Abstract

Debate HOW COULD DISCLOSURE OF INTERESTS WORK BETTER IN MEDICINE, EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH? Douglas L Weed Suspend for a moment the need to align ‘‘conflicts currents and, ultimately, sinkable. Public health Correspondence to: Dr Douglas L Weed, DLW of interest’’ with matters financial. Resist the actions, on the other hand, are certain. Interventions Consulting Services LLC, 3706 temptation to pigeonhole the paired concepts of happen or not. Explanations, on the other hand, Farragut Ave, Kensington, MD conflicts and interests with ethically questionable exist or not. How much explanation is needed before 20895 USA; douglaslweed@ aol.com actions or, for that matter, perceptions of wrong- action should be taken is the essential conflict. It is doing. Instead, focus with me on the conflicts something we must manage, balancing uncertainty against unnecessary ill health. epidemiologists face as the discipline and its professional practitioners mature. Focus on the Some valuable lessons emerge from the two conflicts that are of interest to epidemiologists. conflicts we have already encountered. From the Three come to mind. The first is fading away, first we learn that conflicts can fade away. From almost a memory, the conflict pitting the so-called the second, we learn that conflicts of