New guidelines to regulate the interactions with industry have been a subject for discussion on campus for some time (see "No More Free Lunches".) Gifts, free meals and drug samples are only some of the issues that call for clear, concise rules to ensure academic freedom and independence of decision-making, educational curriculum and research programs.

In his recent letter to the school, Dean Kessler introduced the final interim guidelines on industry relations that have emerged from these discussions and reflect the input from many students, faculty, residents and staff. The dean stressed that the purpose of the guidelines was to keep the school's academic programs from being compromised, "while we continue to maintain the collaborative relationship with industry that has been so important to our research and clinical care."

The vision for these interim guidelines is to serve as a springboard from which to develop a campuswide policy that will extend to the UCSF Medical Center and be consistent with similar policies at San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) and the VA Medical Center.