According to these associates, Fredrickson's wife has played an active role in certain affairs of the $5 billion organization since Fredrickson became affiliated with the institute in 1983. She has attended numerous meetings of the trustees, was instrumental in the departure of an HHMI employee, pushed through a lavish plan to furnish her husband's offices at the institute's new home in Bethesda, and attended meetings on the Research Scholars Program, an HHMI-supported program that offers medical students a year of research experience in an NIH laboratory.
George Thorn, chairman of the institute and acting chief executive officer, refused to comment about whether Fredrickson's wife, Henrietta, played a role in his decision April 20 to take an indefinite leave of absence. According to a statement released by the institute, "the trustees are conducting a review of certain administrative activities in Bethesda during the past two years." Thorn said that a report ...
