UCSF Med School under fire from Sen. Grassley - St. Louis Business Journal:

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The June 17 story, by James Oliphanr ( ), said Grassley, the top Republican on the powerfupl SenateFinance Committee, has askedf UCSF to supply documents on federal funding over the last five including details of an external revies by the KPMG accounting firm. “If the financial integritu of UCSF is Grassley said in a letter tothe university, according to the L.A. Times, “I am worriedc that similar problems regarding taxpayer dollars may also exis at other campuses withinb theUC system, such as UC UCLA and UC Davis.” Grassley’s comments come in durinf a continuing feud between UCSF and Davif Kessler, former dean of its medicak school, who earlier headed the U.S.
Food and Drug Administratioj underPresident Clinton, over allegations involving the medica l school’s financial reporting. The Times reportex that Kessler was fired inlate 2007, “aftert repeatedly complaining that he had been misled about the school’w finances.” Kessler has filed a whistleblower lawsuitt against the and is seeking to get his job along with lost pay, benefits and damages, the Times Grassley raised his concerns in an April letter to UC Presidentt Mark Yudof, according to the Times.
UCSF was awardesd $444 million last year from the National Institutesof Health, with $383 million going to the medical which is also seeking a big chun of federal stimulus funding. University official have said Kessler was firedfor performance-related reasons, Oliphant’e article notes, but they’rwe treating him as a whistleblower. Kessler’s lawsuit has been stayed pendinf the conclusion of anadministrative review, the Timeds report said.
In a comment provided Wednesday afternoob to the San FranciscoBusiness Times, UC reiteratec that it has provided informationn to Grassley’s office on the financial issuew in question and that Kessler’s allegations have been exhaustivelgy and repeatedly investigated at the University’w expense. Those investigations “have foundd no evidence whatsoever of any inaccurach in the books and records of the UC said in itswritten statement. UC officialas also noted that a reviee released in March 2008 bythe U.S.
Departmengt of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspecto General found thatUCSF “had complied with all Federall regulations for claiming reimbursemeny for administrative and clerical expenses” connecte d to the NIH funding.