NOT-OD-04-027: FINDINGS OF SCIENTIFIC MISCONDUCT

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

RELEASE DATE:  February 17, 2004
 
NOTICE:  NOT-OD-04-027

Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)

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

Pat J. Palmer, University of Iowa:  Based on the report of an 
investigation conducted by the University of Iowa (UI Report), the 
respondent’s guilty plea in a state criminal case, and additional 
analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, the U.S. Public 
Health Service (PHS) found that Pat J. Palmer, former Assistant 
Research Scientist at UI, engaged in scientific misconduct (1) in 
research supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant R01 
MH55284 entitled  Collaborative Linkage Study of Autism;  (2) in grant 
proposals 1 R10 MH55284-01, 2 R01 MH55284-04 (both entitled 
 Collaborative Linkage Study of Autism ), 1 R01 DC05067-01, and 1 R55 
DC05067-01A1 (both entitled  The Genetics of Specific Speech and 
Language Disorders ); and (3) in obtaining salary support from 
postdoctoral training grant T32 MH14620.

PHS found that Ms. Palmer engaged in scientific misconduct by:

(1)  fabricating interview records for at least six interviews of 
autism patient families;

(2)  fabricating her claims for a B.S. from the University of Northern 
Iowa, a M.S./M.P.H. from the University of California at Berkeley, and 
a Ph.D. in Epidemiology/Bio-statistics from the University of Iowa in 
biographical sketches that were submitted to NIH in four grant 
applications (see above); and

(3)  fabricating her claim that she obtained a Ph.D. in 
Epidemiology/Bio-statistics from the University of Iowa in the 
biographical sketches of a training grant application, so she received 
salary support from July 1995 through June 1998 for postdoctoral 
training under NIH training grant T32 MH14620.

Ms. Palmer also engaged in dishonest conduct that demonstrates that she 
is not presently responsible to be a steward of Federal funds.  She 
falsified that she was a coauthor of several published articles, by 
inserting her name or replacing another name with her name on 10 
articles listed in her biographical sketch for four NIH grant 
applications (see above):

(a)  Canby, C.A., [Palmer, P.J.], & Tomanek, R.J.   Role of lowering 
arterial pressure on maximal coronary flow with and without regression 
of cardiac hypertrophy.   American Journal of Physiology 257:H1110-
H1118, 1989.

(b)  Stegink, L.D., Brummel, M.C., Filer, L.J., Jr, & [Palmer, P.J., 
replaced Baker, G.L.].  Blood methanol concentrations in one-year old 
infants administered grade [sic] doses of aspartame.   Journal of 
Nutrition 113:1600-1606,1983.

(c)  Stegink, L.D., Koch, R., [Palmer, P.J., replaced Blaskovics, 
M.E.], Filer, L.J., Jr., Baker, G.L., & McDonnell, J.E.   Plasma 
phenylalanine levels in phenylketonuric heterozygous and normal adults 
administered aspartame at 34mg/kg body weight.   Toxicology 20:81-90, 
1981.
(d)  Stegink, L.D., Brummel, M.C., [Palmer, P.J., replaced McMartin, 
K.], Martin-Amat, G., Filer,  L.J., Jr., Baker, G.L., & Tephly, T.R.  
 Blood methanol concentrations in normal adult subjects administered 
abuse doses of aspartame.   Journal of Toxicology & Environmental 
Health 7:281-290,1981.

(e)  Stegink, L.D., Reynolds, W.A., Pitkin, R.M., Cruikshank, D.P., & 
[Palmer, P.J.].  Placental transfer of taurine in rhesus monkeys.   
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 24:2685-2692,1981.

(f)  Stegink, L.D., Filer, L.J., Jr, Baker, G.L., & [Palmer, P.J., 
replaced Brummel, M.C.].   Plasma and erythrocyte amino acid levels of 
adult humans given l00mg/kg body weight aspartame.   Toxicology 14:131-
140, 1979.

(g)  Weiss, N.S., Szekely, D.R., Austin, D.F., & [Palmer, P.J.].  
 Increasing incidence of endometrial cancer in the United States.   New 
England Journal of Medicine 294:1259-1262, 1976.

(h)  Elwood, E.K., & [Palmer, P.J., replaced Apostolopoulos, A.X].  
 Analysis of developing enamel of the rat. II.Electrophoretic and amino 
acid studies.   Clinical Metabolic Studies [sic] [should be Calcified 
Tissue Research] 17:327-335, 1975.

(i)  Aronow, W.S., Goldsmith, J.R., Kern, J.C., Cassidy, J, [Palmer, 
P.J.], Johnson, L.L., Adams, W., & Nelson, W.H.   Effect of smoking 
cigarettes on cardiovascular hemodynamics.   Archives of Environmental 
Health 28, 330-332, 1974.

(j)  Seltzer, C.C., Friedman, G.D., Siegelaub, A.B., & [Palmer, P.J., 
replaced Collen, M.F.].  Smoking habits and pain tolerance.   Archives 
of Environmental Health 29,170-172, 1974.

Ms. Palmer has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement (Agreement 
) in which she has voluntarily agreed for a period of three (3) years, 
beginning on January 26, 2004:

(1)  to exclude herself from any contracting or subcontracting with any 
agency of the United States Government and from eligibility or 
involvement in nonprocurement programs of the United States Government 
referred to as  covered transactions  as defined in the debarment 
regulations at 45 C.F.R. Part 76; and

(2)  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.

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