RSS FeedMD Quits Harvard Academic Post for Pharma Gig
1 February 2010…A sign of things to come? A Boston area physician who specializes in allergy and asthma treatment, has resigned from his post at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching hospital affiliated with Harvard University. That’s not big news; physicians resign from academic and clinical positions all the time, but the story behind his resignation is intriguing.
According to the Boston Globe, the physician was paid $99,375 for 40 presentations he gave during a three month period on behalf of GlaxoSmithKline. The moonlighting conflicted with the policies of the physician’s employer, so he was given an ultimatum – pharma or academia.
Probably to the surprise of the university and of the hospital employer, the 55-year old Harvard medical school instructor chose to jump ship and go pharma full time. According to the Boston.com report, ”this situation shows both the significant amounts of money doctors can make moonlighting for pharmaceutical companies, and the potential impact of the growing restrictions on industry ties at teaching hospitals.”
Could this be a glimpse into a future trend among the physician workforce? As clinical practice income decreases, while pressures, restrictions, and limitations build up for physicians in academic practice, we may be seeing more of this trend in coming years.
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