TEXAS VIEW: Restore trust in cancer institute
THE POINT — Resignations of 33 researchers should bring focus back to what is needed.
"The resignations of 33 scientific peer reviewers — charged with establishing the scientific veracity of cancer research proposals submitted for funding — have put CPRIT's credibility in serious doubt. Problems apparently persist despite pledges by the institute's leaders to fix them. Perry and CPRIT executive director Bill Gimson must work quickly to restore public trust and remove any hint of scandal.
The cancer institute was supposed to bring prestige and establish Texas at the scientific forefront in the fight against cancer. The $3 billion bond created the nation's second-largest pool of cancer research funding, of which nearly $700 million has been dispensed since 2009.
.............
Perry could have made a similar pledge in his address to the meeting but, instead, skirted the controversy entirely while openly backing CPRIT's embattled chairman, James Mansour. The scientific journal Nature has called on Perry to clean house at the top and remove Mansour.
A state audit is looming. State legislators are watching closely, possibly with an eye toward imposing their own adjustments. Perry should act to head off their intervention by taking positive steps to right CPRIT's course, instead of acting as if the problems don't exist."
No comments:
Post a Comment