Research Support for U.S. Psychiatrists From Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Companies, 2015-2022

Potential financial conflicts of interest for psychiatrists receiving funding from the medical industry are under increasing scrutiny, yet industry funding remains a critical resource for psychiatrist-scientists to support research, particularly as government funding becomes less predictable. The authors examined the scope and concentration of research-specific industry payments from pharmaceutical and medical device companies to psychiatrists. Of 57,365 psychiatrists identified in the 2015-2022 records of the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System, 488 (0.85%) were principal investigators who received industry research support totaling $98,189,901; the median annual payment amount was $21,749, and payments were highly concentrated among a few companies and psychiatrists from a few institutions.