The purpose of this form is for members of ISEE holding leadership responsibilities to
1. Acknowledge they will protect the privacy of other ISEE members when they have access to their personally identifiable information (PII);
2. Provide information about any conflicts of interest, per the ISEE Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy.

PRIVACY STATEMENT:
Please review the ISEE Privacy Policy: https://iseepi.org/privacy_policy.php

CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY:

It is the policy of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE) that the efforts and activities of Officers, Councilors, Committee and Chapter chairs and other Society members performed on behalf of the ISEE not be compromised by conflict of interest.

A conflict of interest is an affiliation or relationship of a financial, professional and/or personal nature, with a commercial organization or entity that could influence or be perceived to influence the impartiality of the ISEE Council or any of its Committees or Chapters in decision-making in a manner that could advance the interests of the organization or other entity for reasons other than science or the public good. Such a relationship constitutes a conflict of interest because it might bias an ISEE Council/Committee/Chapter member’s ability to objectively participate in decisions before the Council/Committee/Chapter.

When an ISEE member has a financial/personal interest or belief that could affect their objectivity, or inappropriately influence their actions, a potential conflict of interest exists. Such relationships are also known as dual commitments, competing interests, or competing loyalties.

Conflict of interest generally falls into one of two categories: financial or non-financial.

Examples of a financial conflict of interest include:
-Employment
-Grants to the ISEE member or member’s institution
-Consulting fees or lecture fees
-Intellectual property (e.g., patents, copyrights, royalties)
-Stock or share ownership
-Diversified mutual funds or investment trusts do not constitute a financial conflict of interest.
-Benefits related to the development and/or marketing of products

Examples of a non-financial conflict of interest include:
-Holding a position on a Board/Council/Committee
-Personal interests (e.g., personal, political, religious, academic relationships)

In addition to the above, in keeping with its public health mission, ISEE also specifically requires that members disclose any relationships with companies that produce or promote tobacco, firearms, pesticides, asbestos, and/or fossil fuels or petrochemicals.

Not all relationships represent a true conflict of interest – conflicts can be real or perceived (i.e., actual or potential). Some considerations include: whether the person’s employment or receipt of funding from an organization interferes with their ability to carry out their responsibilities to the Society without bias; and whether the relationship, when later revealed, would make a reasonable person feel deceived or misled. Full disclosure about a relationship that could constitute a conflict – even if the ISEE member does not believe it affects his/her objectivity, should be reported on this form.

Members of the ISEE Council, Committee, or Chapter must not engage in any business or other activities that would directly or indirectly materially adversely affect the ISEE, including but not limited to affecting the reputation, professionalism or finances of ISEE. They must not use the ISEE membership and platform to pursue or support personal ideological or financial gains beyond the norms expected from membership of a professional scientific society. They must not influence nominations for awards or provision of travel awards for self-benefit. If involved with conference organizing, they must not seek sponsorship from exhibitors, sponsors, contractors, or any other persons or entities that would result in personal financial profit.

This policy extends to the interests of others with whom the ISEE member has substantial common financial interests if these interests are relevant to the activities to be performed by the ISEE member. Thus, in reporting a member’s potential conflict of interest, the interests of the member’s life partner and family members also should be reported.

This policy shall be posted on the Society website and be provided in writing to Officers and Councilors upon their election, to chairs of conference host organizations upon their selection, and to chairs of Committees and regional Chapters upon their selection or election. It also shall be provided to any consultant prior to initiating the consulting work. These persons must complete and submit to the Secretariat an ISEE Conflict of Interest (COI) disclosure form. The Executive Council may ask other Society members who actively participate in an ISEE Committee, Chapter, or other Society function that, in the assessment of the Council, may entail a potential conflict of interest to complete and submit to the ISEE Secretariat a COI disclosure form. The Executive Council will evaluate the COI disclosures on a yearly basis to determine if any actions need to be taken. Disclosure forms for the Executive Council will be reviewed by the full Council. Members will recuse themselves from discussions and voting for matters in which they have an actual or potential conflict of interest.