University of Michigan 5.09 Section C and Dr. Bradley Foerster — Dean Runge’s Attribution of Communications, Contemporaneous Challenges, and Later FOIA IP Records (2017–2020)
Summary
The records below focus on the source of communications attributed to Dr. Bradley Foerster in connection with Charge 3 of Dean Marschall Runge’s September 7, 2018 University of Michigan 5.09 charge letter.
Charge 3 cited communications concerning NIH Grant R01NS082304 and EPIC that the University attributed to Dr. Foerster. Dr. Foerster disputed that he was the source of certain communications attributed to him.
Questions about the source of those communications were raised before the 5.09 proceedings. In December 2017, Dr. Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou disputed communications attributed to them and asked University attorney Timothy Lynch to investigate the associated IP addresses. They also raised cybersecurity concerns with Michigan Medicine Chief Information Security Officer Jack Kufahl.
The IP-address information remained an issue throughout the 5.09 proceedings. During the hearings, Dr. Foerster repeatedly requested the IP information in an effort to determine the source of the disputed communications, but the information was not produced to him.
The contemporaneous record also documents continuing concerns about email integrity. In September 2018, Dr. Foerster brought the issue directly to Dr. Carol Bradford, chair of the ad hoc 5.09 committee, provided contemporaneous screenshots, and asked Michigan Medicine Chief Information Security Officer Jack Kufahl to investigate. No response from Bradford regarding the reported email-integrity issue is reflected in the correspondence reproduced here.
In 2020, the University ultimately produced through FOIA IP-address information concerning mass emails attributed to Dr. Foerster in Charge 3. The technical information that Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou had sought beginning in 2017—and that Dr. Foerster repeatedly requested during the 5.09 hearings—was therefore obtained only later through FOIA.
The records below bring together the communications attributed to Dr. Foerster, the contemporaneous disputes over their source, requests for IP-address information and technical investigation, related sworn affidavits, and the technical records ultimately produced by the University.
December 2017 — Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou Dispute the Source of Communications and Request IP Information
In December 2017, Dr. Myria Petrou and Dr. Bradley Foerster separately wrote to University of Michigan Office of General Counsel attorney Timothy Lynch regarding communications attributed to them.
Dr. Petrou disputed sending the communication attributed to her and asked Lynch to investigate the associated IP address.
Dr. Foerster likewise stated that he had not emailed media outlets regarding the matter, asked Lynch to provide any emails attributed to him, and requested examination of the associated IP addresses. He also told Lynch that he and Dr. Petrou were meeting with Michigan Medicine Chief Information Security Officer Jack Kufahl regarding their cybersecurity concerns.
Dr. Foerster also sought information from Lynch concerning the NIH grant investigation. No response from Lynch regarding either the requested IP information or the NIH grant investigation is reflected in the correspondence reproduced here. The Hall Render investigative report concerning the NIH grant investigation was provided to Dr. Foerster only shortly before the 5.09 proceedings.
The correspondence is reproduced below.
December 2017 correspondence documenting Dr. Foerster’s and Dr. Petrou’s dispute over the source of communications attributed to them, their requests for IP information, and Dr. Foerster’s request for information concerning the NIH grant investigation.
December 2017–January 2018 — Cybersecurity Concerns Raised With Michigan Medicine
The concerns were also raised directly with Jack Kufahl, Chief Information Security Officer for Michigan Medicine.
Kufahl contacted Dr. Petrou regarding concerns involving the security of University systems and offered to help investigate the details. Dr. Petrou responded that both she and Dr. Foerster had cybersecurity concerns and arranged to speak with him.
In January 2018, Dr. Petrou informed Dr. Ella Kazerooni that she and Dr. Foerster had spoken with Kufahl and were gathering documents so that he could examine specific issues. Kazerooni acknowledged the follow-up with Kufahl.
The correspondence is reproduced below.
December 2017–January 2018 University of Michigan correspondence documenting cybersecurity concerns raised by Dr. Bradley Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou and their communications with Michigan Medicine Chief Information Security Officer Jack Kufahl.
September 2018 — Dr. Foerster Reports an Altered Email to Ad Hoc Committee Chair Carol Bradford
Following Dean Runge’s September 7, 2018 charge letter, Dr. Foerster continued to raise concerns regarding the integrity and source of email communications attributed to him.
On September 13, Dr. Foerster wrote to Dr. Carol Bradford, chair of the ad hoc committee appointed for the 5.09 proceedings, regarding what he described as another problem involving his email communications.
Dr. Foerster reported that an email he had sent appeared altered when forwarded and provided contemporaneous screenshots documenting what he observed. He also asked Jack Kufahl, Chief Information Security Officer for Michigan Medicine, to investigate.
Dr. Foerster explained that the incident followed earlier concerns involving communications attributed to Dr. Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou that had already been raised with University officials.
No response from Dr. Bradford regarding the reported email-integrity issue is reflected in the correspondence reproduced here.
The correspondence and contemporaneous screenshots are reproduced below.
September 13, 2018 correspondence to ad hoc committee chair Dr. Carol Bradford documenting Dr. Bradley Foerster’s reported email-integrity concern, supporting screenshots, and request for technical investigation.
October 23, 2018 — Dr. Foerster Raises Email Integrity Concerns With Mr. Tukel
During the 5.09 proceedings, Dr. Foerster wrote to Mr. Dan Tukel, the attorney presenting the University’s case, regarding continuing concerns about his University email.
Dr. Foerster reported that an email appeared altered when forwarded from his University account to Gmail and attached four files identified as the original University email and the altered forwarded version. He described this as a second such episode and again asked Michigan Medicine Chief Information Security Officer Jack Kufahl to investigate. Dr. Carol Bradford, chair of the ad hoc 5.09 committee, was included in the correspondence.
In related correspondence that day, Dr. Foerster also asked Mr. Tukel and Dr. Bradford to address continuing NIH R01NS082304 closeout notices being sent to him.
No response from Mr. Tukel or Dr. Bradford regarding these issues is reflected in the correspondence reproduced here.
The correspondence is reproduced below.
October 23, 2018 correspondence to Mr. Dan Tukel documenting Dr. Bradley Foerster’s reported email-integrity concern, the original and forwarded versions submitted for review, and related NIH grant correspondence.
Sworn Affidavits Address Communications Attributed to Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou
Dr. Myria Petrou and Dr. Bradley Foerster also submitted sworn affidavits addressing communications and events relevant to the University proceedings.
Dr. Petrou stated that she had not personally sent an email or other communication to Gannett Press concerning EPIC. Her affidavit also addressed the origins of the underlying EPIC concerns and communications involving Dr. Paul Cronin and University personnel.
Dr. Foerster’s affidavit addressed the EPIC allegations, communications involving Dr. Cronin and other University personnel, and Dr. Foerster’s account of events underlying communications referenced during the proceedings.
The affidavits are reproduced below.
Sworn affidavits of Dr. Myria Petrou and Dr. Bradley Foerster addressing communications and events relevant to the University of Michigan 5.09 proceedings.
2020 FOIA Response — University Produces IP Information for Emails Attributed to Dr. Foerster
In 2020, Dr. Foerster used the Michigan Freedom of Information Act to obtain technical information concerning mass emails attributed to him in Charge 3.
The University granted the request and provided IP-address information for the identified messages.
The production came after Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou had sought IP information beginning in 2017 and after Dr. Foerster had repeatedly requested the information during the 5.09 hearings without receiving it.
The IP addresses ultimately identified by the University reflected Google mail infrastructure in California, rather than providing a geographic endpoint attributable to Dr. Foerster personally.
The FOIA response is reproduced below.
2020 University of Michigan FOIA response providing IP-address information concerning mass emails attributed to Dr. Bradley Foerster in Charge 3 of the University’s 5.09 proceedings.
5.09 Documentary Chronology
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Selected Reporting
- Bradley Foerster Submits 140-Exhibit, 1,121-Page Documentary Chronology to FBI for Supervisory Review of the Investigation Involving Dr. Bradley Foerster, Dr. Myria Petrou, and Duaa Altaee
- From One FBI File to a Legislative Proposal: Peter and Maria Foerster Ask Senator Van Hollen's Office and Congressman Jamie Raskin to Consider a Uniform Administrative Framework for Federal Investigations
- Eva Feldman Documentary Chronology: 139 Exhibits on NIH R01NS082304, University Proceedings, and Federal Investigation — No Response Received
- Bradley Foerster and Myria Petrou Send Ann Arbor Officials Documentary Chronology on AAPD and Related Federal Investigations — No Response Received
- Timothy Lynch Documentary Chronology: 63 Exhibits on University of Michigan Office of General Counsel, University Investigations, and Law Enforcement — No Response Received
- Bradley Foerster and Myria Petrou Documentary Chronology: 8 Exhibits Document More Than Two Years of Efforts to Trace Bank of Ann Arbor's $1.4 Million Sheriff's Sale Credit Bid — No Response Received
Brad Foerster, MD PhD
Brad Foerster is a FOIA advocate documenting requests, transparency disputes, and accountability investigations involving public agencies, universities, police oversight, and Russia-Gate related inquiries. His work compiles original documents, timelines, and analysis of public records and institutional responses. Brad is also a board-certified radiologist, author of Town & Gown, and has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles. Brad lives in Potomac, Maryland with his family and is a member of the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Takoma Park U.S. & World History Book Club.