Medtronic paid millions to influential UW chairman (John Fauber of the Journal Sentinel)
Paul Anderson, an orthopedic surgeon at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, gets so much money from the medical device firm Medtronic that the university put its most stringent oversight on the relationship.
One of the requirements is that Anderson, who has received $225,000 in consulting fees from Medtronic in 2008 through 2010, has to meet annually with his department chairman to review the relationship and its potential influence on his university activities.
But the chairman, Thomas Zdeblick, got more than 25 times that amount from Medtronic himself during the three years. And a new accounting by the Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today shows he received more than $25 million in royalties from the company since 2003.
What's more, UW Hospital spent $27 million for Medtronic spinal products from 2004 to 2010, according to documents obtained through an open records request. And Zdeblick, a renowned spinal surgeon, has co-authored several positive research papers about the company's spine products.
Academic leaders questioned whether Zde blick could objectively serve as a depart...
