Columbia Surgery Prof Fake Data Update . . . (yes, he’s still being promoted on the university webpage)

Someone pointed me to this news article with the delightful url, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/16/science/sam-yoon-columbia-cancer-surgeon-5-more-retractions.html:

Columbia Cancer Surgeon Notches 5 More Retractions for Suspicious Data

The chief of a cancer surgery division at Columbia University this week had five research articles retracted and a sixth tagged with an editor’s note . . . With the latest retractions, the Columbia lab, led by Dr. Sam Yoon, has had more than a dozen studies pulled over suspicious results . . .

The retracted studies were among 26 articles by Dr. Yoon and a more junior collaborator that a scientific sleuth in Britain, Sholto David, revealed had presented images from one experiment as data from another, a tactic that can be used to massage or falsify the results of studies. . . .

The university declined to comment on the retractions. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where Dr. Yoon worked when much of the questionable research was done, also declined to comment, saying only that it reviews such cases.

Dr. Yoon did not answer emailed questions . . .

A Columbia-affiliated state psychiatric institute has also lately faced questions about its oversight of research studies. During a clinical trial at the institute that began in 2019, a participant died by suicide. Federal regulators later suspended research on human subjects at the institute. . . .

Enough about Columbia. How about the society that published those papers that had to be retracted?

The Columbia cancer lab’s latest retractions came from two medical journals — Cancer Research and Clinical Cancer Research — published by the American Association for Cancer Research. Dr. David first alerted the association to his concerns about research from Dr. Yoon’s group a year ago. . . .

The association draws nearly a quarter of its roughly $84 million in annual revenue from its publications, which make money from article processing fees and subscriptions. . . .

Christine Battle, the publisher and vice president of scientific publications at the cancer research association, said the organization “follows best practices among scientific, technical, and medical journals regarding article corrections and retractions.”

“Best practices,” huh? I wonder what these best practices are?

In several cases, the cancer research association has bestowed awards upon scientists who faced accusations of research misconduct or chosen such scientists to edit its medical journals.

Dayum. That’s as bad as the American Statistical Association and the American Political Science Association giving major awards to plagiarists (stories here and here) and then refusing to retract those awards.

And, to return to the American Association for Cancer Research:

In 2020, Dr. Yoon himself was featured on the American Association for Cancer Research website upon being named a principal scientist on a stomach cancer initiative. The initiative was led in part by Sandra Ryeom, now an associate professor of surgical sciences at Columbia, who, as of 2021, was married to Dr. Yoon, according to mortgage documents.

Dr. Ryeom, who did not respond to emailed questions, was an author on three of the studies retracted this week.

That’s terrible. Cancer research is important! I know people who’ve died of cancer. Entrusting cancer research to fakers . . . that’s ain’t right.

OK, back to Columbia. Last time we reported on this scandal (“‘A Columbia Surgeon’s Study Was Pulled. He Kept Publishing Flawed Data.’ . . . and it appears that he’s still at Columbia!”, we found that Columbia hadn’t done anything about this guy!

We get emails from the Columbia administration all the time, no surprise given that we’ve had more presidents recently than there were Roman emperors in the year 69 AD. Ok, not really, but close. Seriously, though, lots of great stuff gets done at Columbia—world-class teaching, research, and service. It’s good they keep us informed of some of that. But I wouldn’t mind if they were also to issue the occasional apology. Do we really have to wait until the news hits the New York Times before we hear about it? Because I’d never heard of S. Sunghyun Yoon, before his fake data problems were featured in the newspaper earlier this year.

Let’s see how Columbia’s doing now? A natural start is to google *sam yoon columbia*, and here’s the first hit:

Dr. S. Sunghyun Yoon is the Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology and Vice-Chair of Surgical Oncology Research and Education in the Department of Surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC).

Dr. Yoon is a national and international expert in the treatment of patients with sarcomas and other soft tissue tumors, gastric (stomach) and gastroesophageal cancers, gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and melanoma. He also has over 18 years of experience in the treatment of other gastrointestinal and abdominal tumors, hepatobiliary tumors, neuroendocrine/adrenal tumors, lymphomas, and spleen tumors. . . .

Can you imagine, you come to this guy with cancer of the spleen and he might be pushing some unproven treatment supported by faked evidence? Scary.

Also this:

His laboratory has been funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute for 18 years and strives to translate new research discoveries into the clinic. Dr. Yoon is also part of multi-institution research groups funded by Stand Up To Cancer and the DeGregorio Family Foundation to discover early diagnostics and new therapies for gastric cancer. His clinical and research efforts have led to over 150 original research articles, book chapters, and reviews.

Funded for 18 years, huh? I wonder if he’ll have to return some of that funding. I suspect that duplication of images violates the conditions of the grants. If I were working at NIH/NIC or Stand Up To Cancer or the DeGregorio Family Foundation, I’d be pissed right now. Hell, I’m already pissed and I don’t even work at these places. Your tax dollars and donor funds went to research misconduct.

There’s also the doctor’s personal home page, which features some “Recent News”:

Dude! You’re missing some news. You’ve been featured in the freakin New York Times—don’t you want to mention that on your publicity page? I mean, sure, “The Hidden Benefits of Golf”—I get it, you’re trawling for rich patients who can afford your care, fair enough, we charge high tuition at Columbia too, so go for it:

Golf is more than just a leisurely pastime—it’s a sport that offers a range of hidden benefits, from physical fitness and mental health improvements to strengthened social bonds and community involvement. Whether you’re looking to boost cardiovascular health, sharpen your mind, or deepen relationships with friends and colleagues, golf provides a well-rounded approach to personal wellbeing. Its accessibility across ages and skill levels, combined with the social and community aspects, makes golf a valuable addition to a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. For those seeking a blend of physical activity, mental engagement, and social connection, golf delivers all these benefits and more on the green.

Also, yeah, Columbia is still “proud to announce that S. Sunghyun Yoon, MD, has joined the Department of Surgery, where he will serve as chief of the newly-created Division of Surgical Oncology and Vice-Chair of Surgical Oncology Research and Education for the department.” Actually, they used to be “proud to announce that Sam Yoon” etc etc but for some reason they decided to list him under a slightly different name. Funny, huh?

Columbia created a new Surgical Oncology Division for this guy! What do they think this is, UNR?

Just for laffs

I followed the link to Columbia Surgery which led to this page, then I scrolled down to find this:

You’re probably curious so here’s a link to the full story, “Columbia/NewYork-Presbyterian Among the Best Hospitals in the Nation, per U.S. News and World Report.”

Columbia’s advertising their U.S. News ranking? Are you effing kidding?

Sorry for the profanity here, but I work here. This really does piss me off.

Again, Columbia does so much good stuff. Why do they have to do to get unstuck from the mire of medical research fraud, fake U.S. News data, and so forth?

The good news is that the current president of Columbia comes from our medical school and I’ve heard is highly regarded there. I imagine she must be furious about this science misconduct too—I don’t know her opinion on the U.S. News thing, I guess it’s no longer high priority for the administration because there haven’t been any major media stories on it lately—so I do have some hopes they can clean this up. And be better prepared for future cases of research fraud as they arise.