On the heels of a $112.5 million settlement with the federal government over allegations of misconduct in NIH and Environmental Protection Agency-supported research, Duke University expects to receive recommendations this summer from an advisory panel for more steps it can take with the goal of “improving the structure and function of research administration, with a focus on promoting research.”

Recommendations are due in June from the panel, chaired by Ann Arvin, former Stanford University vice provost and dean of research, and current professor of pediatrics and of microbiology.

Creation of the panel is just one of a “new set of activities that will further strengthen the quality and integrity of research conducted across campus,” Duke officials said March 25, coinciding with the Department of Justice’s announcement of the settlement. The settlement resolves a whistleblower or qui tam suit filed by a former Duke researcher ("Duke’s $112M False Claims Act Case: A Tale of Fraud,Fabrication and Two Brothers," RRC 16, no.5).