The US National Academy of Medicine has quietly expelled a member for scientific misconduct, according to Science.
It adds that the member, Eric Noji, had been found to have committed "fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism," leading to his expulsion. But as Science reports, the announcement that his membership was rescinded was only available to NAM members, a move that some members have criticized. The critics note that as admittance to the academy is widely publicized, so too should expulsions, Science adds.
Victor Dzau, the NAM President, tells it that only members are informed as expulsions are a means of deterring bad behavior among members and that the decision was made in consultation with the academies' general counsel. An NAM spokesperson adds there that the academy would, if asked, confirm someone's membership status.
This, Science notes, is in line with policies at the National Academy of Science, which has expelled members like astronomer Geoff Marcy and evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala. But Science adds that NAS will, unlike NAM, provide updates on the number of complaints against members and allows non-members to search a directory of members, including those with rescinded memberships. Dzau tells it, though, that if its governing council allows, it would implement a similar search tool.