FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT 

NIH GUIDE, Volume 26, Number 15, May 9, 1997

 

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 a final finding of scientific misconduct in the following

cases:

 

Ann Marie Huelskamp, M.H.S., The Johns Hopkins University School of

Medicine:  Based upon a report forwarded to the Office of Research

Integrity (ORI) by The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,

information obtained by ORI during its oversight review, and Ms.

Huelskamp~s own admission, ORI found that Ms. Huelskamp, a research

program coordinator in the Oncology Center, The Johns Hopkins

University School of Medicine, engaged in scientific misconduct by

fabricating patient interview data for a study of quality of life

measures in cancer patients.  The research was supported by a grant

from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of

Health (NIH).

 

ORI also found that Ms. Huelskamp engaged in scientific misconduct by

falsifying patient status data by failing to update the status of

treated breast cancer patients and misrepresenting data from previous

contacts as the updated status for a study.  These data were reported

in a grant application to NCI and gave the appearance that some

patients~ outcomes were more favorable than they actually were.

 

Ms. Huelskamp cooperated fully with the Johns Hopkins investigation.

The investigation report acknowledged her excessive workload, the

difficulties associated with recruiting and following up on patients,

and a lack of supervisory oversight.

 

Ms. Huelskamp has accepted the ORI finding and has entered into a

Voluntary Exclusion Agreement with ORI in which she has voluntarily

agreed, for the three (3) year period beginning April 17, 1997:

 

(1) to exclude herself from serving in any advisory capacity to the

Public Health Service (PHS), including but not limited to service on

any PHS advisory committee, board, and/or peer review committee, or

as a consultant; and

 

(2) that any institution that submits an application for PHS support

for a research project on which Ms. Huelskamp~s participation is

proposed or which uses her in any capacity on PHS-supported research

must concurrently submit a plan for supervision of her duties.  The

supervisory plan must be designed to ensure the scientific integrity

of Ms. Huelskamp~s research contribution.  The institution must

submit a copy of the supervisory plan to ORI.

 

No scientific publications were required to be corrected as part of

this Agreement.

 

William G. McCown, Ph.D., Integra, Inc.:  Based upon a report

forwarded to the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) by Compass

Information Services, Inc., and information obtained by ORI during

its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. McCown, former Project

Director at Integra, Inc. (now Compass Information Services, Inc.),

engaged in scientific misconduct by falsifying answer sheets for an

~Item Count Substance Abuse Survey~ supported by a grant from the

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institutes of

Health (NIH).

 

Dr. McCown has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement with ORI

in which he does not admit to any acts of scientific misconduct but

has voluntarily agreed, for the three (3) year period beginning April

17, 1997:

 

(1) to exclude himself from serving in any advisory capacity to the

Public Health Service (PHS), including but not limited to service on

any PHS advisory committee, board, and/or peer review committee, or

as a consultant; and

 

(2) that any institution that submits an application for PHS support

for a research project on which Dr. McCown~s participation is

proposed or which 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. McCown~s research contribution.  The institution must submit a

copy of the supervisory plan to ORI.

 

No scientific publications were required to be corrected as part of

this Agreement.

 

Weidong Sun, M.D., Ph.D., Medical College of Pennsylvania and

Hahnemann University:  Based upon a report forwarded to the Office of

Research Integrity (ORI) by the Medical College of Pennsylvania and

Hahnemann University as well as information obtained by ORI during

its oversight review, ORI found that Dr. Sun, a former graduate

student in the Department of Physiology, Medical College of

Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University, engaged in scientific

misconduct by falsifying data in conducting and reporting research

supported by a grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and

Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), National Institutes of

Health (NIH).  The research also was reported in applications

requesting funding from NIAMS and the National Institute of Diabetes

and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), NIH.

 

Specifically, Dr. Sun falsified data by misrepresenting cloned DNA

sequences from chicken non-muscle myosin as an isoform of neuronal

myosin II from rat brain.  The falsified cDNA was included in the

following publications and nucleotide sequences in GenBank and EMBL

databases:

 

o  Sun, W.D., & Chantler, P.D.  ~Cloning of the cDNA encoding a

neuronal myosin heavy chain from mammalian brand and its differential

expression within the central nervous system.~  Journal of Molecular

Biology 224(4):1185-1193, 1992;

 

o  Sun, W.D., & Chantler, P.D.  ~A unique cellular myosin II

exhibiting differential expression in the cerebral cortex.~

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 175(1):244-249,

1991;

 

o  Sun, W., Chen, X., & Chantler, P.D.  ~Inhibition of neuritogenesis

by antisense arrest of the expression of a specific isoform of brain

myosin II.~  Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility 15:184-185,

1994;

 

om  M64596, ~Rat myosin II mRNA, 3' end.~ [RETMYOSII];

 

o  M80591, ~Rat neuronal myosin heavy chain mRNA, 3' end.~

[RATMYOH3E];

 

o  M94962, ~Rattus rattus neuronal myosin heavy chain gene promoter

sequence.~ [RATMYOPRO]; and

 

o  X62659, S98128, ~R.rattus MRNA for brain neuronal myosin heavy

chain.~ [RRNMYOHC].

 

Retractions of the publications and deletions from the public data

banks have been requested.

 

Dr. Sun has accepted the ORI finding and has entered into a Voluntary

Exclusion Agreement with ORI in which he has voluntarily agreed, for

the three (3) year period beginning April 17, 1997:

 

(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 (Debarment Regulations); and

 

(2) to exclude himself from serving in any advisory capacity to the

Public Health Service (PHS), including but not limited to service on

any PHS advisory committee, board, and/or peer review committee, or

as a consultant.

 

INQUIRIES

 

For further information contact:

 

Acting 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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