Six of the eight investigators at the federal Office of Research Integrity have intimated in a letter that they may leave their posts, jeopardizing the oversight of billions of dollars in research grants to universities and other institutions, according to The Washington Post.
With three-fourths of the agency potentially leaving, federal efforts to identify data manipulation and other misconduct by laboratory researchers could be severely hampered.
The potential exodus ORI apparently stems from conflicts regarding Kathryn M. Partin's appointment as head of the office, which had previously been without a permanent director for two years, according to the report. Ms. Partin and her staff members immediately began to feud. One particular conflict related to Ms. Partin's suggestion that investigators spend more time examining allegations of plagiarism, which had previously not captured much attention, John Dahlberg, who retired as a deputy director of ORI in 2015, told The Washington Post.
From there, the tension swelled into a continuing personality clash that pits Ms. Partin against the investigative staffers.
"She doesn't like for anyone to tell her that they disagree with her," said one person in the office, who chose to remain anonymous, according to the report. "We're not angry. We're afraid."
In a letter to Karen B. DeSalvo, who serves as acting assistant secretary for HHS, the six investigators wrote, "We need your help. We request that [your office's] leadership investigate the situation . . . before there is further deterioration of staff morale and all or most of the investigators need to be painstakingly replaced."