Interview with Jacque De Fouw 1

Jacque De Fouw joined the university as Health Educator in September 2000 after twenty-six years of nursing and nurse educator experience in Michigan.

1. How much would you say that the United States government filter what you are taught as a medical student? What kind of information do they provide? What role, if any, does The United States’ Effective Health Care Program (EHCP), whose mission is to be “dedicated to fulfilling this need (finding reliable and practical data that can inform people in order that they may make the best health decisions) through high-quality research and getting that information to you, someone who needs to make health care decisions” play in your education or in the education you provide your students?

The government does have guidelines for what you do and what you can’t do. They are allowed to sensor things. So, pretty much what I was taught in nursing school was medical science; I don’t think it was propaganda for the government. Although, some people think that some of the cigarette stuff and tobacco. It was pretty well founded in science so that it was the basis for what we were taught.

I think you’re referring to the FDA. I know that there have been a lot of criticisms of the FDA in recent years. I do know that they have so many duties relegated to them by different administrations and not enough staff. They are terribly understaffed to be able to do things. I know that there is a problem with things not being scientifically driven, instead being more industry driven; and they are trying to get away from that. It has been a big problem with the FDA. The industry wants to pay for things to be done. And in the very recent years, we have seen a lot of medications that we have tested and seem to be safe, but when they’re put on the market those that who don’t see the benefit of the medicine to those that are in need complain that it was put out too soon. It may also have a side effect that doesn’t seem so great. I know that the FDA is trying to get around that, however, the FDA is politically driven—the people are appointed to their positions. My cousin was the head of the FDA for a while, and he had been appointed, but when Bush came into power he was sent to another position and someone else took his place. I know that my cousin had worked very hard on preventing mad-cow disease from coming to the United States. He tried to get away from the industry driven side of things and getting back to the scientifically based agency. Now that they have added tobacco to their list of things to do and regulate, it’s just a big problem with not having enough money and not enough staff.