Dr. Scott Reuben, an anesthesiologist at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, 
is being labeled “a medical Madoff” after an investigation by the hospital found that 21 of his published papers were fraudulent. Anesthesiology News, which first reported on the story, called Reuben’s apparent misdeeds “one of the largest known cases of academic misconduct.” So be careful if you’re headed into surgery over the next few days—the doctor putting you under may be a little on edge.
Reuben had been on leave from Baystate since last May, when colleagues began to suspect the validity of his work. The hospital’s investigation found issues that read like a checklist of academic fraud: studies in which the data was partially or entirely fabricated, even a case of forging a signature to add a co-author to a paper.
The investigation has been a nightmare for anesthesiologists, as Reuben was extremely influential in the field of postoperative pain management. In particular, his now-discredited work encouraged doctors to switch to a newer generation of medicines known as COX2 inhibitors.
The scandal has placed even more suspicion on the ties between medical research and drug companies. Reuben was a member of Pfizer’s speakers bureau, and his results were “consistently favorable to the drugs he studied,” according to editors of Anesthesia and Analgesia quoted in Scientific American. The COX2 inhibitors he vouched for include Pfizer-produced Celebrex as well as Merck’s Vioxx.
Once the smoke clears from this particular incident, researchers in all fields should be vigilant in investigating any studies which appear questionable. It’s unfortunate, but this case shows that scientists should harbor suspicion of each other’s work. Otherwise, fraud or misconduct could overrun an entire area of study.
Below the fold: MGH customizes cancer treatment using genetic testing (Globe), MIT develops quick-recharge electric car batteries (New Scientist, Discover), Harvard neurobiologist has awesome pics of a fish's nervous system (Discover).
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