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valign="top"> <table cellspacing="5" cellpadding="0" border="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td width="18" nowrap></td> </td> <td width="100%"> <span id="Body__ctl0__ctl0_loader__ctl0_Content"></span> <br> <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td style="white-space:nowrap;" align="right">   <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/CMS/2959.aspx?printfriendly=true" target="_blank"><img src="/web/20071011104210im_/http://www.iom.edu/Layouts/iom_may_2005/Images/icons/icon_print.gif" alt="Print" border="0"/></a>   <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071011104210/mailto:/?subject=Institute Of Medicine: FAQ Index&body=I thought you might find this link of interest. %0D%0DFAQ Index %0Dhttp://www.iom.edu/Default.aspx?id=33952 %0D%0DExcerpt from the page: %0D%22%22 "><img src="/web/20071011104210im_/http://www.iom.edu/Layouts/iom_may_2005/Images/icons/icon_email.gif" alt="Email" border="0"/></a> </td> </tr> </table> <br/>  <b>Is IOM part of the government or quasi-government? Who does IOM work for; where does your funding come from?</b><br/><br/> The National Academy of Sciences was created by the federal government to be an adviser on scientific and technological matters. However, the Academy and its associated organizations (e.g., the Institute of Medicine) are private, non-governmental, organizations and do not receive direct federal appropriations for their work. Studies undertaken for the government by the Academy complex usually are funded out of appropriations made available to federal agencies. Most of the studies carried out by the Academy complex are at the request of government agencies.<br><br/> <b>What is unique about IOM?</b><br/><br/> The congressional charter mentioned above places the IOM in a unique role. Beyond that, the IOM process establishes it as an independent body, with its use of unpaid volunteer experts who author most reports. Each report must go through the IOM/NRC institutional process, assuring a rigorous and formal peer review process, a requirement that findings and recommendations be evidence-based whenever possible and noted as expert opinion where that is not possible. Because the IOM is not a governmental organization, experts and committees have a greater variety of options to conduct the studies. In particular, although many meetings are open to the public, the committee may deliberate among themselves, and is not obligated to conduct all their work in a public forum.<br><br/> <p>How can I find out more about the Institute of Medicine study process?</p><br/><br/> <p>First, read through the pages on this web site that <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/DiamaxCMS/Includes/DBLink.asp?ID=37400">outline the origins of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine</a> study process.  Next, <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/DiamaxCMS/Includes/DBLink.asp?ID=37401">watch a video</a> that shows different committees at each stage of the process.</p> <p>If you have additional question, please contact us as <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071011104210/mailto:iomwww@nas.edu">iomwww@nas.edu</a>. </p><br/> <b>What is the role of the committee, and how is it formed?<br></b><br/><br/> Committees are the deliberating and authoring bodies for IOM reports, although strict institutional processes must be followed and the peer review process is independent of the committee. Most committees are consensus committees, meaning the process is designed to reach consensus on the evidence base and its implications. Where the published data are insufficient to support a conclusion, the committee may use its collective knowledge to argue for conclusions. The committee is formed by identifying the expertise and perspectives necessary to address the study topic, soliciting and receiving nominations for candidates from a wide and extensive number of sources, presenting a proposed slate and alternatives to the IOM leadership group, receiving approval from the IOM President, and formally requesting appointment from the NRC chairman. A process of seeking to identify biases and potential conflicts of interest takes place and may disqualify individuals.<br><br/> <b>What is the role of the sponsor in picking the committee?<br></b><br/><br/> Sponsors are encouraged to suggest types of expertise and perspectives that should be on the committee and to suggest individuals to be on the committee. Final decisions must and do rest with IOM. No employee or officer of a sponsoring organization may serve on a committee for a study funded in whole or in part by that sponsor.<br><br><br/> <b>Why do you have closed meetings?<br></b><br/><br/> Meetings are only closed when the committee is deliberating (i.e., discussing the content, findings, or recommendations of a report) or when the bias discussion is taking place. Whenever the committee is gathering information (i.e., hearing from anyone not a committee member or employee, official, or agent of IOM) the meeting is open. Deliberative portions of meetings are closed to allow the discussions and consensus process to proceed frankly and without public posturing, so that committee members are free to change their positions in the face of evidence or argument.<br><br/> <b>What is the peer review process like at IOM?<br></b><br/><br/> Peer review is highly structured and proceeds according to the policies of IOM and the NRC Report Review Committee (RRC). Formal reviewer slates are discussed before the IOM leadership group and submitted for approval to the NRC RRC. Reviews are solicited by the RRC or the IOM equivalent office, not by the study staff. Reviews are provided to the study staff by the review office and are blinded. The study staff must respond to each review - either making the change if appropriate or providing a rationale for not doing so. Each review has a coordinator who must be satisfied and certify that the study staff has done so. In addition, in many cases the NRC RRC appoints a monitor, whose job is to certify that the NRC process of peer review has taken place adequately.<br><br/> <b>Why can't IOM give real time advice?<br></b><br/><br/> Because the findings and recommendations in IOM reports are the result of a formal and highly structured process of information gathering, deliberation, and peer review, it is inconsistent to issue real time advice. Until the final report is approved by the institution and the NRC peer review office, it is not an official product or advice from the IOM.<br><br/> <b>Why can't sponsors see drafts of the report, and when does a sponsor get to see the report?<br></b><br/><br/> For two reasons. First, so that even the appearance that a sponsor has affected the findings or recommendations is avoided, and second, because drafts are just that, drafts. They do change, sometimes significantly. Thus, only those individuals or organizations whose reviews are being sought in order to test the information or logic of a report are sent drafts.<br><br>Sponsors are given the opportunity to see the report up to 10 days prior to release of the report to the public. This is not a draft, and it is not being given for comment. IOM reports are always released to the public, not to any organization.<br><br/> <b>What recourse does a sponsor have if it doesn't like the report?<br></b><br/><br/> This is rarely a problem, even though it is sometimes the case that a sponsor was hoping or anticipating different findings or recommendations. Most sponsors realize that a key element of the credibility of IOM reports lies in the independent study process, and they understand that the IOM must follow the evidence and the expertise of its committees and staff. While there is little recourse for an unhappy sponsor, if a sponsor has strong disagreements with the findings or recommendations, it should bring that to the attention of the President or Executive Officer of IOM, who will review the process followed by the study to assure themselves that proper procedures were followed.<br><br/> <p><b>How are members selected for the IOM Boards?</b></p><br/><br/> <p>Each board covers a range of subject areas as described in the <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/Includes/DBLink.asp?ID=15201">Board's website</a>. In developing a board's membership, the IOM seeks to have expertise in the various relevant disciplines and in subject matter areas that are in the board's portfolio of studies or other activities. In addition, we seek diversity, academic distinction, geographic balance and to have about a quarter of the members drawn from the membership of the IOM, NAS or NAE. </p><br/> <b>How do I request permission to reprint material from the IOM?</b><br/><br/> <p>Permission to use portions of National Academies Press books in course packs, published articles or books, electronic databases, or other media can be requested electronically, by fax, or by regular mail.  <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/Includes/DBLink.asp?ID=15737">More information is available here.</a></p> <p>Permission is granted to reproduce report briefs, the short summaries created for some of IOM's reports, in their entirety, with no additions or alterations.</p><br/> <b>Can I link to the Institute of Medicine web site?</b><br/><br/> <p>Yes! The IOM welcomes any and all links from other sites to ours.  However, in most cases, it is a violation of copyright to post contents from our web site to another site.</p><br/> </td> <td width="16" nowrap><br/></td> </tr>  <tr> <td width="18" nowrap></td> <td>  <table width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0"> <tr> <td colspan="2"> <span style="font-size:7;"><br/></span> <img src="/web/20071011104210im_/http://www.iom.edu/Layouts/iom_may_2005/Images/pixel_darkgray.gif" height="1" width="100%"/> </td> </tr> <tr> <td nowrap="true"> <span id="LastUpdated">Last Updated: 9/27/2006, 10:03 AM</span> </td> <td width="100%" align="right"> <span id="RSS" class="RSS"><a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/CMS/31457.aspx">RSS</a></span> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="16"><br/> </td> </tr> </table> <br/> </td> <td width="225" valign="top" align="right"> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> </span></span> <span id="Footer">   <img src="/web/20071011104210im_/http://www.iom.edu/Layouts/iom_may_2005/Images/pixel_clear.gif" width="1" height="10" border="0" alt=""/><br/> <img src="/web/20071011104210im_/http://www.iom.edu/Layouts/iom_may_2005/Images/pixel_darkgray.gif" width="100%" height="1" border="0" alt=""/><br/> <img src="/web/20071011104210im_/http://www.iom.edu/Layouts/iom_may_2005/Images/pixel_clear.gif" width="1" height="10" border="0" alt=""/><br/>  <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tr> <td class="small" nowrap="true">  <span class="HighlightText"> <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/">Home</a> <span class="HighlightText2">|</span> <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/CMS/AboutIOM.aspx">About</a> <span class="HighlightText2">|</span> <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/CMS/2956.aspx">Topics</a> <span class="HighlightText2">|</span> <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/CMS/2954.aspx">Projects</a><span class="HighlightText2">|</span> <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/CMS/2951.aspx">Memberships</a><span class="HighlightText2">|</span> <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/CMS/2953.aspx">Boards</a> <span class="HighlightText2">|</span> <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/CMS/2957.aspx">Events</a> <span class="HighlightText2">|</span> <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/CMS/2955.aspx">Reports</a> <span class="HighlightText2">|</span> <a href="/web/20071011104210/http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3237.aspx">Sitemap</a> </span> <br/> </td> <td width="100%"></td> <td rowspan="2" width="219" valign="top" align="right">  <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20071011104210/http://www.nationalacademies.org/" target="_blank"><img src="/web/20071011104210im_/http://www.iom.edu/Layouts/iom_may_2005/Images/Footer/nationalacademies_logo.gif" width="219" height="37" border="0" alt="The logo of the National Acadamies. 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