Psychiatrist sanctioned for industry ties

ATLANTA, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A prominent psychiatrist has been punished by Emory University in Atlanta for failing to report thousands of dollars in fees from a pharmaceutical company.

Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff was stripped of his department chairmanship Monday, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Nemeroff, who had been head of the psychiatry department since 1991, has been permanently barred from the post.

He will also be unable to apply for grants from the National Institutes of Health for two years. He will also be required to get approval from the medical school dean for any outside income.

Nemeroff gained an international reputation as a psychiatric researcher. But the $800,000 he received from GlaxoSmithKline brought unwelcome notoriety when he became the focus of an investigation by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, into ties between the industry and doctors, the report said.

Grassley said that Emory had been "swift and sure-footed" in its sanctions against Nemeroff.

"Accurate disclosure and transparency are fundamental to the integrity of medical research," he added.