UNSW launches misconduct probe

A senior immunologist and kidney specialist has been accused of committing serious scientific misconduct and misspending public funds from the National Health and Medical Research Council.

The scientist, Prof Bruce Hall, declined to respond to these allegations.

"Just before Christmas last year we received complaints that were related to scientific fraud and we mentioned it to the university," a spokesperson from the NHMRC, who wished to remain nameless, told Australian Biotechnology News. At the same time, complaints had been made to the university and Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

"The claims of misconduct related to changing authorship on scientific papers," she said.

UNSW vice-chancellor, Prof John Niland, said that the University is investigating allegations of "a most serious professional nature" against Hall.

The allegations are, Hall inappropriately named his wife, Dr Suzanne Hodgkinson as a co-inventor on a patent, has mismanaged grant funds, is guilty of scientific misconduct and scientific fraud, has wrongly included and deleted names of individuals as co-authors on published abstracts and manuscripts and that his behaviour in the workplace is inappropriate and amounts to bullying.

ABC Radio National's Science Show, broadcast on Saturday April 13, interviewed the three researchers working under Hall at the UNSW - Dr Clara He, Juchuan Chen and Hong Ha who reported these allegations. The three have provided detailed allegations about Hall's behaviour to the university and South West Sydney Area Health service.

"It was a shock to hear the allegations made against Prof Bruce Hall (on the radio) as he is an esteemed scientist," said the NHMRC spokesperson.

Dr He, a senior scientist working under Hall in his Liverpool Hospital transplant laboratories, said that Hall transferred $46,000 research grant money out of her research account without her knowledge.

"I never been consulted, never been told anything until a few months later I heard from somebody else," Dr He said on the ABC radio report.

A UNSW spokesperson told Australian Biotechnology News that the university made the decision to freeze the NHMRC grant involving Hall, in the interim, until the investigation is complete.

The protocol outlined in the Joint Statement and Guidelines from the NHMRC and Australian Vice Chancellors Committee states that the NHMRC cannot halt funding without a formal investigation.

"We can't freeze the funding until we are reasonably satisfied that the allegation is proven.

This stops researchers from making outrageous allegations and interfering with scientific funding" said the NHMRC spokesperson.