PharmedOut conference to address responsibilities of physicians, industry and journals

PharmedOut announces its fourth annual conference, "Medical Behavior in a Commercial World: Who is Responsible?" focusing on the responsibilities of health care providers, journals, industry and others in ensuring that patients receive the best treatments.

What: Presentations, panels and discussions on accountability within the health care system and marketing influences on patient care. Speakers include:

• Marcia Angell, MD, former editor-in-chief, New England Journal of Medicine; author, "The Truth About Drug Companies;" senior lecturer at Harvard Medical School
• Michael Kafrissen, MD, MPH, research scientist, MIT AgeLab, and former pharmaceutical executive
• Stephen Braun, freelance medical writer and ghostwriter
• Carl Elliott MD, PhD, author, "White Coat, Black Hat" and "Better Than Well;" professor, Center for Bioethics, professor, departments of pediatrics and philosophy, University of Minnesota
• Virginia Barbour, MD, chief editor, PLOS Medicine
• Charles Ornstein, senior reporter, ProPublica; president, Association of Health Care Journalists
• Diana Zuckerman, PhD, president, National Research Center for Women and Families
• Daniel Carlat, MD, director, Pew Prescription Project

Topics will include opioid overuse, medical devices, ghostwriting, the Physician Payments Sunshine Act and pharmacist-industry relationships. The full agenda is available at pharmedout.org.

When: Thursday, June 6, and Friday, June 7, 2013, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Where: Lohrfink Auditorium in the Hariri Building, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets, NW, Washington, DC, 20057.

Complimentary registration is available for credentialed journalists by contacting Karen Mallet at km463@georgetown.edu.

Provided by Georgetown University Medical Center