FLICKR, FAUNGGAn investigation by The Cancer Letter reveals that the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center may have spent at least $1.5 million dollars on a project to remodel a suite of office and meeting spaces for Lynda Chin, chair of MD Anderson’s department of genomic medicine and scientific director of the new Institute for Applied Cancer Science (IACS). Chin is also the wife of Ronald DePinho, MD Anderson’s president.
MD Anderson disputes the report, saying that the office renovations cost $547,434 and that the higher figure of $1.5 million included lab equipment such as fume hoods and ventilation.
The Cancer Letter based its assertions on 680 pages of internal documents it obtained through the Texas Public Information Act. The purchases included a total of $210,000 worth of glass walls and doors to “provide a feeling of transparency,” according to the documents. It also includes two settees worth $7,754 and $6,961, two $5,000 credenzas, and other expensive furniture. The money came from MD Anderson’s capital project funds, which are “derived from investment income, philanthropy, and patient revenue,” according to an MD Anderson statement sent to The Cancer Letter.
The renovations were supposed to make the ...
