COPE CURRICULUM VITAE (CV) GUIDELINES
A CV is a detailed chronological history of a person’s educational and teaching experience, and professional accomplishments, which qualifies the instructor to teach the course (NOT a biographical sketch). You MUST submit a current CV with your application for course review. The minimum information that must be provided.
should include:
Name
Office/work address, phone and fax numbers
Education (degree/certification, institution, year degree awarded)
Professional accomplishments/experience (appointments, publications, area(s) of expertise, prior
lectures)
Professional affiliations/societies
Optometric/medical licensure information from the state(s) where you hold a current license to practice
PLEASE NOTE: 10 pages max length and MICROSOFT WORD FORMAT ONLY!
COPE Standards for Commercial Support (COPE SCS)
1. The Instructor should submit the course information to COPE.
2. All payments and reimbursements to the Instructor must come directly from the COPE Approved Administrator/Provider.
3. Under no circumstances can an Instructor serve as both the Administrator/Provider and Instructor for a COPE Accredited CE Course or Event at the same time.
4. Instructors should not seek COPE accreditation if the presentation is for the purpose of promoting products, services, instruments or devices.
5. Instructors will assure educational materials such as slides, abstracts and outlines will not include any advertising or product group message.
6. Instructors may have assistance in the development of a course, including the creation of handouts, slides and objectives, though not from a commercial interest.
7. Instructors will disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest when submitting courses for COPE accreditation.
8. Instructors will include a disclosure slide that will be presented at the beginning of each presentation addressing the following:
COPE Standards for Commercial Support (COPE SCS)Implementation Processes for Instructors:
1. The Instructor should submit the course information to COPE. A COPE ApprovedAdministrator/Provider may submit the course on behalf of the instructor, but theinstructor must acknowledge the submission and adherence to the COPE requirements. Under no circumstances can any company with a commercial interest submit a course for COPE accreditation.
2. All payments and reimbursements to the Instructor must come directly from the COPEApproved Administrator/Provider. Supporters cannot supplement nor provide anyfinancial incentives to speak on COPE Accredited Courses.
3. Under no circumstances can an Instructor serve as both the Administrator/Provider and Instructor for a COPE Accredited CE Course or Event at the same time.
4. Instructors should not seek COPE accreditation if the presentation is for the purpose of promoting products, services, instruments or devices.
5. Instructors will assure educational materials such as slides, abstracts and outlines will not include any advertising or product group message. Instructors will ensure balanced and transparent coverage of therapeutic and treatment options, and must disclose off label or experimental information.
6. Instructors may have assistance in the development of a course, including the creation of handouts, slides and objectives, though not from a commercial interest.
7. Instructors will disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest when submitting courses for COPE accreditation. Should no relevant financial relationships exist, this must be disclosed.
8. Instructors will include a disclosure slide that will be presented at the beginning of each presentation addressing the following:a. That the Instructor developed the course material and information independentlyor if the Instructor had assistance. The disclosure must include who providedthe assistance.b. The Instructor developed the course material and information independent fromany influence from commercial interest.c. Any personal conflicts of interest have been resolved.d. Disclosure of any relevant financial relationship(s) with a commercial interest.Should no relevant financial relationships exist, this must be disclosed.
COPE Standards for Commercial Support (COPE SCS)
Standard 1: Independence
A “commercial interest” is defined as any entity producing, marketing, re-selling, or
distributing health care goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients.
Approved Administrators/Providers must ensure that any decisions regarding
content, format, speaker selection and evaluation are made without any influence
Instructors must develop course material and information independent from any influence from commercial interest.
Standard 2: Resolution of Personal Conflicts of Interest
Administrator/Provider must be able to show that everyone who is a position to control the content of an educational activity has disclosed all relevant financial relationships (any amount occurring within the past 12 months) with any commercial interest.
An individual who refuses to disclose relevant financial relationships will be disqualified
Administrators/Providers must have implemented a mechanism to identify and manage all conflicts of interest
Standard 3: Appropriate Use of Commercial Support
An educational grant to the COPE Approved Administrator/Provider documented by a signed
agreement between the COPE Approved Administrator/Provider and Corporate Supporter.
Administrator/Provider must make all decisions regarding the disposition and disbursement of commercial support.
Administrator/Provider cannot be required by a commercial interest to accept advice concerning instructors
All commercial support must be given with the full knowledge and approval of the Administrator/Provider.
A written agreement must specify the commercial interest that is the source of commercial support.
Both the commercial supporter and the Administrator/Provider must sign the written agreement
The Administrator/Provider must have written policies and procedures governing honoraria and reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses for planners and instructors.
Administrator/Provider must pay directly any instructor honoraria or reimbursement
No other financial incentives shall be given to the director of the activity, planning committee members, instructors or authors, joint sponsor, or any others involved with the supported activity.
If instructors are listed on the agenda but participate in the remainder of the COPE Accredited CE as a learner, their expenses can be reimbursed and honoraria can be paid for their instructor role only.
The Administrator/Provider may not use commercial support to pay for travel, lodging, honoraria, or personal expenses for non-instructor participants of a COPE accredited event and may use commercial support to pay for travel, lodging, honoraria, or personal expenses for bona fide employees and volunteers
The Administrator/Provider must be able to account for all expenditures.
All financial support must be directed through the Administrator/Provider; under no circumstances can the supporter provide any person with influence over the content of the COPE accredited course or event with any direct financial incentive or direct reimbursement.
Standard 4: Appropriate Management of Associated Commercial Promotion
Commercial exhibits and advertisements must be physically separated from and not interfere with COPE Accredited Courses
Attendees should never be placed in a position where they are forced to stop and interact with exhibitors if they choose not to do so.
Product-promotion material or product-specific advertisement of any type is prohibited in or during COPE Accredited Courses and must be kept separate from COPE Accredited Courses
Advertisements and promotional materials will not be visible on the screen at the same time as the CE content
Promotional advertising cannot be interspersed within the CE educational materials
Administrators/Providers cannot allow representatives of commercial interests to engage in sales or promotional activities while in the space or place of the CE course.
Educational materials that are a part of COPE Accredited CE, such as slides, abstracts and handouts, cannot contain any advertising or product-group message.
Commercial interest representatives may be present during COPE Accredited CE, but must refrain from addressing the learners during the course delivery.
Standard 5: Content and Format without Commercial Bias
All COPE Accredited Courses cannot deliver specific proprietary business interests and must give
balanced coverage to treatment options.
Presentations must give a balanced view of therapeutic options. Use of generic names and where available trade names from several companies should be used, not just trade names from a single company.
Standard 6: Disclosures Relevant to Potential Commercial Bias
An individual must disclose to learners any relevant financial relationship and include:
name of the individual
name of the commercial interest
nature of the relationship the person has with each commercial interest
For an individual with no relevant financial relationship(s) the learners must be informed that no relevant financial relationship(s) exist.
Instructors must disclose ghostwriting activities.
When commercial support is ‘in kind’ the nature of the support must be disclosed to learners.
Disclosure’ must never include the use of a trade name or product-group message.
Administrators/Providers must disclose the above information to learners prior to the beginning of the educational activity.
Implementation Processes for COPE Approved Administrators/Providers
Administrator/Provider may submit the course on behalf of the Instructor by attaching a dated and signed statement from the instructor(s)when submitting the course.
Administrators/Providers cannot be directly employed by or represent a commercial interest.
Financial support from commercial interests must be in the form of an educational grant and requires a signed “Supported CE Event Agreement”
Only financial or in-kind support provided by commercial interests can be given within the educational grant; supporters cannot give any financial incentives or reimbursement to instructors and anyone else in a position to impact the content of COPE Accredited CE, including persons involved in the educational planning activities.
Only Administrators/Providers may enter into a contract with thesupporters.
Administrators/Providers must make all decisions regarding the disbursement and use of commercial support.
All in-kind support must be disclosed to the learners.
Administrator/Provider must take all needed steps to ensure Instructors present fair and balanced presentations, and poll the learners in the course evaluations
Acknowledgements of commercial support may state the name, mission, and areas of clinical involvement of the company or institution and may include corporate logos and slogans
Instructors disclose to the learners prior to presentation of off-label or experimental information
Instructors disclose financial relationships with commercial interest on the first slide in their presentations
Commercial exhibits and advertisements are promotional activities and not CE. Monies paid by commercial interests to providers for this promotional opportunity are not considered to be ‘commercial support’ of CE.