overextend your involvement. But don’t let that hold you back—we need good doctors, and especially women doctors. For example, in our current company, Fred and I needed partners for breast imaging, and it was so hard. We were surprised by how few women hold patents, which are such a career builder.
Why does this fear exist? How do we get past it? NA: Currently in California there is a large lawsuit where doctors overstepped, and industry was part of it. I think there was a knee-jerk reaction, which has transformed into a “Do not have contact with industry” fear. I think it will eventually stabilize, though. It highlights the most important part of any business—being ethical and surrounding yourself with people who share those ethics. Enter into everything you do with the goal of moving the field forward and helping patients.
James F. Benenati, MD, FSIR: In the early part of my career, people rarely disclosed conflicts and there were many physicians doing infomercials. But that era has ended in favor of disclosure, which I think is very healthy. If anything, I recommend physicians overdisclose—I personally disclose all my conflicts, even if not pertinent to the topic. We need industry relationships for the survival of our specialty and the betterment of patient care, and while I would rather young doctors be oversensitive than undersensitive, we can’t let that fear hold us back. Everyone has something to give, and there shouldn’t be embarrassment about working with industry. There’s nothing shameful about disclosures, and if we can foster that belief, maybe we can break through these barriers.
22 IRQ | WINTER 2022
Fred T. Lee, MD: Laura and I have talked for several years about how to get our women colleagues more involved in industry and why they are reticent. I recently spoke to one of our junior faculty who feared that consulting for a company may tarnish her reputation forever. Meanwhile, she is so talented, and we need her and physicians like her in the field.
There are many potential solutions, but it’s important to reinforce to young IRs that if they don’t get involved with companies and offer their designs and expertise, someone else will—and that person may not be as talented. It’s also key to consider that these partnerships can be a career builder. I look at Nadine and Sarah, and part of their success is leading trials and working with companies who have helped build their expertise. When we need someone to speak on a procedure or product, we go to people like Nadine and Sarah, who know the subject best. That knowledge is good for career opportunities and good for patients.
Laura G. King: Another consideration, especially for those who are hesitant, is to find a partner who really shares your ethics and goals. Have a conversation about what level of engagement you want to have and discuss your boundaries. To be involved in industry, you need to be comfortable and confident enough to express when you feel someone may want you to
NK: Once IRs have decided they want to partner with industry, how do they decide what role to take? Where do they start? SW: That’s a really good question. In terms of trials, I have developed an infrastructure at my institution to look at all clinical trials, or even just people who approach us. Everyone gets vetted. There are so many trials out there, so it’s easy to jump on one, but you want to make sure it’s a good fit for you. We look at all the available information and discuss everything—whether we’re interested or no. There are key questions to answer:
• Does it fit in our portfolio? • Do we have a competing trial?
• Does it make sense to become involved both practically and financially?
• Do we have the money to run it?
• Is it so ground-breaking that we need to get involved? If so, we find the funds.
• Is participation crucial to continuing a relationship with a certain partner?
Then we vote, and the majority has to agree.
LK: There’s a lot of different roles that physicians can play. At our company, we have at least six physicians with us, and one of them loves providing clinical input for our complaints and filling out forms, and they thrive there. We have someone who helps design our clinical trials. Fred is great with the FDA and can articulate the value propositions so well. Even if he weren’t a partner, I would take a physician like Fred with me to the FDA every time. User experience is another area where IRs are crucial. Having someone assess user interfaces early on may be a great place for a young IR to get their start and see if they enjoy the work, with little time requirements. There are so many roles that a young IR can step into that don’t require crossing over to industry or devoting half your life to it.
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