Awesome blog you have here but I was curious if you knew
of any community forums that cover the same topics talked about here?
I'd really love to be a part of online community where I can get feedback from other experienced individuals that share the same interest.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks!
June Peters - 8 years ago
I'll add my voice to Bob's. I'm old enough to remember the drug reps taking our whole Peds Dept on ski outing days. It was wonderful! When those were questioned, the free events turned to pizza "educational" lunches, then to "networking" happy hours. The hospitals and medical societies eventually regulated these sorts of sponsored pharma events. We all felt the loss, for awhile, then it passed.
While I also love a good time out with my colleagues, I do believe that we need to be the keepers of our own professional house. NSGC is here to advocate for us, to get whatever they can on our behalf. This is not always in our best interest. There is enough research on all sorts of outcomes influenced by implicit biases to make us wary of anything we receive "for free". I would like to see us speaking out when necessary as well as forming work groups and task forces to examine other professional groups' policies around corporate sponsored events in order to raise awareness and develop informed policies of our own.
Sandy Linn - 8 years ago
I completely agree with Bob on this point. I have been working as a genetic counselor for the past 25 years, and only in recent years have I noticed the enormous increase in marketing, not just direct to consumer, but also to genetic counselors. Because this is new to us, I think that the genetic counseling community has embraced the chance to be the focus of this type of marketing without giving it much thought. But it is marketing, and most of us work for institutions that require us to avoid taking gifts from these same companies, and a cocktail party is certainly a gift.
As always, Bob, thanks for making us take a step back and think.
Awesome blog you have here but I was curious if you knew
of any community forums that cover the same topics talked about here?
I'd really love to be a part of online community where I can get feedback from other experienced individuals that share the same interest.
If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks!
I'll add my voice to Bob's. I'm old enough to remember the drug reps taking our whole Peds Dept on ski outing days. It was wonderful! When those were questioned, the free events turned to pizza "educational" lunches, then to "networking" happy hours. The hospitals and medical societies eventually regulated these sorts of sponsored pharma events. We all felt the loss, for awhile, then it passed.
While I also love a good time out with my colleagues, I do believe that we need to be the keepers of our own professional house. NSGC is here to advocate for us, to get whatever they can on our behalf. This is not always in our best interest. There is enough research on all sorts of outcomes influenced by implicit biases to make us wary of anything we receive "for free". I would like to see us speaking out when necessary as well as forming work groups and task forces to examine other professional groups' policies around corporate sponsored events in order to raise awareness and develop informed policies of our own.
I completely agree with Bob on this point. I have been working as a genetic counselor for the past 25 years, and only in recent years have I noticed the enormous increase in marketing, not just direct to consumer, but also to genetic counselors. Because this is new to us, I think that the genetic counseling community has embraced the chance to be the focus of this type of marketing without giving it much thought. But it is marketing, and most of us work for institutions that require us to avoid taking gifts from these same companies, and a cocktail party is certainly a gift.
As always, Bob, thanks for making us take a step back and think.