In a recent blow to Harvard University’s academic standing, a prominent neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School has come under fire for alleged data falsification and image plagiarism in 21 research papers.
Khalid Shah, the vice chair of research in the neurosurgery department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is facing these accusations, further tarnishing the reputation of the prestigious institution, as reported by the Washington Examiner.
The allegations against Shah, as outlined by The Harvard Crimson, suggest that he manipulated data and used plagiarized images in multiple research papers spanning from 2001 to 2023. Elisabeth M. Bik, an expert in data manipulation, conducted an analysis that identified 44 instances of data falsification in Shah’s work.
Upon a review requested by The Crimson, Matthew S. Schrag, an assistant professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Mike Rossner, the president of Image Data Integrity, acknowledged the validity of the allegations and raised concerns regarding the integrity of the papers.
Bik’s analysis revealed that images from seven papers used by Shah in a 2022 article were not properly credited to their original source. Schrag emphasized that these images weren’t simply copied from a vendor catalog but had been manipulated, making the situation even more complex. He noted, “This is a really unusual sort of thing that I cannot imagine how this happens by accident.”
One example highlighted by Schrag pertains to a 2001 study where Shah served as the primary author. The manipulation in this study, according to Schrag, appears to have been intended to alter the study’s findings, casting doubt on the credibility of Shah’s research.
Shah’s case joins a growing list of alleged misconduct involving Harvard researchers, raising concerns about the university’s commitment to upholding academic integrity. The institution has faced scrutiny in the past, notably during the tenure of former university President Claudine Gay, when widespread plagiarism concerns emerged. All investigations into misconduct have been initiated by external entities.
In a separate development earlier this week, Harvard’s chief diversity and inclusion officer, Sherri Ann Charleston, faced accusations of plagiarism, as reported by The Washington Free Beacon.
An anonymous complaint filed against Charleston alleged that she had engaged in plagiarism on at least 40 occasions throughout her academic career. The complaint pointed to extensive sections of unattributed content in her 2009 dissertation and identified a peer-reviewed journal article coauthored with her husband, LaVar Charleston, which presented old research as new.
Additionally, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, one of Harvard’s affiliated teaching hospitals, is currently under scrutiny for data falsification, as reported by The Crimson. An investigation led to the retraction of six papers and the issuance of corrections for 31 papers authored by four Harvard researchers associated with the institute.
