Appendix C
Disclosure of Unavoidable Conflict of Interest
The conflict of interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee authoring a Consensus Study Report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted if the National Academies determines that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is publicly disclosed. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual’s actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.
It was determined that George Poste had a conflict of interest in relation to his service on the Committee on a National Strategy for Cancer Control in the United States because he serves on the board of directors of Exelexis, Inc., and Caris Life Sciences.
The National Academies concluded that in order for the committee to accomplish the tasks for which it was established, its membership must include at least one person with current industry experience in drugs, devices, and vaccines development. As described in his biographical summary, Dr. Poste has extensive and current experience in multiple industry sectors that focus on developing preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions for cancers.
The National Academies determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Poste was needed for the committee to accomplish the task
for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent experience and expertise who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies concluded that the conflict was unavoidable and publicly disclosed it through the National Academies Projects and Activities System (https://nationalacademies.org/pa).