Re: Forged Signature on IRB Application Dragoo, M. Heather 13 Nov 2003 12:53 EST

I think there is value in having the department chair sign protocols if
that is the institution's policy. The faculty member definitely broke
the rules in this situation and should be reprimanded in some way. I
agree with Bill's suggestion about conditional approval based on the
department chair's ok. As well as a reprimanding letter to the faculty
member copied to the dean and/or provost. The faculty member should be
marked but shouldn't have to feel it forever (in this case). Or you
could force the faculty member to do a presentation on ethical
procedures in human subject research for his/her class, the department,
or school.....possibilities are endless here. Humiliation is a powerful
motivator.

Below is the process for IRB protocols at my institution:
We used to have the department sign off on faculty protocols, but the
IRB decided to remove that requirement. It is required at our
institution for all human subject research projects (faculty and
student) to seek IRB approval, not just the protocols with sponsored
support. All student protocols are required to have a faculty sponsor's
signature. The department chair is one of the people that signs off on
the internal grant approval form. So if a faculty member has sponsored
support and is conducting human subject research, the department chair
has already signed off on the grant proposal.

Heather Dragoo
Sponsored Research Office
University of Southern Indiana
8600 University Blvd.
Evansville, IN 47712
(812) 465-1126
xxxxxx@usi.edu
http://www.usi.edu/gr&res/ogsr.asp

-----Original Message-----
From: Stephen Erickson [mailto:xxxxxx@BC.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 9:41 AM
To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
Subject: Re: [RESADM-L] Forged Signature on IRB Application

I consur with others who have said this act of forgery cannot be
ignored. I don't know what your internal procedures are so it's
difficult to recommend specific actions. It seems to me that it's a hard
to make an ethical argument that some forgry is ok.

I would like to add another question to the discussion. If this act of
forgery were to be passed off as not being important enough toworry
about, then I think we have to ask what added value is there in having
the Department Chair sign the protocols. Personally, I think there is
significant value added, but others may disagree. For those who think
there is value in a Chair signing,  this act of forgery has both ethical
and practical implications. The Chair has a right to  know that his/her
signature has been forged --- and he/she has a responsibility to take
disciplinary action against the forger. I'm not sure Spanky's solution
of decapitation is a punishment that fits the crime -- but if the Chair
is aching to use a guillotine, so be it.

Stephen Erickson, Director
Office for Research Compliance and Intellectual Property Management
Boston College, LCOB 550
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Telephone:  617-552-3345
Office Fax:  617-552-6981
Fax to my computer: 413-895-8328

-----Original Message-----
From: Research Administration List [mailto:xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG] On
Behalf Of Barbara Gray
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2003 11:31 AM
To: xxxxxx@HRINET.ORG
Subject: [RESADM-L] Forged Signature on IRB Application

Compliance/IRB staffers out there, how would you deal with this
situation?

We require department chairs to sign off on human subject applications.
A faculty member is in a rush to have an human subject protocol approved
(under expedited criteria) for a very innocuous procedure--virtually no
risk at all except it is a phyical measurement that does not fit within
exemption criteria.  (Note that the project involves students who will
be collecting the data as part of a class assignment.)  She indicates
she'll just sign for her chair, we indicate that she can't do that, and,
lo and behold, the signature page comes in a couple of days later with
the chair's signature forged.

Would you take this to her chair?  Her dean?  The provost?  Would you
prohibit her from implementing the protocol (which will impact the
students in her class)?  Would you bar her from doing human subject
research for a period of time?  Is this "misconduct" that should be
referred for handling through ORI regs?  (note that we've made our
misconduct policy applicable to all research and scholarship, not just
that funded externally or by the Feds.)  Personally, I find the faculty
member's action offensive and unethical (if not downright illegal)--if
she will do this on an application, might she do the same someday on a
consent form??  But, in the big scheme of things, is this worth going to
the mat on?  After all, it's only falsification of an internal
signature, not scientific data....

Thanks.

-- ==================================================================
Barbara H. Gray, Director
Office of Research & Grants Administration
College of Charleston
66 George Street
Charleston, SC  29424
Campus Location:  407-G Bell Bldg.
Office: 843.953.5673  Desk: 843.953.5885  Fax:  843.953.6577
e-mail:  xxxxxx@cofc.edu   URL: http://www.orga.cofc.edu/
==================================================================

======================================================================
 Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including
subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available
via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists")
======================================================================

======================================================================
 Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including
 subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available
 via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists")
======================================================================

======================================================================
 Instructions on how to use the RESADM-L Mailing List, including
 subscription information and a web-searchable archive, are available
 via our web site at http://www.hrinet.org (click on "Listserv Lists")
======================================================================