University of Michigan Career Development Committee and Dr. Bradley Foerster — “Rising Star” on Tenure Trajectory, Interviewing Elsewhere as NIH ALS Grant Conflict Remained Unresolved; Removing Co-PI the “Only Tenable Solution” (2015)

University of Michigan Career Development Committee: Dr. Bradley Foerster a “Rising Star”; Removing Co-PI from NIH ALS Grant the “Only Tenable Solution” (2015)

On August 26, 2015, a University of Michigan Career Development Committee met to review Dr. Bradley Foerster’s academic trajectory. The committee had reviewed Dr. Foerster’s CV in advance, and the assessment was emphatic.

Dr. Foerster held a VA MERIT award, served as co-principal investigator of an NIH R01 grant, and had what the committee called a “very strong publication record.” The committee described Dr. Foerster as “clearly a rising star translational researcher” and recorded “unanimity” that Dr. Foerster was “a very accomplished junior faculty member” on “an excellent trajectory to receive a promotion with tenure next year.” The committee also described Dr. Foerster as “a faculty member that is important for both the Department and institution to retain.”

Much of the meeting, however, focused on the NIH-funded ALS R01 and an unresolved conflict that the committee documented as affecting both the grant and Dr. Foerster’s continued career at Michigan.

Although the grant had been awarded more than a year earlier, only one participant had completed the proposed study procedures. The committee attributed the delay to problems involving co-principal investigator Dr. Robert Welsh and his interactions with the research team. Dr. Eva Feldman told the committee that all clinical staff responsible for recruiting, consenting, and phenotyping ALS patients refused to work with Dr. Welsh. The memorandum records that multiple efforts to resolve the conflict had already failed.

The committee regarded the situation as urgent. It called on the Department of Radiology to resolve the R01 problem “ASAP” and concluded that removing Dr. Welsh from the grant appeared to be “the only tenable solution,” because no one else on the grant was willing to continue working with him. The committee further noted that the approved co-PI conflict-resolution plan gave the Department of Radiology authority to resolve disputes between the principal investigators.

At the same time, the committee emphasized fairness to Dr. Welsh, offered to hear his account, and favored a negotiated resolution that could include departmental remediation. But it also warned of the consequence of continued inaction: the grant would be lost “at the next annual report at the latest.”

The memorandum then connects the unresolved grant dispute directly to Dr. Foerster’s career development and the University's ability to retain him. The same committee that described Dr. Foerster as a “rising star,” on an “excellent trajectory” toward tenure, and important for the University to retain recorded that he was “very frustrated” and interviewing for outside positions. Dr. Foerster wanted to remain at Michigan, but the committee recorded that he “would need this grant issue resolved”—along with greater departmental support and opportunities for research leadership—“in order to be able to justify staying.”

The committee planned to meet again to address broader questions concerning Dr. Foerster’s career development. Before that discussion could occur, however, the committee said the urgent grant problem “needs to be attended to first.”

Note: The memorandum spells Dr. Robert Welsh’s surname as “Welch.” This post uses the correct spelling, Welsh.

Exhibit 1 — Career Development Committee Memorandum (August 26, 2015)

Exhibit 1: August 26, 2015 Career Development Committee memorandum describing Dr. Foerster as a “rising star,” on an “excellent trajectory” toward tenure, and important for the Department and institution to retain, while stating that removal of the co-principal investigator from the NIH ALS grant appeared to be “the only tenable solution.”

What Happened Next

Following the Career Development Committee meeting, Radiology Chair Dr. Reed Dunnick advised Dr. Foerster that Dr. Welsh would be removed from the NIH ALS grant. The removal did not occur.

The unresolved grant conflict continued into 2015–2016, during the period of the University of Michigan Office for Institutional Equity (OIE) investigation.

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.