[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 120 (Wednesday, June 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30094-30095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-14900]


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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 Wanchick, MetroHealth System: Based on reports submitted 
by MetroHealth System's inquiry and investigation committees, the 
Respondent's own repeated admissions, and additional analysis conducted 
by ORI during its oversight review, the U.S. Public Health Service 
(PHS) found that Ms. Jennifer Wanchick, former Research Assistant, 
MetroHealth System (an affiliated hospital of Case Western Reserve 
University), engaged in research misconduct in research supported by 
National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD), 
National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant P60 MD002265.
    Specifically, by her own admission, Ms. Wanchick engaged in 
research misconduct by fabricating information in the electronic 
database purportedly collected from 150 individuals about their 
willingness to sign up to be an organ donor at the time they obtained a 
driver's license. Ms. Wanchick also admitted to fabricating the 
information on several survey instruments. The study at issue was 
entitled ``Community Based Intervention to Enhance Signing of Organ 
Donor Cards.''
    ORI acknowledges Ms. Wanchick's cooperation and assistance in 
completing its oversight review and resolution of this matter.
    Ms. Wanchick has entered into a Voluntary Settlement Agreement in 
which she has voluntarily agreed, for a period of three (3) years, 
beginning on June 5, 2009:
    (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 the Respondent's participation 
is proposed or that uses the Respondent in any capacity on PHS-
supported research, or that submits a report of PHS-funded research in 
which the Respondent is involved, must concurrently submit a plan for 
supervision of the Respondent's duties to the funding agency for 
approval. The supervisory plan must be designed to ensure the research 
integrity of the Respondent's research contribution. Respondent agrees 
to ensure that a copy of the supervisory plan also is submitted to ORI 
by the institution.

[[Page 30095]]

    Respondent 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.

John Dahlberg,
Director, Division of Investigative Oversight, Office of Research 
Integrity.
[FR Doc. E9-14900 Filed 6-23-09; 8:45 am]
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