In response to a letter that we received from the American Medical Association
concerning research funding from tobacco companies, I am curious about how
many other medical schools are considering ceasing to accept grants from
tobacco companies or tobacco research institutes, such as the Center for
Tobacco Research, the Smokeless Tobacco Research Council, and the Center for
Indoor Air Research.   In the letter, the AMA encourages medical schools to
stop accepting these grants because they help "the industry convince
policymakers and the public that they have legitimate research projects under
way that continue to search for links between smoking and ill health."
At UMass, we are attempting to balance the value of these grants in times of
limited sources of funding, while avoiding providing positive PR to the
tobacco industry.

Any information on this topic is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Jill Mortali
Office of Sponsored Programs
University of Massachusetts Medical Center