishon@utsouthwestern.edu

Important Information on Upcoming Statement of Financial Interests Submissions

Distributed Jan 19, 2012

To: UT Southwestern Faculty and Individuals Covered by the Conflict of Interest in Research Policy

You are receiving this message because you have been identified as a “covered individual” subject to reporting requirements under the new Financial Conflicts of Interest in Research: Disclosure, Management and Reporting (Policy# RES-401). The policy is only available on MyUTSW, UT Southwestern’s intranet.

The most significant policy changes include:

A reduction in the de minimis threshold (i.e., the “cutoff”) for (allowable) significant financial interests from $10,000 to $5,000 (which is relevant if there is also a research interest in the same company).
Reimbursed or sponsored travel related to services you personally provide to a business entity.
Summary information regarding financial interests will be available via a publically accessible website.
Training is required at least every four years.

Important

You will soon be receiving an email instructing you on how to submit your annual Statement of Financial Interests in the new eCOI system and how to access the required web-based training. Please do not disregard this message as it will contain important information and instructions.

You are encouraged to begin planning now to obtain any necessary financial information for reporting. Prior statements in iAIM will be maintained as read-only and printable during the initial submission process for your reference in the completion of new statements in eCOI.

We understand that a new policy and a new electronic system may generate questions. Please contact the Conflict of Interest Office at 214-648-5398 or visit the COI website if you have any questions or require additional assistance. Please note that you will have access to printed instructions, online tutorials, and “Office Hours” if you require individualized assistance. Detailed information will be forthcoming in a follow-up email.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and compliance with institutional policies.