Class Journal Week 6
Contents
John Nimmers-Minor's Responses
Biological Databases
Jnimmers
Assignment Table
- Were you aware of this case of research fraud before viewing this video?
- A. Before watching this video, I had never heard of this case of research fraud.
- What are your initial reactions to hearing about this case?
- A. I was honestly disgusted to hear about this case. Knowing that multiple people unnecessarily lost their lives while trusting in a fraudulent promise was heartbreaking and upsetting to hear about, especially since the doctor who created this research scandal went relatively unscathed in terms of punishment (legally). On top of that, he is still able to work as a doctor is some fashion, which is pretty disgusting to think about.
- What role did data sharing play in uncovering this fraud?
- A. The sharing of the data on the research experiment allowed for Paul Goldberg and his anonymous tip to uncover the lies that Dr. Potti created pertaining to his Rhodes scholarship. This lie caused for a deeper re-investigation into Potti's research by the labs of Duke University, thus allowing them to find the glaring mistakes/inconsistencies in Potti's research and results.
- What additional information would you like to know about this case? (We will be visiting it again in subsequent weeks in the course.)
- A. What was Potti's methodology when it came to this experiment and why was no one working alongside him throughout the course of this experiment in order to verify/disprove this as it happened? Alternatively, if he was working with others in others in this experiment, did they know about his fraud and assist him in covering it up?
- Please feel free to respond or comment on your classmates' reflections.
Jnimmers (talk) 16:36, 6 October 2019 (PDT)
Ivy Macaraeg's Response
- Were you aware of this case of research fraud before viewing this video?
- I was not aware of this case before viewing the video.
- What are your initial reactions to hearing about this case?
- My initial reaction to hearing about this case was that I was appalled. As a scientist, especially as a medical doctor, I think that it is shameful and wrong to want to use people's illness or disability for personal gain. A doctor is supposed to help others, but Dr. Potti and whoever was involved did the opposite.
- What role did data sharing play in uncovering this fraud?
- Data sharing played a crucial role in uncovering this fraud. Without the technology and those who took the time to go through it, this may have never been uncovered.
- What additional information would you like to know about this case?
- I would like to know if anyone else was collaborating with Potti, knowing that it was as fraud. Even if he was smart enough to do it on his own, I would like to know how else someone may have helped him.
Imacarae (talk) 18:01, 6 October 2019 (PDT) Imacarae's User Page
Aby Mesfin's Response
Were you aware of this case of research fraud before viewing this video?
While I was aware that such forms of fraud were possible, I had never heard of a case that had such big legal and ethical ramifications.
What are your initial reactions to hearing about this case?
The case made me somewhat concerned about the credibility of scientific community. It's worrisome to know that certain researchers are willing to fabricate data in such a way that would endanger the lives of so many people, and the mass coverage of this fraud could weaken the credibility of science as an institution in the public's eye.
What role did data sharing play in uncovering this fraud?
After intensely studying the data that Dr. Potti was producing in his lab, Kevin Coombs and Keith Baggerly were able to find the flaws in results of Dr. Potti's experiment.
What additional information would you like to know about this case?
I am very curious to hear Dr. Potti speak on behalf of his actions just to have a better understanding of his mindset and intentions in this fraud.
Naomi Tesfaiohannes's Responses
Were you aware of this case of research fraud before viewing this video?
I was not aware of this case of research fraud before viewing this video. Similar fraud stories have been brought up to me in regards to medical professionals not being 100% truthful with their work in medicine.
What are your initial reactions to hearing about this case?
Its unfortunate to say the least. People who are desperate for medical miracles are given hope in their times of trouble which understandably gets them excited when a professional in the field that they need assistance in is informing them that there is a possible cure that can save their life. Their vulnerability is taken advantage of as well as their eagerness for speedy medical treatment.
What role did data sharing play in uncovering this fraud?
It allowed for the issue in this treatment to be detected. Data sharing between multiple sources allowed for an understanding of why these negative changes are occurring and where it is occurring. This led to the catching of the issue.
What additional information would you like to know about this case? (We will be visiting it again in subsequent weeks in the course.)
I would like to hear more stories from patients that went through this case. Were there any people that got the slightest bit better? How many casualties? How did Duke address the situation in whole? Who worked with the doctor? What does the doctor have to say about this situation?
Ntesfaio (talk) 10:32, 7 October 2019 (PDT) Bio DB Home page
Ntesfaio Final Individual Reflection
Christina Dominguez's Response
1. Were you aware of this case of research fraud before viewing this video?
I was not aware of this case before the video.
2. What are your initial reactions to hearing about this case?
I was very shocked when I first saw the video. It was both shocking and sad to see how many people this “research” effected before the truth was uncovered. It is also surprising how long it took before he was caught allowing real people suffering from cancer to be conned by him.
3. What role did data sharing play in uncovering this fraud?
Data sharing allowed for professionals to view and analyze the data in order to realize that it had been manipulated. This is essential to the process of new and innovative research, such as in this case, in order for frauds like this to be uncovered. Without data sharing, he could have gone on much longer scamming people and being praised for a discovery he did not make.
4. What additional information would you like to know about this case?
I want to know more about how the initial data evaluation missed the manipulation of numbers. They used his data to run the tests so there was no visible problem, but I would like to know why that initial evaluation used his data to begin with and could not do what the second outside company did.
