E7-42. Findings of Research Misconduct

AGENCY:

Office of the Secretary, HHS.

ACTION:

Notice.

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:

Jong Hyuk Park, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh: Based on accumulated evidence including the University of Pittsburgh (UP) investigation committee report and additional analysis and information obtained by the Office of Research Integrity (ORI) during its oversight review, the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) found that Jong Hyuk Park, Ph.D., former postdoctoral fellow, Pittsburgh Development Center of the Magee-Womens Research Institute, UP, engaged in research misconduct in research funded by National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), National Institutes of Health (NIH), grant R24 RR13632 and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), NIH, grant P01 HD047675.

Specifically, Dr. Park:

(1) Intentionally and knowingly falsified various versions of two figures in a manuscript entitled “Rhesus Embryonic Stem Cells Established by Nuclear Transfer: Tetraploid ESCs Differ from Fertilized Ones” that was being prepared for submission to Nature;

(2) Repeatedly misrepresented to the UP investigative panel the accuracy of one of the figures;

(3) Presented the false figures as true to members of the laboratory; and

(4) Falsified the record of revisions of the figures by deleting all prior versions from the laboratory server.

ORI has implemented the following administrative actions for a period of three (3) years, beginning on November 29, 2006:

(1) Dr. Park is debarred from any contracting or subcontracting with any agency of the United States Government and from eligibility or involvement in nonprocurement programs of the United States Government as defined in the debarment regulations at 45 CFR Part 76; and

(2) Dr. Park is prohibited 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Director, Division of Investigative Oversight, Office of Research Integrity, 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 750, Rockville, MD 20852, [phone].

Chris B. Pascal,

Director, Office of Research Integrity.