University of Michigan FOIA Release Reveals Dismissed HIPAA Complaint and Undocumented Internal Investigation
After more than a year, the University of Michigan released records in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request concerning an investigation initiated by former research coordinator Sara Abraham.
Abraham had been terminated for cause following a recommendation from University Human Resources after making false Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) allegations against Dr. Myria Petrou. She had been recommended to Dr. Petrou by Dr. Eva Feldman and worked as a trainee on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) ALS grant.
The FOIA release marks the first time that both I and Dr. Petrou were able to review Abraham’s complaints submitted to both the University of Michigan and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights (HHS-OCR).
In addition to the HIPAA allegations, Abraham made numerous other claims, including accusations of antisemitism, data falsification, sexual harassment, and financial irregularities.
The HHS-OCR reviewed the HIPAA complaint and dismissed it as baseless, concluding that no doctor–patient relationship existed between Dr. Petrou and Abraham.
Notably, Abraham had received formal HIPAA training through Michigan Medicine, with documentation signed by both the University and the lead coordinator in the Department of Radiology.
Additional internal reviews reached similar conclusions. Dr. Ashton-Miller found the allegations of fraud to be unfounded, and Dr. Eva Feldman described the claims as “unfounded” and “embarrassing.”
Following the dismissal by HHS-OCR, the University of Michigan Office of General Counsel and Radiology Human Resources—despite having recommended Abraham’s termination—conducted their own internal review. This included interviews with myself, Dr. Myria Petrou, and Duaa Altaee.
However, according to the University’s own FOIA office, there is no official documentation of this internal Office of General Counsel / HR investigation.
The absence of any official record raises significant questions about transparency and the handling of internal investigations at the University of Michigan.
FOIA Release: Documents obtained from the University of Michigan regarding Sara Abraham’s HIPAA complaint and subsequent internal handling
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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 active in the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Takoma Park U.S. & World History Book Club.