PIXABAY, DEBORABALVESThe swath of destruction caused by the alleged misconduct and fraud of surgeon Paolo Macchiarini continues to widen, as an independent panel reviews his case. In a report released last week (August 31), investigators commissioned by the Karolinska University Hospital—where Macchiarini used to work—stated that both the hospital and the Karolinska Institute (KI) failed to heed warning signs that the artificial organ researcher’s skill and professionalism was not up to par with the reputation he had cultivated in the popular press.
“Macchiarini was recruited as a senior physician at the hospital even though there were strongly critical opinions from his previous employers,” the investigators wrote. “Group thinking, bandwagon effects, a very competitive care environment, many informal leaders and deficient knowledge of and respect for rules are some of the factors that may have contributed to the course of events.”
Two KI officials are suffering backlash from the Macchiarini case. Anders Hamsten, who had already resigned from the institute’s vice-chancellor position over his role in hiring Macchiarini, and Harriet Wallberg, who was president of KI when the surgeon was hired, were both dismissed from the panel that awards Nobel Prizes for Medicine, according to The Guardian. In addition, Wallberg was fired from her post as the chancellor ...
