[Intl-tobacco] Canada: U of Western Ontario rapped for taking tobacco grant

[robert weissman]

Western rapped for taking tobacco grant


The London Free Press
2004-08-09 01:51:43





The University of Western Ontario's medical school is getting about
$500,000 in research money from a tobacco giant -- earning a rebuke from
a fellow academic who calls the acceptance of big-tobacco dollars
"terrible." "That seems contradictory to me," said University of Toronto
Prof. Joanna Cohen, who recently completed a study, funded by the
National Cancer Institute of Canada, on links between medical schools
and tobacco money.

"It's terrible that medical schools are taking tobacco money of any sort
-- you think they would know better," said Cohen, who teaches public
health sciences.

But a Western official said there's nothing wrong with accepting the
money offered by tobacco giant Philip Morris.

"Why not?" said Jack Bend, associate dean of research at Western's
Schulich medical school.

"This is such a small amount of the total faculty funding. This
(specific project) has nothing to do with the tobacco industry."

The research project in question will last until either 2005 or 2006,
UWO officials said. The grant is worth between $500,000 and $640,000,
according to differing Western reports.

It focuses on the effects of cadmium, a toxic metal, on pregnant women
and unborn babies, Bend said, adding there are no other research, or
philanthropic, gifts from cigarette makers.

Dr. George Cherian, who received the funding, stressed he doesn't have
to answer to Philip Morris.

The money, he added, does not come directly from the company.

"They are giving money to a research corporation and they decide who
should be funded."

Bend calls cigarettes the "single biggest health hazard we face."

But research costs money.

"You can't totally stop these kind of interactions -- then you
potentially shut off the opportunity for that faculty member to be
successful."

But to Cohen, any past or current association with cigarettes should be
butted out by Canadian medical schools.

"It's time for medical schools . . . to start discussing these issues
and start discussing the ethics. Do they want to be associated with
these companies?"o

Because several levels of Western officials vet any funding offer, it's
unlikely the school or Cherian would allow the relationship to affect
research, Cohen noted.

But she charged it's the sterling credibility of both the school and its
faculty that likely attracted the tobacco company's support.

"Once they give money to UWO's medical school, they can say, 'Look who
we're funding. We're funding a professor in a prestigious medical school
to do research; therefore, we're the good guys.'

"For them to continue to sell and market their product and make profits
they have to be seen in a positive light. One of the ways they do this
is by linking themselves to credible organizations."

A spokesperson for Philip Morris, however, took exception to that theory.

"We absolutely disagree," Jennifer Golisch said from Richmond, Va. "(Our
funding) program is not publicized."

While cadmium can be found in cigarettes, Cherian said his work has
"nothing to do" with big tobacco's interest and stands by his funding
sources.

"You may think it's bad to get money from alcohol or tobacco, but I
don't have that kind of feeling."

Cohen's study found between 1996 and 1999, four of Canada's 16 medical
schools got research money from big tobacco.

The school names were not published and Western officials didn't confirm
their funding sources from those years.

The study found big-tobacco research grants represented less than one
per cent of the faculties' total funding from 1996 to 1999.

Five of Canada's 16 medical schools refused to take part in the survey.

None had policies regarding funding from tobacco firms, the study found.

Western has strict guidelines about funding and potential conflicts,
Bend said, and someday it could include an outright ban on tobacco money.

"Our faculty of medicine and dentistry is a very, very important part of
the London community. If this is a huge problem among our community . .
. I think (we) will take a closer look at it."