The Scientist : NewsBlog Print: Conflicted psychiatrist leaves Emory
The Scientist: NewsBlog:
Conflicted psychiatrist leaves Emory
Posted by Bob Grant
[Entry posted at 2nd November 2009 03:31 PM GMT]

The Emory University psychiatry researcher who failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars in pharmaceutical company payouts while receiving millions of dollars in funding from the National Institutes of Health to study the company's anti-depressant drugs is leaving the university, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Charles Nemeroff, a renowned depression researcher, failed to disclose to Emory approximately $800,000 in payments he received from drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) while he was the principal investigator (PI) on a multi-million dollar grant from the NIH to study five GSK antidepressants. Amid an investigation conducted by Emory, Nemeroff stepped down from his position as chairman of the psychiatry department last October. Later that month, the psychiatrist stepped down as PI from the $9.3 million NIH grant as the Senate probed his failure to disclose income from GSK, and the NIH froze funding on the five-year grant.

Emory officials told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Nemeroff had not officially submitted his resignation as of last Friday (30th October), but that they were contacted by the institution that is hiring Nemeroff. They did not disclose what institution that was, but said that the university would issue an official announcement regarding Nemeroff's departure sometime today (2nd November). Ed Silverman over at the Pharmalot blog reported last week that the University of Miami's Miller School of Medicine would be Nemeroff's new home, citing "sources familiar with the school."


Related stories:
  • NIH to act on conflicts within 1 year
    [5th December 2008]
  • NIH $ frozen amid conflict probe
    [14th October 2008]
  • Emory psychiatrist steps down
    [6th October 2008]

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    Perhaps he suffers from Depression himself ?
    by Renton Innes

    [Comment posted 2009-11-04 20:16:11]
    I mean, everyone who has gone through a tough time or traumatic experience, or works hard to impress and ensure income with their field of expertise, things can get on top of you. we all have our high and low points of our exsistance, when compared to others expectations and roles, to impress each other. hmmm. luck ? or bad decisions ?! who's laughing now.



    Fits to the University of Miami
    by anonymous poster

    [Comment posted 2009-11-02 16:44:17]
    He will be successful at the University of Miami (UM). This is the kind of guy UM is looking for.



    This was not the worst problem
    by anonymous poster

    [Comment posted 2009-11-02 12:55:40]
    Contrary to some statements about Dr. Nemeroff, he is both intelligent and competent, and has made legitimate and untarnished contributions. That said, somewhere he has lost the good judgement or common sense that are necessary for leadership (and worse, appears not to understand the inherent issues). His worst conflict of interest violations were not the pharma payments -- at least twice there have been high profile cases where he published and failed to declare what any responsible person knew were CoIs. Shame on the University of Miami. It sounds like their former football recruiting ethos has worked its way upstairs.



    Nor Do They Care.
    by anonymous poster

    [Comment posted 2009-11-02 12:33:01]
    While the CEO of my former ?Big Pharma? corporation was not doing his job nor was his henchman; no instead the FDA stepped in and slapped their wrists (fined the corporation), not once but twice. Finally the FDA got serious and the end result was the CEO left the company to sit on the board of directors for a major personal products conglomerate and the henchman left to sit on the board at a major news organization on the east coast. Me, on the other hand, watched my career dissolve over the next two years partially due to the across the boards work force reduction in that company as a result of this. Worst part is that my division was not involved in the misbehavior and now I have been out of work for nearly 6 years.



    Renowned or Notorious?
    by anonymous poster

    [Comment posted 2009-11-02 12:24:31]
    "... renowned depression researcher"? Really? Quick -- somebody tell us what are his original contributions to the field that have stood up to scrutiny. He appears more like a notorious operator and impresario. He has been called Boss of Bosses and also the Tom DeLay of psychiatry.



    Researcher has no difficulty securing another cushy position
    by Cheryl Soehl

    [Comment posted 2009-11-02 12:05:42]
    What needs to be examined is the willingness of another institution to hire him in light of what is appears to be truly a complete moral and ethical lapse.

    Physician heal thyself, and academe do the same!!!!!

    The only thing that will stop moral decay is appropriate outrage and drawing a line in the sand to reject any and all justifications for supporting liars, cheats and miscreants. These are people's lives at stake, not some abstract scientific principle.

    Shame! Shame!



    Conflicted?
    by anonymous poster

    [Comment posted 2009-11-02 11:11:11]
    Seems a bit of an mis- or understatement. Conflicted is a term better suited to a patient - or victim of a forced choice between two equal valued alternatives.

    Crooked would be more apropos for someone in the position of power whose choice is between clearly good and clearly bad (or, have good and bad also been lost the ever-widening sea of rationalizations against judgment of even the most blatant violations of basic social norms or mores)?



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