It is not unusual for a scientist to change institutions. Many do so several times in a career, as opportunities for expanded research, career advancement, and collaboration with prestigious colleagues present themselves. But a move of this magnitude is far from ordinary, as are the ramifications.
Whether it is the prominence of the players involved (Croce, among other honors, holds an National Institutes of Health Outstanding Investigator Award, is editor-in-chief of Cancer Research, and last month announced his discovery of a gene that may be a determining factor in lung cancer), the proximity of the two institutions, or, as Joseph Gonnella, senior vice president of academic affairs and dean of Jefferson Medical College suggests, "the personalities of the people involved," things have turned ugly. Allegations of underhandedness, obstruction of science, and outright lying abound, and it is difficult to find anyone objective about the situation. Worst of all, science appears ...
