[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 195 (Friday, October 6, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 59848]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-25568]


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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) and the Assistant Secretary for Health have taken final action in 
the following case:
    Caroline E. Garey, Boston College: Based on the Report and Addendum 
of the Boston College Research Misconduct Investigation Committee and 
additional analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, the U.S. 
Public Health Service (PHS) finds that Ms. Caroline E. Garey, former 
doctoral student, Boston College, engaged in scientific misconduct by 
falsifying research supported by National Institute of Neurological 
Disorders and Strokes (NINDS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 
grant R01 NS23355.
    Specifically, as a graduate student at Boston College, Ms. Garey 
falsified restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) data for ABP 
and DBA backcross mice DNA samples by misrepresenting results from 
multiple assays of identical backcross ABP DNA samples as being from 
different animals and misrepresenting the autoradiograms of backcross 
ABP DNA samples as the results from experiments on backcross DBA mice. 
Ms. Garey reported this falsified data in her doctoral dissertation, 
``Defect in the ceruloplasmin gene associated with epilepsy in the EL 
mouse,'' and in an article in Nature Genetics 6:426-431, 1994. She 
caused her falsified data to be reported by her laboratory director in 
NINDS, NIH, grant application 2 R01 NS23355-08A1 and at an 
international workshop on epilepsy on September 24, 1994. Ms. Garey 
also fabricated a translation table that she used to assign falsified 
RFLP data to individual backcross DBA mice. As a result of falsifying 
these assays over a minimum of two and one-half years, none of Ms. 
Garey's research can be considered reliable and the Nature Genetics 
publication has been retracted. These actions adversely and materially 
affected the laboratory's ongoing research on the genetic causes of 
epilepsy.
    Ms. Garey also has engaged in a pattern of dishonest conduct that 
indicates that she is not presently responsible to be a steward of 
Federal funds. This pattern of behavior includes (1) a history of 
falsely claiming that she has performed scientific experiments when she 
has not, and (2) repeated instances in which she has misrepresented her 
credentials to prospective employers, colleagues, customers, and the 
general public as including a Ph.D. degree even though Boston College 
refused to grant her a doctoral degree because of her scientific 
misconduct.
    The publication affected is:

     Garey, C.E., Schwarzman, A.L., Rise, M.L., & Seyfried, 
T.N. ``Ceruloplasmin gene defect associated with epilepsy in EL mice.'' 
Nature Genetics 6:426-431, 1994 (retracted in Nature Genetics 11:104, 
1995).

While Ms. Garey does not admit to the allegations of scientific 
misconduct, she has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement with 
PHS in which she has voluntarily agreed for a period of five (5) years, 
beginning on September 25, 2000:
    (1) To exclude herself 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 CFR part 76 (Debarment Regulations);
    (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.

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

Chris Pascal,
Director, Office of Research Integrity.
[FR Doc. 00-25568 Filed 10-5-00; 8:45 am]
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