The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #71136

Ignacio H. Chapela, PhD, Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management, University of California - Berkeley, 334 Hilgard Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, 510-643-2452, ichapela@nature.berkeley.edu

The Scientific Establishment and the Public University play essential roles in assuring rational decision-making in our society. Despite its importance, the fabric of their role is composed of the most vulnerable materials: collegial links between divergent disciplines, involvement in world affairs with an arm's-length relationship to the players, and freedom to pursue ideas and relate the outcome of that pursuit to the general public. Questionable policies driving a series of waves of technological development have eroded the ability of the Public University to continue serving its critical role in society. This presentation will analyze the most recent of these waves: the production and deployment of biotechnological products. The process of institutional erosion ranges from individual censorship through peer-enforced limits on free scientific inquiry to the manipulation of policy at the state, national, regional and global levels. Such developments are not new. However, the increased vulnerability of society and the environment, and the increased impact of technological developments make each wave of transformation more significant. Two cases in particular will be presented. First, the actions of the scientific journal Nature in retracting a peer-reviewed article on the impact of genetically modified corn in Mexico following pressure by Monsanto, a biotechnology firm. Second, the controversy surrounding the research agreement between UC-Berkeley and the Swiss pharmaceutical and agrochemical company Novartis. The agreement gave up to $25 million in research support to the University and stirred up a controversy that “resulted in serious questioning of the public role and image of the University.”

Learning Objectives:

• 3. Define the role of academic researchers and the Public University in scientific research and public policy decision-making.
  7. Describe the impact of conflicts of interest between scientific research and corporate interests in the development of public policy.

Keywords: Environmental Health, Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.