[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 97 (Monday, May 21, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Page 28493]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-9735]


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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:
    Kartik Prabhakaran, University of Pittsburgh: Based on the report 
of an inquiry conducted by the University of Pittsburgh (UP), extensive 
oral and written admissions by the Respondent, and additional analysis 
conducted by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) during its 
oversight review, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) found that Mr. 
Kartik Prabhakaran, former graduate student in the joint M.D./Ph.D. 
program at UP, engaged in research misconduct while supported by 
National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), 
National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant F30 NS50905-01 and National 
Eye Institute (NEI), NIH, grants 5 R01 EY005945, 5 P30 EY008098, and 5 
R01 EY015291.
    Specifically, Mr. Prabhakaran falsified and fabricated data that 
was included in a PowerPoint presentation and in a paper published in 
Immunity (Immunity 23:515-525, November 2005). Mr. Prabhakaran's 
research misconduct occurred while he was a student in the M.D./Ph.D. 
program for UP's School of Medicine. He is no longer in UP's Ph.D. 
program but is still enrolled in its M.D. program in the School of 
Medicine. The Immunity publication has been retracted (Immunity 24:657, 
May 2006).
    Mr. Prabhakaran has entered into a Voluntary Exclusion Agreement in 
which he has voluntarily agreed, for a period of four (4) years, 
beginning on March 15, 2007:
    (1) To exclude himself 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 Mr. Prabhakaran's participation 
is proposed, that 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 his research contribution. Mr. 
Prabhakaran agreed to ensure that a copy of the supervisory plan also 
is submitted to ORI by the institution. Mr. Prabhakaran agreed that he 
will not participate in any PHS-supported research until such a 
supervision 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. E7-9735 Filed 5-18-07; 8:45 am]
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