“Sponsored research” continues to be controversial. The topic will be squarely addressed next spring in a Friday March 20, 2009 session of the Defense Research Institute’s annual seminar on toxic tort litigation. The full DRI seminar agenda is here, and the session is as described as follows:
Meddling with Science–Is Scientific Research Manipulated for Purposes of Litigation or Regulation?
Plaintiffs’ lawyers claim that corporations protect their profits by suppressing or influencing scientific and medical research and information. Defense lawyers fight what they call “junk science” offered by plaintiffs’ experts and environmental activists. Do scientists who participate as experts in litigation tamper with or improperly influence scientific investigation to bolster the prosecution or defense of claims in litigation? Do corporations underwrite research simply to cast doubt on the claims of environmental advocates and the plaintiffs’ bar, or are they interested in legitimate research that may rebut unwarranted claims? Two scientists at the center of this contentious dialogue will engage in a lively debate.
Speakers are:
David Michaels, Ph.D., MPH, George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, D.C.
Dennis J. Paustenbach, Ph.D., CIH, DABT, ChemRisk Inc., San Francisco, California
Comments