Memorial University to re-examine Chandra case

The president of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador says the institution will re-examine how it responded to allegations that one of its former professors used fraudulent research.

The university has been reacting to a CBC series about the former professor, called The Secret Life of Dr. Ranjit Chandra, which ran on The National three nights last week.

• FROM THE NATIONAL: The Secret Life of Dr. Chandra

Chandra published numerous papers about baby formula and vitamins, but in the early 1990s people started raising questions about his research.

Some people who worked with Chandra alleged he did not do the research he claimed he had done.

When asked to provide his data, Chandra said it was lost.

The CBC series raised questions about how Memorial responded to allegations that Chandra's work was fraudulent.

Memorial said it feels unfairly portrayed in how it handled the issue, however, university president Axel Meisen says the series has prompted him to re-examine the case.

"We did act and we did react after the major report was released," said Meisen.

"Was it sufficient? In today's context, I would say probably not. Could you have done more at the time? That was a judgment call. I wasn't there. If it had happened today, I would have done a number of other things. I'm saying that I would have acted differently."

Meisen said the university will review new information regarding Chandra's case and then decide what action it will take next.

Chandra – whose nutritional research attracted international media attention – retired from Memorial University three years ago, and now lives in India and Switzerland.