NOT-OD-04-011: FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT

Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
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FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT

RELEASE DATE:  December 2, 2003

NOTICE:  NOT-OD-04-011

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

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:

Khalilah Creek, University of Maryland, Baltimore:  Based on the report 
of an investigation conducted by the University of Maryland, Baltimore 
(UMB Report), the respondent’s admission of responsibility, and 
additional analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, the U.S. 
Public Health Service (PHS) found that Khalilah Creek, former 
contractual employee, Department of Pediatrics at UMB, engaged in 
scientific misconduct in research supported by National Institute of 
Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant 2 R01 
MH54983, entitled  Effectiveness of Standard versus Embellished HIV 
Prevention. 

Specifically, PHS found that Ms. Creek engaged in scientific misconduct 
by fabricating interview records for the Focus on Teens HIV Risk 
Prevention Program for eight interviews that had not been performed 
over the periods of July and December 2000 and January, February, and 
May through August 2001.

Ms. Creek has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement (Agreement ) 
in which she has voluntarily agreed for a period of three (3) years, 
beginning on October 30, 2003:

(1) to exclude herself 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; and

(2)  that her participation in any PHS-supported research will be 
conditioned on an appropriate plan of supervision of her duties 
(Supervision Plan) as follows:  (i) any institution that submits an 
application for PHS support for a research project in which Ms. Creek’s 
participation is proposed or anticipated must concurrently submit a 
Supervision Plan to the funding agency for approval; and (ii) any 
institution using Ms. Creek in any capacity in PHS-supported research 
must submit a Supervision Plan to the funding agency for approval.  The 
Supervision Plan must be designed to ensure the scientific integrity of 
her research contribution.  A copy of the Supervision Plan must also be 
submitted to ORI by the institution.  Ms. Creek agreed that she will 
not participate in any PHS-supported research until the Supervision 
Plan has been submitted to ORI.

INQUIRIES

For further information contact:

Director
Division of Investigative Oversight
Office of Research Integrity
1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 750
Rockville, MD  20852
Telephone:  301- 443-5330
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