Center for Medicine in the Public Interest

The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest (CMPI) claims to be a ‘nonprofit, non-partisan organization promoting innovative solutions that advance medical progress, reduce health disparities, extend life and make health care more affordable, preventive and patient-centered.’ It offers ‘the public, policymakers and the media a reliable source of independent scientific analysis on issues ranging from personalized medicine, food and drug safety, health care reform and comparative effectiveness. The director of the Stockholm Network (SN), Helen Disney, used to sit on its now defunct advisory board along with representatives from two think tanks who are part of the SN: International Policy Network (Julian Morris) and Centre for the New Europe (Stephen Pollard).

Funding and disambiguation

The Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is not to be confused with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The two are completely unrelated, despite their very similar sounding names.

They also have completely different funding policies. CSPI says it does not accept funding from corporations or government; instead it is funded by individual donors, foundation grants, and subscriptions to its newsletter.

CMPI, on the other hand, stated on a 2005 version of its website that it accepted corporate funding:

Its contributors consist primarily of foundations and individuals, with some corporate support, as described in its 2004 annual report.

PRI solicits and accepts donations from corporations in the health care industry. In order to avoid conflicts of interest, PRI staff and external authors adhere to a Code of Practice.

People

Board of Directors

• Gad Berdugo, General Partner, Explorium Capital LLC
• Fred Goodwin, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry, The George Washington University Medical Center.
• Steven Sammut, Lecturer, Wharton School, the Law School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science of the University of Pennsylvania
• Mark Thornton, M.D., Ph.D. Chairman and President, Sarcoma Foundation of America
• Michael Weber, M.D. Professor of Medicine SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Brooklyn, New York
• Catherine Barr Windels, Principle, OnPoint Strategies, LLC

Founders

• Peter J. Pitts – President of CMPI and Partner/Director of Global Healthcare at Porter Novelli
• Robert Goldberg - Vice President and Director of Programs at CMPI

Publications and Affiliations

• On 20 September 2005, the CMPI released a report called 21ST CENTURY HEALTH CARE TERRORISM: THE PERILS OF INTERNATIONAL DRUG COUNTERFEITING with the Pacific Institute. It was authored by Peter Pitts, founder of CMPI, along with Michael Tew and Alexandra Preate from Capital HQ.

Contact

Headquarters:

Address:

308 East 38th Street

Suite 201

New York, New York 10016

Phone:(212) 417-9169

Fax: (212) 417-9170

email: info@cmpi.org

Paris Office

3 rue Primatice

75013 Paris

Phone: + 33 1 43 31 89 25

CMPI Board of Directors

The CMPI Board of Directors is comprised of some of the nation's leaders in academic medical research, clinical practice, health care delivery, patient advocacy, innovation leadership and science reporting. The board will be involved in helping CMPI reaching a broader group of stakeholders in their respective communities and in shaping CMPI programs in the future.

• Bruce Booth Principal, Atlas Venture

• Bruce Brandfon Publisher, Scientific American

• Fred Goodwin, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry, The George Washington University Medical Center

• Dennis Johnson Vice President, Policy and External Affairs at The Children's Health Fund

• Suzanne Pattee, J.D.Vice president, Public Policy and Patient Affairs for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

• Steven Sammut Lecturer, Wharton School, the Law School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science of the University of Pennsylvania

• Mark Thornton, M.D., Ph.D.Chairman and President, Sarcoma Foundation of America

• Michael Weber, M.D.Associate Dean and Professor of Medicine, SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Brooklyn, New York

• Raymond Woosley, M.D., Ph.D.President and CEO, C-Path Institute

CMPI Advisory Board (no longer in existence)

• Joesph L. Bast President and CEO, The Heartland Institute, Chicago, IL

• John E. Calfee Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, D.C.

• Joseph A. DiMasi, Ph.D. Director of Economic Analysis, Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, Tufts University, Boston, MA

• Helen Disney Director, Stockholm Network, London, England

• John Kamp Executive Director, Coalition for Healthcare Communication

• Sam Kazman General Counsel, Competitive Enterprise Institute

• Dr. Merrill Mathews, Jr. Resident Scholar, Institute for Policy Innovation Director, Council for Affordable Health Insurance

• David McIntosh Attorney, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP, Washington, D.C.

• Julian Morris Director, International Policy Network, London

• Tomas J. Philipson Professor, The Harris School, Chicago, IL

• Stephen Pollard Senior Fellow at the Centre for the New Europe, Brussels, Belgium

• William Roper CEO, University of North Carolina Health Care System

• Ellen V. Sigal, Ph.D. Founder and Chairperson, Friends of Cancer Research

• Samuel C. Silverstein, M.D. John C. Dalton Professor and Chairman, Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Professor of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University

• Philip Stieg, M.D. Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurological Surgery, Weill Medical College Neurosurgeon-in-Chief, New York-Presbyterian Hospital

• Daniel E. Troy Former Chief Counsel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Partner in the Washington, New York Offices of Sidley Austin Brown & Wood

• Grace Marie Turner President, The Galen Institute

• Ben Zycher Senior Fellow in Economics, Pacific Research Institute Adjunct scholar, Cato Institute, Claremont Institute