Notice2023-24342
Findings of Research Misconduct
Primary source
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Published
November 3, 2023
Issuing agencies
Veterans Affairs Department
Abstract
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice, pursuant to Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Handbook 1058.02, Research Misconduct, dated February 7, 2014, paragraph 6.k., that the Department has made findings of research misconduct against Hee-Jeong Im Sampen, Ph.D., a research biologist at the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Chicago, Illinois. The findings were upheld on appeal per VHA Handbook 1058.02, paragraph 25, which is the version of the applicable VHA policy that was in effect at the time the research misconduct investigation commenced.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 212 (Friday, November 3, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 212 (Friday, November 3, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75641-75642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24342]
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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Findings of Research Misconduct
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) gives notice, pursuant
to Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Handbook 1058.02, Research
Misconduct, dated February 7, 2014,
[[Page 75642]]
paragraph 6.k., that the Department has made findings of research
misconduct against Hee-Jeong Im Sampen, Ph.D., a research biologist at
the Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (VAMC) in Chicago, Illinois. The
findings were upheld on appeal per VHA Handbook 1058.02, paragraph 25,
which is the version of the applicable VHA policy that was in effect at
the time the research misconduct investigation commenced.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shara Kabak, Research Misconduct
Officer, Office of Research Oversight (10RO), 810 Vermont Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20420, 202-632-7620 (this is not a toll-free number).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VA has made final findings of research
misconduct against Hee-Jeong Im Sampen, Ph.D. (``Respondent''), a
research biologist at the Jesse Brown VAMC in Chicago, Illinois.
Based on the recommended findings of a joint investigation
conducted by Rush University and Jesse Brown VAMC, the Department found
that the Respondent engaged in research misconduct by intentionally,
knowingly and/or recklessly falsifying/fabricating data included in the
following three published papers, unpublished manuscript, poster
presentation and grant application:
<bullet> PKC[delta] Null Mutations in a Mouse Model of
Osteoarthritis Alter Osteoarthritic Pain Independently of Joint
Pathology by Augmenting NGF/TrkA-Induced Axonal Outgrowth. Annals of
the Rheumatic Diseases. 2016 Dec;75(12):2133-2141. doi: 10.1136/
annrheumdis-2015-208444 (hereafter ``Ann Rheum Dis. 2016'');
<bullet> Environmental Disruption of Circadian Rhythm Predisposes
Mice to Osteoarthritis-Like Changes in Knee Joint. Journal of Cellular
Physiology. 2015 Sep;230(9):2174-2183. doi: 10.1002/jcp.24946
(hereafter ``J Cell Physiol. 2015a'');
<bullet> Development of an Experimental Animal Model for Lower Back
Pain by Percutaneous Injury-Induced Lumbar Facet Joint Osteoarthritis.
Journal of Cellular Physiology. 2015 Nov;230(11):2837-2847. doi:
10.1002/jcp.25015 (hereafter ``J Cell Physiol. 2015b'');
<bullet> ``NGF Selective Inhibition Therapy on Facet Joint Pain''--
DRAFT manuscript for Arthritis and Rheumatism (hereafter ``Arthritis
Rheum manuscript'');
<bullet> ``Inhibition of Glial NF[kappa]B Abolished Pain in a Knee
Osteoarthritis Model''--2016 poster for the Osteoarthritis Research
Society International (hereafter ``OARSI presentation 2016''); and
<bullet> VA Biomedical Laboratory Research and Development (BLR&D)
Merit Award proposal, I01 BX002647-01, ``Osteoarthritis and Knee Joint
Pain,'' submitted on September 18, 2013 (hereafter ``VA Merit Award
proposal'').
Specifically, the Department found that the Respondent
intentionally, knowingly and/or recklessly committed research
misconduct by:
<bullet> Fabricating/falsifying images in Figures 1A and 1C, and
inflating the ``n'' (sample size) values in Figures 1B and 1E, of Ann
Rheum Dis. 2016;
<bullet> Fabricating/falsifying images in Figure 4A of J Cell
Physiol. 2015a;
<bullet> Fabricating/falsifying images in Figures 7A and 7B, and
inflating the ``n'' values in Figure 4A, of J Cell Physiol. 2015b;
<bullet> Fabricating/falsifying an image and inflating the ``n''
values in Figure 1A of the Arthritis Rheum manuscript;
<bullet> Fabricating/falsifying data and inflating ``n'' values in
Figures in the OARSI presentation 2016; and
<bullet> Fabricating/falsifying images in Figures 1A, 4A, 6, 9, 12,
and 17B of the VA Merit Award proposal.
Based on these findings of research misconduct, upheld by the Under
Secretary for Health on appeal in a decision dated April 24, 2023, the
Department has imposed the following corrective actions:
(1) Permanent prohibition from conducting VA research;
(2) Publication of VA's findings of research misconduct;
(3) Notification to the relevant Federal funding agencies of the
findings;
(4) Requesting retraction of the affected publications;
(5) Prohibition from publishing the Arthritis Rheum manuscript; and
(6) Prohibition from re-presenting the content of the OARSI
presentation 2016.
Signing Authority
Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved and signed
this document on October 26, 2023, and authorized the undersigned to
sign and submit the document to the Office of the Federal Register for
publication electronically as an official document of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
Luvenia Potts,
Regulation Development Coordinator, Office of Regulation Policy &
Management, Office of General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2023-24342 Filed 11-2-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P
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