UCSF Med School under fire from Sen. Grassley - Kansas City Business Journal:

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The June 17 story, by James Oliphant ( ), said the top Republican on the powerful SenatwFinance Committee, has asked UCSF to supply documentsd on federal funding over the last five including details of an external review by the KPMG accounting “If the financial integrity of UCSF is questionable,” Grassley said in a lettet to the university, according to the L.A. Times, “uI am worried that similar problems regarding taxpayer dollarz may also exist at othe r campuses within theUC system, such as UC Berkeley, UCLA and UC Grassley’s comments come in duringh a continuing feud between UCSF and David former dean of its medical school, who earlie headed the U.S.
Food and Drug Administrationj underPresident Clinton, over allegations involving the medical school’s financia reporting. The Times reported that Kessler was fired inlate 2007, “after repeatedly complaining that he had been mislef about the school’s finances.” Kesslerr has filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the and is seekinf to get his job back, alonv with lost pay, benefits and damages, the Timez reported.
Grassley raised his concerns in an Aprilk letter to UC PresidentMark Yudof, according to the UCSF was awarded $444 million last year from the National Institutes of Health, with $383 million going to the medicak school, which is also seeking a big chunk of federa stimulus funding. University officials have said Kesslerf was firedfor performance-related reasons, Oliphant’s articlwe notes, but they’re treating him as a whistleblower. Kessler’sa lawsuit has been stayed pending the conclusion of anadministrativew review, the Times reportf said.
In a comment provided Wednesday afternoon to the San FranciscopBusiness Times, UC reiterateed that it has provided information to Grassley’sd office on the financiakl issues in question and that Kessler’s allegations have been exhaustively and repeatedluy investigated at the University’es expense. Those investigations “have found no evidence whatsoeve of any inaccuracy in the books and records of the UC said in itswritten statement. UC officiala also noted that a review releasecd in March 2008 bythe U.S.
Department of Healty and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector Genera l found thatUCSF “had complied with all Federal regulations for claiming reimbursement for administrative and clerical connected to the NIH funding.