Berkeley clears controversial researcher of charges over HIV paper

The University of California at Berkeley has cleared Peter H. Duesberg, a biologist there, of charges of wrongdoing stemming from a journal article in which he and another researcher wrote that there is no proof that HIV causes AIDS. The university's vice provost for academic affairs and faculty welfare, Sheldon Zedeck, told Mr. Duesberg in a letter sent last month that the university was not judging the validity of the article, which had been published in the journal Medical Hypotheses and later withdrawn. But, Mr. Zedeck said, officials there have insufficient evidence to pursue any disciplinary action over charges that Mr. Duesberg had violated the faculty code of conduct, and had determined his statements in Medical Hypotheses were "protected under the umbrella of academic freedom." Two formal complaints filed with the university in connection with the article had accused Mr. Duesberg of making false claims and failing to disclose a co-author's conflict of interest. Mr. Duesberg's assertions that HIV does not cause AIDS have made him a controversial figure on the campus and elsewhere and have been blamed for slowing down South Africa's response to HIV.

~ The Chronicle of Higher Education ~