AOP constantly insists on complete independence between instructional (or scientific) courses and the industry
sponsors of its congresses.
Scientific lectures are presumed to be based on objective interpretations of evidence and unbiased
interpretations of facts with a fair representation of all specialities concerned in the field of aesthetics
whether medical aesthetics, with plastic surgery and dermatology, or non medical aesthetics with the new
development of the cosmeceutic field.
The integrity of our conference requires disclosure of the possibilities of potentially distorting influences.
The audience may then judge and, if necessary, make allowance for the impact of the bias on the information
being reported.
Consequently, all faculty members must openly disclose any COI that can influence the content of their
presentation.
1. What is a conflict of interest? (COI)
A situation in which a person (or spouse or partner) who is lecturing at AOP has a sufficient personal and/or
financial relationship with a commercial or non-commercial entity that may thus bias the content of his/her
presentation. The appropriate and most open course of action is to disclose activities and relationships that,
if known to others, might be viewed as a conflict of interest, even if speakers do not believe that any conflict
or bias exists.
What is a bias?
Bias is a term used to describe a tendency or preference towards a particular perspective, ideology or result,
especially when the tendency interferes with the ability to be impartial, unprejudiced or objective. Bias may be
scientific, political, religious, gender-related, ethnic, racial, cultural or geographical. Bias may occur in
relation to a particular industry or commercial product such as a mechanical device or pharmaceutical agent, or
in relation to a particular intellectual, political or other view, in situations where a range of products or
views may be equally useful or valid.
What about the level of "significance" in terms of interest?
Whether an interest is “significant” will depend on individual circumstances and cannot be defined by a dollar
amount. Participation on a board of directors or any other relationship with a product, device or company should
be carefully considered for possible disclosure. In addition speakers should also carefully consider disclosure
where circumstances could suggest bias against or towards a product, device or company.
How about speaker(s) declaring a "no Conflict of Interest"?
Neither the speaker nor any member of his/her immediate family has a significant financial arrangement or
affiliation with the product, device or company involved in the congress nor any potential bias against or
towards another product, device or company.
2. Who is concerned by the COI policy?
Anyone who is a speaker during the conference or contributes within the elaboration of the scientific program
thus:
- All Members of the Scientific Board (Course Director, Course Coordinators, Scientific Secretaries, Members
of the Scientific Committee)
- All Faculty Members
Disclosure must be made whether the speaker has or does not have a COI within his/her lecture content. This
disclosure form will be automatically displayed before the presentation slides of the speaker (see example).
With disclosures
Without disclosures
3. How to submit your COI?
If you are a Scientific Board member:
- Fill in the Scientific Board COI disclosure available through your speaker account dashboard
- Fill in the standardized COI for each one of your lecture(s) asked for upon submission of each abstract -
whatever the type: oral, e-paper, video, or poster
If you are a Faculty Member
- Fill in the standardized COI for each one of your lecture(s) asked for upon submission of each abstract -
whatever the type: oral, e-paper, video, or poster
