The former Army surgeon at the heart of a scandal over allegedly falsified research gave a lecture last December on “ethical business practices.” Copies of slides used in the Dec. 13 presentation by surgeon Timothy Kuklo were included in a packet of information sent by Washington University to U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. Kuklo started at the university in August 2006 and is currently on paid leave. The university says Kuklo failed to inform it of his financial relationship with Medtronic in 2007 when he was conducting research on one of the company’s big-selling spine products, the WSJ is reporting this afternoon . Kuklo has not responded to calls for comment. The Army, meanwhile, says

Kuklo falsified data in a study published last year on the use of Medtronic’s Infuse bone-growth product in injured soldiers. The December presentation on ethics was given in Chicago, but the slides do not indicate who was being lectured to. Also, many of the slides are hard to read. One slide titled “Importance of Ethical Business Practices,” indicates that “trust is fundamental to the doctor-patient relationship” and that “conflict of interest concerns will erode this foundation.” Another slide includes the recommendations “avoid unethical conflicts of interest” and “avoid the perception of problematic COI.” Photo courtesy of Washington University

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Doctor Accused of Falsifying Studies Gave Ethics Talk