[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 23 (Thursday, February 4, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 5658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-2616]


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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:
    Mr. Thomas Philpot, R.N., B.S.N., Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's 
Medical Center and Northwestern University: Based on the report of an 
investigation conducted by Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center 
(RPMC), a report of an inquiry conducted by Northwestern University, 
and information obtained by ORI during its oversight review, ORI finds 
that Mr. Philpot, former data manager for the National Surgical 
Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) at RPMC and McNeal Cancer 
Center, formerly an NSABP affiliate of Northwestern University, engaged 
in scientific misconduct in clinical research supported by two National 
Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH) cooperative 
agreements.
    Specifically, Mr. Philpot intentionally falsified and/or fabricated 
follow-up data on seven separate reports related to three patients 
enrolled in NSABP clinical trials for breast cancer (B-09, B-12, and B-
22). The falsified and/or fabricated data were submitted to the NSABP 
Biostatistical Center on NSABP reporting forms and were recorded in the 
NSABP research records maintained at the clinical sites.
    ORI has implemented the following administrative actions for the 
three (3) year period beginning January 19, 1999:
    (1) Mr. Philpot is prohibited 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) any institution that submits an application for PHS support for 
a research project on which Mr. Philpot's participation is proposed or 
which uses him in any capacity on PHS supported research, or that 
submits a report of 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. Philpot'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. 99-2616 Filed 2-3-99; 8:45 am]
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