[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 235 (Thursday, December 7, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70966-70967]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-20754]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary


Findings of Research 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:
    Jennifer Blaisdell, University of Pennsylvania and Retinal 
Consultants of Arizona, Ltd.: Based on the report of an investigation 
conducted by the University of Pennsylvania (UP) and additional 
analysis conducted by ORI in its oversight review, the U.S. Public 
Health Service (PHS) found that Ms. Jennifer Blaisdell, former Clinical 
Coordinator for Retinal Consultants of Arizona, Ltd. (RCA), committed 
research misconduct in a study sponsored by two cooperative agreements 
funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of 
Health (NIH): U10 EY012261, ``Age-related Macular Degeneration 
Prevention Trial,'' Dr. Stuart Fine, Principal Investigator (P.I.), and 
U10 EY012279, ``Coordinating Center for AMD, Complications of Age-
Related Macular Degeneration Prevention Trial'' (CAPT), Dr. Maureen 
McGuire, P.I.
    Specifically, PHS found that Ms. Blaisdell knowingly and 
intentionally committed research misconduct by:
    1. Fabricating a CAPT data form dated 5/29/02 reporting a 30-month 
telephone follow-up visit with patient 01-026; this patient died on 5/
3/02;
    2. Fabricating a CAPT data form dated 2/20/03 reporting a 43-month 
telephone follow-up visit with patient 01-019; this patient died on 2/
10/03;
    3. Falsifying a CAPT data form dated 2/13/01 reporting a visit to 
the clinic on that date for patient 01-049; this patient's visit was 2/
20/01;
    4. Falsifying the CAPT form for patient 01-055 dated 4/11/01, when 
no clinic visit took place, by substituting information purportedly 
obtained at a non-study visit on 2/28/01.
    Ms. Blaisdell has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement in 
which she has voluntarily agreed, for a period of two (2) years, 
beginning on November 14, 2006:
    (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, or as a consultant; and
    (2) That any institution that submits an application for PHS 
support for a research project on which Ms. Blaisdell's participation 
is proposed or which uses her in any capacity on PHS supported 
research, or that submits a report of PHS-funded research in which she 
is involved, must concurrently submit a plan for supervision of Ms. 
Blaisdell's duties to the funding agency for approval. The supervisory 
plan must be designed to ensure the scientific

[[Page 70967]]

integrity of her research contribution. Ms. Blaisdell also agrees to 
ensure that the institution submits a copy of the supervisory plan to 
ORI. She further agrees that she will not participate in any PHS-
supported research until such a supervisory plan is submitted to ORI.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Director, Division of Investigative 
Oversight, Office of Research Integrity, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 
750, Rockville, MD 20852, (240) 453-8800.

Chris B. Pascal,
Director, Office of Research Integrity.
 [FR Doc. E6-20754 Filed 12-6-06; 8:45 am]
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