Headache Professional Societies: Ethical Challenges and Suggested Solutions

Codes of professional conduct continue to be an essential component of maintaining the integrity of individuals, academic institutions, and medical societies. We review ethical issues of professional conduct focusing on conflicts of interest (COI). We explain how to manage or mitigate COI in the context of professionals involved in headache medicine and its medical specialty societies. We identify the roles of institutional, medical society, and governmental regulation in the protection of patients and maintaining the integrity of physicians and others involved in patient care.