FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT 

NIH GUIDE, Volume 25, Number 15, May 10, 1996

 

P.T. 34



Keywords:

  Ethics/Values in Science & Technol 

  Grants Administration/Policy+ 

 

Department of Health and Human Services

 

Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research Integrity (ORI)

has made final findings of scientific misconduct in the following

case:

 

Andrew Friedman, M.D., Harvard Medical School:  Based on a report

from Harvard Medical School and Dr. Friedman's admission, ORI found

that Andrew Friedman, M.D., former Harvard Medical School Associate

Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology at the

Brigham and Women's Hospital, committed scientific misconduct by

falsifying and fabricating data in research supported in part by a

Public Health Service (PHS) grant to the Brigham and Women's Hospital

General Clinical Research Center.

 

Between 1992 and 1995, Dr. Friedman altered and fabricated

information in permanent patient medical records and notes by

changing dates, changing and adding text, and fabricating notes for

clinical visits that did not occur.  Dr. Friedman admitted that he

had falsified and fabricated approximately 80 percent of the data in

research reports published in Fertility and Sterility (Friedman, A.J.

and Thomas, P.P.  "Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist plus

estrogen-progestin 'add-back' therapy for endometriosis-related

pelvic pain."  Fertility and Sterility 30:236-41, 1993.), in

Obstetrics and Gynecology (Friedman, A.J. and Thomas P.P.  "Does low-

dose combination oral contraceptive use affect uterine size or

menstrual flow in premenopausal women with leiomyomas?"  Obstetrics

and Gynecology, pp. 631-635, 1995.), and in an unpublished

manuscript.  Dr. Friedman has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion

Agreement with ORI in which he has voluntarily agreed:

 

(1) to exclude himself from any contracting or subcontracting with

any agency of the United States Government and from eligibility for,

or involvement in, nonprocurement transactions (e.g., grants and

cooperative agreements) of the United States Government, as defined

in 45 C.F.R. Part 76 and 48 C.F.R. Subparts 9.4 and 309.4 (Debarment

Regulations) for a period of three years beginning April 19, 1996;

 

(2) that for a period of two years immediately following the three

year voluntary exclusion above, any institution that submits an

application for PHS support for a research project on which Dr.

Friedman's participation is proposed or that uses him in any capacity

on PHS supported research must concurrently submit a plan for

supervision of his duties; the supervisory plan must be designed to

ensure the scientific integrity of Dr. Friedman's research

contribution, and the institution must submit a copy of the plan to

ORI; and

 

(3) to exclude himself from serving in any advisory capacity to PHS,

including but not limited to service on any PHS advisory committee,

board, and/or peer review committee, or as a consultant for a period

of three years beginning

April 19, 1996.

 

The voluntary exclusion in (1) above shall not apply to Dr.

Friedman's future training or practice of clinical medicine whether

as a medical student, resident, fellow, or licensed practitioner, as

the case may be, unless that practice involves research or research

training.

 

A statement retracting the article entitled "Gonadotrophin-releasing

hormone agonist plus estrogen-progestin 'add-back' therapy for

endometriosis-related pelvic pain."  (Fertility and Sterility 30:236-

41, 1993) has been published in Fertility and Sterility (65(1):211,

January 1996), and a statement retracting the article entitled "Does

low-dose combination oral contraceptive use affect uterine size or

menstrual flow in premenopausal women with leiomyomas?" (Obstetrics

and Gynecology, pp. 631-635, 1995) has been published in Obstetrics

and Gynecology (85(5):728, November 1995).

 

INQUIRIES

 

For further information, contact:

 

Director, Division of Research Investigations

Office of Research Integrity

5515 Security Lane, Suite 700

Rockville, MD  20852

Telephone:  (301) 443-5330

 

.

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