Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, the first Korean-American to serve as dean of an Ivy League medical school, is embroiled in a controversy over allegations of research fabrication.
The controversy surfaced after PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) filed a lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2021, urging the agency to suspend its research funding and sent a letter to the federal Department of Health and Human Services to request an investigation.
PETA recently dispatched a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP), alleging that at least four of Choi’s sepsis studies in mice were manipulated due to inaccurate data, as stated by the organization.
Dr. Choi served as the dean of Cornell University’s medical school from 2017 to 2022.
PETA’s letter urges Dr. Choi to cease using inaccurate data as the foundation for clinical trials and to halt conducting them. PETA highlighted that nine of Dr. Choi’s sepsis research papers have been retracted since 2002, including one withdrawal from a journal. These retractions were grounded on findings that Dr. Choi reused data from prior experiments and replicated images from other publications.
PETA’s correspondence requests that Dr. Choi be prohibited from conducting clinical trials and using flawed data as a basis for such trials. It notes that, since 2002, nine of Dr. Choi’s sepsis research papers have been retracted, with one being withdrawn from a journal. The retractions were based on the discovery that Dr. Choi repurposed data from earlier experiments and duplicated images from other sources.
Katherine Roe, chief scientist in PETA’s Laboratory Investigations Department, stated, “We’re writing to the Office for Human Research Protections because we hope they will investigate [Choi’s allegations] and ensure that participants in his clinical trial are safe and have the most accurate information about the preclinical work so they can provide informed consent.”
The Office of Human Research Protections, the recipient of PETA’s letter, is tasked with ensuring researchers comply with federal policies and identifying any misconduct.
PETA’s appeal for an investigation into Choi is tied to a lawsuit the organization filed against the NIH in 2021 concerning funding for sepsis experiments.
PETA contended that the NIH continued to support Choi’s research with nearly $77 million in taxpayer funds, even after a paper was retracted.
Dr. Choi’s purported manipulation of research results has also stirred debate in the medical community. On Pub Peer, a platform for medical researchers to discuss various papers, there have been discussions about Dr. Choi’s publications and accusations of research manipulation.
Dr. Choi has remained silent on the controversy. The Korea Daily reached out to Dr. Choi for a comment on the allegations but has not received a response.
The Cornell Daily Sun reported that if the Office for Human Research Protections investigates Choi’s alleged misconduct as requested by PETA and confirms the allegations, Choi could face severe consequences. Misconduct such as falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism in federally-funded research can lead to federal criminal charges, including fines, government funding bans, and imprisonment.
The Cornell Office of Research Integrity and Assurance (ORIA) conducted a probe in 2020 and exonerated Dr. Choi of any wrongdoing. However, ORIA has not issued a statement on the recent allegations and controversy.
Roe added, “University-based investigations are not as thorough as those by the Office of Research Integrity within the NIH. That’s why we’re appealing to them and not Cornell, as the university has already conducted its review and found no issues.”
Dr. Augustine M.K. Choi, a 1.5-generation Korean American, immigrated with his family during middle school. He is a distinguished medical scientist with education from the University of Louisville School of Medicine and professorships at Johns Hopkins, Yale, and Harvard Medical Schools.
BY YEOL JANG, JUNHAN PARK [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
