[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 179 (Wednesday, September 16, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49578-49579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-24794]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary


Findings of Scientific Misconduct

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Office of Research Integrity 
(ORI) has made a final finding of scientific misconduct in the 
following case:
    George A.S. Park, M.S., Wadsworth Center, New York State Department 
of Health: Based on Mr. Park's own admission, information obtained by 
the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) during its oversight review, and 
a report prepared by the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of 
Health, dated October 23, 1997, and accepted by the University at 
Albany, State University of New York, the awardee institution, ORI 
found that Mr. Park, former research technician, Wadsworth Center, New 
York State Department of Health, engaged in scientific misconduct in 
research supported by a grant from the National Institute of 
Environmental Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH). 
ORI acknowledges Mr. Park's cooperation with the Wadsworth Center.
    Specifically, Mr. Park falsified high pressure liquid 
chromatography data. The data were collected over an eight-month period 
in connection with a project to demonstrate the estrogen-like 
neurochemical and reproductive effects of the major metabolite of 
3,4,3',4'-Tetrachlorobiphenyl. The falsified data were presented at the 
Dioxin `97 conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, in August 1997 and 
published with the conference proceedings in Organohalogen Compounds 
34:125-128 (1997). The conference organizer was notified of the 
falsifications in the presented data and published abstract.
    Mr. Park 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 August 31, 1998:
    (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 his participation is proposed 
or which uses him in any capacity on PHS supported research, or that 
submits a report of

[[Page 49579]]

PHS-funded research in which he is involved, must concurrently submit a 
plan for supervision of his duties to the funding agency for approval. 
The supervisory plan must be designed to ensure the scientific 
integrity of Mr. Park's research contribution. The institution also 
must submit a copy of the supervisory plan to ORI.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Acting Director, Division of Research 
Investigations, Office of Research Integrity, 5515 Security Lane, Suite 
700, Rockville, MD 20852, (301) 443-5330.
Chris B. Pascal,
Acting Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 98-24794 Filed 9-15-98; 8:45 am]
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