Harvard Med School Professor And Neuroscientist Accused Of Major Research Misconduct

A top Harvard Medical School neuroscientist allegedly falsified data and plagiarized pictures in 21 papers over a period of more than two decades, according to The Harvard Crimson.

Data manipulation expert Elisabeth Bik performed an analysis of professor Khalid Shah’s work and found that he presented images from other scientists’ research as his own data and falsified data in 44 different instances from 2001 to 2023, according to the Crimson. Bik used AI image software and reverse image searches to identify the plagiarized images, and said she plans to further detail the specific allegations in a blog post soon. (RELATED: Donor Who Gave Harvard $300 Million Says He’s ‘Not Interested’ In Funding University, Questions ‘DEI Agenda’)

Shah is also a vice chair of research in the Department of Neurosurgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, according to the Crimson.

Paul Anderson, chief academic officer of Mass General Brigham, the system of hospitals and research centers of which Brigham and Women’s Hospital is a part, said the hospital “is committed to preserving the highest standards of biomedical research and fostering scientific innovation,” according to the Crimson.

People walk outside of Brigham and Women”s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

“We take very seriously any questions, concerns, or allegations regarding research conducted at our hospitals and undertake a robust and confidential process to assess and respond to any claims that are brought to our attention in accordance with hospital policy and federal regulations,” Anderson continued.

Bik said one 2022 paper contained images from seven papers authored by other researchers and from two websites, according to the Crimson. Another identical image to one contained in the 2022 paper appears in a 2018 R&D Systems catalog entry.

Several other professors and researchers at Harvard have been accused of plagiarism in recent months.

Harvard University’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, Sherri Charleston, was accused of plagiarizing some of her academic works, including her 2009 dissertation, in a complaint filed Monday with the school. Charleston allegedly failed to cite nearly a dozen scholars in her dissertation, and is accused of re-using the findings and methodology of a 2012 study published by her husband, LaVar Charleston.

Currently, there is an ongoing investigation into Harvard affiliate Dana-Farber Cancer Institute involving more than 50 papers, including one co-authored by CEO and President Dr. Laurie Glimcher. The institute plans to retract six studies and correct 31 papers.

Harvard President Claudine Gay resigned on Jan. 2 following a slew of plagiarism allegations and her refusal to say if calls for genocide of Jews were in violation the university’s code of conduct during a Dec. 5 congressional hearing with the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Gay submitted corrections to some of her academic works on Dec. 15 involving “quotation marks and citations” and requested additional corrections on Dec. 21. The Harvard Corporation, the school’s highest governing body, did not make public statements on the matter until Dec. 12, despite being aware of the allegations in late October.

Harvard, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Shah did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

https://dailycaller.com/2024/02/01/harvard-med-school-professor-and-neuroscientist-accused-of-major-research-misconduct/