Cornell Medical Center use of NIH grant questioned

The focus on doubtful academic research practices continues at The Wall Street Journal, where allegations of impropriety surround a $23 million NIH grant for the study of children's illnesses. The paper examines a lawsuit against Cornell Medical School filed by patient advocate Kyriakie Sarafoglou, who charges the university diverted taxpayer funds intended for research to other programs, including those at affiliate New York Presbyterian Hospital. Observers see a general trend toward "creative uses" of grant money. A poll finds 50 percent of researchers admit they have applied funds to projects other than those they were earmarked for. Recent cases in which prominent academic research institutions have been found to have misused grant money are also examined.

- see this story from The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)