November 4, 2008

Emory Forms Ethics Panel in Wake of Payment Scandal Involving Scientist

Emory University announced on Monday that it had created a committee to evaluate how it handles potential conflicts of interest among its researchers.

The move followed recent revelations that Charles B. Nemeroff, an eminent psychiatrist at the university, accepted $2.5-million in payments from pharmaceutical companies from 2000 to 2007 but disclosed only about half that amount to the university, a violation of university and federal policies that has drawn the attention of Senate investigators.

James W. Wagner, president of Emory, established the Advisory Commission on Research Integrity and Professional Conflict Management to “evaluate the completeness and appropriateness of our policies, the effectiveness of our practices, and the mettle of our culture concerning financial and professional conflicts of interest,” he said in a written statement. The committee will be led by Paul R. Wolpe, who directs Emory’s Center for Ethics.

The university is investigating Dr. Nemeroff, who has stepped down from his post as head of the psychiatry department. In August, the National Institutes of Health froze a $9.3-million grant to a team led by Dr. Nemeroff to study depression. He has since been removed as chief scientist on that project. —Richard Monastersky

Comments

1. I think they are doing the right thing. I wish other universities would proactively do the same. It is time we all looked at our policies and considered enacting whatever changes are needed to protect the integrity of our research and also to protect federal funding agencies, all of which will be under attack by congressional budget cutters in the coming year.

   — JayT    Nov 4, 09:40 AM    #

2. What a shame he did not weigh the consequences of what he was doing.

   — deborah    Nov 4, 11:14 AM    #

3. My guess is that he did weigh what he was doing. He looked at the potential gain, the likelyhood of being caught, the likely severity of punishment, and a host of other probabilities and consequences. Then he made his choice based on this analysis.

   I’m hoping this case, and the resulting penalties, will reach a wide audience who will update the data that goes into their calculation of whether to act in a similar manner.

   — Rich Pattis    Nov 4, 03:53 PM    #

4. What we fail to put on the table in these discussions is the fact that the Dr. Nemeroffs of the world do not act in isolation. His behvaior, and that of many other like-minded people, are often enacted with the knowledge, albeit not acknowledgment, of those around them who benefit financially and profesionally from the questionable practices. These exposes are not surprises to those who work every day with such individuals; and where were they? What of those who turned their heads, chose not to follow up, and chose to remain silent?

   I do not excuse Nemeroff’s behavior; he should be held ethically, legally, and profesionally responsible for his actions. But let’s not pretend either that he is the “one bad apple” or that we just need to fine tune the oversight structure. What we need is a fundamental change in priorities and values that make his behavior unacceptable even if financially costly in the short run. To appoint yet one more committee is to give the appearance of caring, while avoiding the real issues.

   — Rich    Nov 4, 05:10 PM    #

5. Unfortunately, there seems to be several codes on ethics on many campuses. “Thou shalt not steal” seems clear enough. But some seem to feel there must be at least a few exceptions.

   — Neil Markee    Nov 8, 02:00 PM    #

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