FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT

Release Date:  September 27, 2001

NOTICE:  NOT-OD-01-069

Department of Health and Human Services

Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) and the 
Assistant Secretary for Health have taken final action in the following case:

David D. Sanchez, Public Health Foundation Enterprises, Inc. (PHFE):  Based on 
the report of an investigation conducted by PHFE and additional analysis 
conducted by ORI in its oversight review, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) 
found that Mr. Sanchez, former research assistant for PHFE"s California 
Emerging Infections Program (CEIP), engaged in scientific misconduct in 
research supported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) 
cooperative agreement U50 CCU915546-03.

Specifically, PHS finds that Mr. Sanchez engaged in scientific misconduct by 
falsifying and fabricating data in interview questionnaires involving 21 cases 
and 27 controls for the "Campylobacter Ethnicity Case Control Study," which he 
submitted to the CEIP coordinator.  As a result of his actions, none of Mr. 
Sanchez" research could be considered reliable and the research project was 
terminated.  Mr. Sanchez also falsified and fabricated an additional 15 data 
records relating to PHFE"s "E. Coli O157 Case-Control Study," which he also 
submitted to the CEIP coordinator.  Mr. Sanchez further engaged in a pattern 
of dishonest conduct that indicates that he is not presently responsible to be 
a steward of Federal funds.  This pattern of behavior includes falsely 
claiming hundreds of hours on his time sheets submitted to CEIP for which he 
had not performed any work and repeatedly refusing to cooperate with the 
misconduct investigation.  These actions adversely and materially affected 
CEIP"s ability to determine risk factors for Campylobacter infections among 
Latino and Chinese-American children.  No publications required correction.

Mr. Sanchez has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement (Agreement) with 
PHS in which he has voluntarily agreed for a period of three (3) years, 
beginning on September 4, 2001:

(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),

(2) 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.

INQUIRIES

For further information contact:

Director
Division of Investigative Oversight
Office of Research Integrity
5515 Security Lane, Suite 700
Rockville, MD  20852
Telephone:  (301) 443-5330

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