Report on Research Compliance 17, no. 7 (July 2020):

In the first six months of this year, NIH removed 24 individuals from its peer review panels, and at least 14 researchers lost their status as principal investigators (PIs) on awards, due to allegations or findings related to sexual harassment and other misconduct such as bullying and creating an unsafe research environment.

But the numbers could potentially be higher, because NIH is encountering resistance from institutions that insist a sanctioned investigator can still be a PI. In fact, some are essentially telling NIH their actions are sufficient and to “leave us alone,” according to Carrie Wolinetz, one of the top NIH officials charged with rooting out sexual and other types of harassment among NIH awardee institutions.
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Wolinetz made her comments as part of an update from the Working Group on Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment, which she co-chairs, on NIH’s efforts since December to implement the groups’ recommendations.^[1](See related story for working group member Angela Rasmussen’s reactions to NIH’s “slow” progress and her thoughts on other efforts it needs to undertake.)^{[2] .}

1 NIH, “Update on the ACD Working Group on Changing the Culture to End Sexual Harassment,” virtual meeting, June 12, 2020, https://bit.ly/37S5ntB.
2 Theresa Defino, “To Stop Protection of Harassers, NIH ‘Must Sanction Institutions,’” Report on Research Compliance 17, no. 7 (July 2020).

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