Seems like prestigious titles and fancy credentials aren’t enough to stop misconduct in the medical world.
At a glance:
- Dr. Sam Yoon, chief of Columbia’s cancer surgery division, had five research articles retracted this week due to suspicious data manipulation.
- Over a dozen studies from Dr. Yoon’s lab have now been retracted, raising concerns about Columbia’s oversight of research practices.
- Yoon’s collaborator, Changhwan Yoon, who was involved in the misconduct, has since left Columbia University.
Dr. Sam Yoon, a prominent cancer surgeon at Columbia University, saw five of his research studies retracted this week over allegations of image manipulation and data discrepancies. These retractions are just the latest in a string of studies pulled from publication, adding to over a dozen that have been questioned since February.
The suspicious studies, led by Dr. Yoon and a junior collaborator, Changhwan Yoon (no relation), were found to have duplicated images from different experiments to falsify data. The misconduct was uncovered by a British scientific investigator, Sholto David, who has revealed numerous inconsistencies in their work. Despite the mounting evidence of research misconduct, Columbia has remained relatively quiet, providing little information on what actions—if any—have been taken against Dr. Yoon.
The retractions have tarnished the reputation of Columbia’s surgical oncology department, where Dr. Yoon holds key leadership positions. As questions continue to swirl around Dr. Yoon’s integrity as a researcher, Columbia’s reluctance to address the issue has only fueled criticism of the university’s handling of the scandal.
