[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 86 (Thursday, May 3, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22231-22232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-11073]


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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:
    Malabika Sarker, M.B.B.S., M.P.H., University of Alabama at 
Birmingham: Based on the report of an investigation conducted by the 
University of Alabama at Birmingham and additional analysis conducted 
by ORI in its oversight review, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) 
finds that Dr. Sarker, former doctoral fellow, Department of 
Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at 
Birmingham, engaged in scientific misconduct by falsifying 
questionnaire data for risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases 
(STDs) in Bangladesh for her dissertation. The research was supported 
by the Fogerty International Center, National Institutes of Health 
(NIH), grant D43 TW01035, ``UAB AIDS/HIV International Training & 
Research.''

[[Page 22232]]

    The purpose of the research was to determine from questionnaires 
the lifestyle and personal history factors of subjects and correlate 
them to infection rates for STDs from use of laboratory tests. Dr. 
Sarker admitted that she falsified the coding of the questionnaire data 
relating to the occupations of the subjects and of their sexual 
partners to present statistically significant data regarding the risk 
factors for STDs.
    Dr. Sarker has accepted the PHS finding and has entered into a 
Voluntary Exclusion Agreement with PHS in which she has voluntarily 
agreed for a period of three (3) years, beginning on April 17, 2001:
    (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;
    (2) That any institution that submits an application for PHS 
support for a research project on which Dr. Sarker's participation is 
proposed or that uses Dr. Sarker in any capacity on PHS supported 
research, or that submits a report of PHS-funded research in which Dr. 
Sarker is involved, must concurrently submit a plan for supervision of 
her duties to the funding agency for approval. The supervisory plan 
must be designed to ensure the scientific integrity of Dr. Sarker's 
research contribution. The institution must also submit a copy of the 
supervisory plan to ORI.

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. 01-11073 Filed 5-2-01; 8:45 am]
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