“Get the Fuck Out”: The University of Michigan Knew Dr. Bradley Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou Were Trying to Leave Before the NIH Grant Dispute Became a Charge
All four matters Dean Marschall Runge later presented as charges in the unprecedented Bylaw 5.09 proceedings against Dr. Bradley Foerster—the NIH grant dispute, the VA-related issues, the medical-billing complaint, and the civil litigation—postdated Dr. Foerster’s efforts to leave the University of Michigan (UM).
By August 26, 2015, UM had formally documented that Dr. Foerster was interviewing elsewhere. During the following year, Dr. Foerster and Dr. Myria Petrou pursued opportunities at Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, Emory University, Vanderbilt University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of California, Irvine.
Had Dr. Foerster accepted another position, UM could have retained and administered the NIH grant if UM declined to permit its transfer. The later NIH grant dispute, VA-related issues, medical-billing complaint, and civil litigation therefore cannot explain why Dr. Foerster began seeking another position in 2015.
UM Knew That Dr. Foerster Was Seeking Another Position
Dysfunction surrounding the grant and a broader lack of institutional support led Dr. Foerster to begin exploring other academic positions in 2015.
An August 26, 2015 Career Development Advisory Committee memorandum described Dr. Foerster as a “rising star translational researcher” and stated that retaining Dr. Foerster was important to UM. The memorandum also recorded that Dr. Foerster had recently interviewed for a position at another institution (Document 1).
The memorandum establishes that UM knew Dr. Foerster was considering departure more than three years before the Bylaw 5.09 proceedings.
Northwestern University
In summer 2015, Northwestern University interviewed Dr. Foerster for the position of neuroradiology section head. The original plan was for Dr. Foerster to accept the Northwestern position and commute between Ann Arbor and Chicago while Dr. Petrou remained at UM.
The July 17, 2015 interview was a full-day recruitment beginning at 7:00 a.m. and continuing through 4:00 p.m. Dr. Foerster met with Dr. Eric Russell, Dr. James Carr, the director of neuro MR, the chief of neuroradiology, and other Northwestern faculty members (Document 2).
During dinner, Dr. Russell asked Dr. Foerster about Dr. Petrou and expressed discomfort with the prospect of Dr. Foerster moving to Northwestern without Dr. Petrou. Dr. Russell said that the family could raise the children in downtown Chicago and that Dr. Russell wanted to meet Dr. Petrou.
Dr. Russell also jokingly asked whether Dr. Foerster was some sort of “Forrest Gump,” referring to the range of positions and accomplishments in Dr. Foerster’s career (Document 3).
On August 23, 2015, Dr. Foerster wrote that Dr. Reed Dunnick was not supportive of a possible transition to Northwestern and that Dr. Dunnick’s reference or commentary would likely reflect that opposition. The correspondence also documents Northwestern’s continuing interest and arrangements for additional discussions (Document 4).
On August 28, 2015, Dr. Foerster updated former Johns Hopkins mentors about the recruitment. Dr. Foerster reported that the Northwestern discussions had gone well and that Dr. Russell sounded positive about the possibility of Dr. Foerster joining Northwestern (Document 5).
The Northwestern recruitment subsequently expanded to include Dr. Petrou. Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou met jointly with Dr. Russell during the 2015 Radiological Society of North America annual meeting in Chicago (Document 6).
The Initial UC Irvine Discussions
Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou first discussed a possible move to the University of California, Irvine with Dr. Anton Hasso during the Western Neuroradiological Society annual meeting in Colorado Springs, held September 18–20, 2015.
At that meeting, Dr. Foerster received the 2015 Gabriel H. Wilson Award for the research project “Altered Excitation-Inhibition in Knee Osteoarthritis.”
Dr. Hasso was preparing to step down as UC Irvine’s neuroradiology division director and was interested in recruiting Dr. Foerster as a potential successor.
Dr. Hasso joined Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou for dinner with both families and the children. According to Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou, Dr. Hasso said directly that he did not like or trust their chair, Dr. Dunnick.
RSNA 2015: Multiple Institutions Expressed Interest
During RSNA in late November and early December 2015, Dr. Foerster continued discussions with Dr. Hasso regarding UC Irvine. Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou also met jointly with Dr. Russell regarding Northwestern, Dr. Carolyn Meltzer regarding Emory University, and Dr. Reed Omary regarding Vanderbilt University.
Dr. Meltzer expressed interest in Dr. Foerster because of Dr. Foerster’s ALS research and even greater interest in Dr. Petrou because Dr. Petrou’s PET research aligned with Dr. Meltzer’s own work. Dr. Meltzer believed that Emory had room for both physicians and could provide a strong institutional fit for both research programs.
Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou met with Dr. Omary, then chair of radiology at Vanderbilt University, to discuss establishing a Center for Neuroimaging Outcomes for Clinical Trials. The detailed proposal reproduced as Document 9 shows the scope and seriousness of the academic program Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou were seeking to build.
Dr. Omary also thanked Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou for mentoring Dr. Colin McKnight, a former UM neuroradiology fellow who later became Vanderbilt’s Vice Chair of Research.
According to Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou, Dr. Omary said that the situation in Michigan was “not going to work out” and that Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou needed a “professional separation” to salvage both careers. Dr. Omary suggested moving to a city such as New York, where Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou could work at different prestigious academic institutions.
When Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou observed that other married academic couples had been supported and accommodated, Dr. Omary responded: “I am just trying to help you because I think you are both exceptional.”
Dr. Feldman’s View of Dr. Petrou
Dr. Feldman had expressed doubts about Dr. Petrou long before the recruitment discussions.
Dr. Foerster recalls that, shortly after Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou returned to UM from Johns Hopkins, Dr. Feldman told Dr. Foerster that Dr. Petrou “was not of the same caliber” because Dr. Petrou was “too focused on the family.” Dr. Feldman did not simply suggest hiring more help with the children. Dr. Feldman said that Dr. Petrou “needed to hire everything out,” just as Dr. Feldman had done, so that Dr. Petrou could focus more fully on Dr. Petrou’s career.
Other established physician-scientists at UM, including Dr. Kirk Frey, disagreed with Dr. Feldman’s assessment. Dr. Frey could not understand why Dr. Petrou was being treated as a “second-class citizen.” Dr. Petrou had a well-rounded record in both clinical medicine and research, with research expertise spanning MRI and PET imaging.
Despite Dr. Petrou’s training, skills, and accomplishments, Dr. Foerster recalls that Dr. Feldman, then director of the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute, was reluctant to name Dr. Petrou an Emerging Scholar. Dr. Foerster received the distinction in 2013. Dr. Petrou received the distinction in 2015, two years later, for a term extending through 2018.
Dr. Feldman’s earlier view of Dr. Petrou matters because Dr. Feldman later communicated with senior figures at institutions considering Dr. Petrou for faculty positions, and several previously positive recruitments stalled after those communications.
Dr. Feldman’s Communications With the Recruiting Institutions
On November 30, 2015, Dr. Feldman contacted Dr. Omary and described Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou as “exceptional.” Dr. Feldman also stated that both physicians were seeking other opportunities and warned that one or two UM faculty members might attempt to “hold on” to Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou by failing to provide accurate assessments.
On December 3, 2015, Dr. Feldman wrote:
“I had a very interesting conversation with Eric Russell yesterday and am speaking with Dr. Meltzer today.… I need to tell you who is providing misinformation on you.”
The existing records do not reveal what Dr. Feldman told Dr. Russell or Dr. Meltzer. The records establish that Dr. Feldman communicated with both physicians, believed someone was providing misinformation, and told Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou that Dr. Feldman knew the source.
Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou recall that Dr. Feldman soon identified Dr. Dunnick and other members of the UM Department of Radiology as the sources of that misinformation (Document 7).
Johns Hopkins University
Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou also explored a joint return to Johns Hopkins, where both physicians had trained and served on the faculty.
Dr. Foerster completed a neuroradiology fellowship and PhD at Johns Hopkins and remained on the faculty for a short period. Dr. Petrou completed a neuroradiology fellowship at Johns Hopkins and served on the faculty for more than a year before returning to UM. Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou also held adjunct appointments at Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Richard Edden expressed “enormous personal enthusiasm for having you guys back.” The discussions did not progress because Johns Hopkins ultimately indicated that sufficient space was not available for two positions (Document 8).
Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou also developed a proposal for a Center for Neuroimaging Outcomes for Clinical Trials. The proposal demonstrates that the discussions concerned an integrated academic and research program rather than an informal inquiry by either physician alone (Document 9).
The Johns Hopkins connection also provides contemporaneous evidence of why Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou were trying to leave UM.
In November 2015, Dr. David Yousem and his wife, Kelly, visited the UM Department of Radiology to conduct an educational role-playing conference for the trainees based on a real medical-malpractice case. Dr. Yousem was the former director of the Johns Hopkins Division of Neuroradiology, remains at Johns Hopkins, and had previously supervised both Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou. Kelly was an attorney specializing in medical-malpractice cases.
After the conference, Dr. Yousem and Kelly visited Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou at the family home. Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou described the dysfunction surrounding the NIH grant and the sexual-harassment case. After listening to what had occurred, Kelly gave one direct piece of advice:
“Get the fuck out.”
Washington University in St. Louis
Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou interviewed jointly with Dr. Richard Wahl at Washington University. Dr. Wahl had previously served on the faculty at both UM and Johns Hopkins.
Dr. Wahl expressed strong interest in recruiting Dr. Foerster and said that Dr. Wahl would seek a position for Dr. Petrou, either at Washington University or at a sister institution (Document 10).
Washington University subsequently extended Dr. Foerster a highly competitive offer that included a significant salary increase and substantial start-up support for Dr. Foerster’s research. The formal offer was confirmed on June 24, 2016, with a response requested by July 8, 2016 (Document 11).
Despite the positive feedback Dr. Petrou received during the interview process, the offer did not include a position for Dr. Petrou. Dr. Foerster thanked Dr. Wahl for the offer but explained that it was missing the most important element: “an offer for my wife.”
Dr. Foerster recalls that Dr. Wahl appeared caught off guard and said that Dr. Wahl had been informed by Dr. Foerster’s current department that Dr. Foerster was going through a divorce. According to Dr. Foerster, Dr. Wahl believed that the offer would appeal to both Dr. Foerster’s professional and personal wishes. Dr. Foerster told Dr. Wahl that the information was false. Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou were not divorcing. (Document 12).
UC Irvine’s Joint Recruitment of Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou
The discussions that began with Dr. Hasso at the Western Neuroradiological Society meeting developed into a formal UC Irvine recruitment (Document 13).
Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou traveled to UC Irvine for joint interviews on May 26, 2016. Both physicians met with faculty members and presented their research.
After Dr. Petrou’s research presentation, Dr. Hasso said that Dr. Hasso had initially set out to recruit Dr. Foerster but was now even more interested in recruiting Dr. Petrou.
The formal interview schedule documents the joint recruitment (Document 14).
After Washington University extended the formal offer to Dr. Foerster, Dr. Foerster informed UC Irvine. On June 30, 2016, Dr. Hasso responded that UC Irvine could match several components of the Washington University offer.
Dr. Hasso described the interviews as “excellent with positive comments all around.” The correspondence discussed one immediate position and the possibility of a second position later. Dr. William Goodwin also intended to contact Dr. Dunnick.
Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou recall that Dr. Feldman subsequently spoke with Dr. Hasso. The UC Irvine recruitment did not progress after those communications (Document 15).
What the Record Establishes
The available evidence does not independently prove that UM intentionally defeated each recruitment effort involving Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou.
The evidence does establish that:
- UM knew by August 2015 that Dr. Foerster was interviewing elsewhere;
- UM’s own career-development committee considered Dr. Foerster a “rising star translational researcher” whom UM should retain;
- multiple institutions expressed serious interest in recruiting Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou;
- Dr. Dunnick opposed Dr. Foerster’s possible move to Northwestern;
- Dr. Feldman held a longstanding negative view of Dr. Petrou that Dr. Feldman expressly tied to Dr. Petrou’s commitment to the family;
- Dr. Feldman communicated with senior figures at Northwestern, Emory, Vanderbilt, and UC Irvine during the recruitment period;
- Dr. Feldman said that misinformation was being provided about Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou and identified Dr. Dunnick and other members of UM Radiology as the sources, according to Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou;
- Washington University was falsely told that Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou were getting divorced, according to Dr. Foerster’s recollection of the explanation provided by Dr. Wahl; and
- several recruitments that had been progressing positively stalled after Dr. Feldman communicated with the institutions involved.
The sequence alone does not prove why each recruitment ended, but the sequence requires an explanation.
The Later Bylaw 5.09 Charges
All four matters Dean Marschall Runge later presented as charges in the unprecedented Bylaw 5.09 proceedings against Dr. Foerster—the NIH grant dispute, the VA-related issues, the medical-billing complaint, and the civil litigation—postdated Dr. Foerster’s efforts to leave UM.
Read Dean Runge’s Bylaw 5.09 charge letter.
Those later matters cannot explain why Dr. Foerster began interviewing elsewhere in 2015. The chronology instead shows that Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou were already attempting to find an institution—or a pair of institutions—that could support both academic careers.
If Dr. Foerster had left, UM could have retained and administered the NIH grant if UM declined to authorize its transfer. The departure would also have occurred before the VA-related issues, the medical-billing complaint, the civil litigation, and the Bylaw 5.09 proceedings.
The Unanswered Question
UM knew that Dr. Foerster was seeking another position. Multiple institutions expressed interest in Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou. Dr. Foerster received a formal and attractive offer from Washington University. UC Irvine indicated that the institution could match important components of that offer.
The departure that UM later claimed to want was already available.
If separation was the goal, why did UM not facilitate the departure that Dr. Foerster and Dr. Petrou were already pursuing?
That question became concrete again during Dr. Foerster’s 2019 Bylaw 5.09 appeal. Dr. Foerster accepted a Maryland neuroradiology position that would have ended Dr. Foerster’s UM employment and related litigation. The offer was rescinded 84 minutes after acceptance .
Opportunity for Review and Correction
On November 11, 2026, Dr. Foerster distributed this post to named individuals, institutional representatives, and other relevant parties. Each recipient was invited to identify any factual inaccuracy, omission, or additional context and to provide supporting documentation where available (Document 16).
The request did not ask any recipient to endorse the post’s conclusions. It provided the recipients with the same account and an opportunity to correct or supplement the record. Any substantiated correction or material clarification will be reflected in this post, and any response addressing the factual record will be preserved as part of the documentary archive.
Documentary Record
Document 1 — Career Development Committee Memorandum (August 26, 2015)
Document 2 — Northwestern Interview Agenda (July 17, 2015)
Document 3 — Northwestern Dinner Correspondence (July 17, 2015)
Document 4 — Northwestern Recruitment Correspondence (August 23–26, 2015)
Document 5 — Northwestern Follow-Up to Johns Hopkins Mentors (August 28–29, 2015)
Document 6 — Dr. Petrou Added to the Northwestern Recruitment (RSNA 2015)
Document 7 — Dr. Feldman’s “Misinformation” Correspondence (November–December 2015)
Document 8 — Johns Hopkins Correspondence Regarding a Potential Return (December 2015)
Document 9 — Center for Neuroimaging Outcomes for Clinical Trials Proposal
Document 10 — Washington University Visit and Recruitment Negotiations
Document 11 — Washington University Formal-Offer Confirmation (June 24, 2016)
Document 12 — Town & Gown (2025 Edition) Excerpt: Washington University Recruitment
Document 13 — UC Irvine Recruitment Correspondence
Document 14 — UC Irvine Joint Interview Schedule (May 26, 2016)
Document 15 — UC Irvine Response to the Washington University Offer (June 30, 2016)
Document 16 — Request for Review Distributed to Named and Relevant Parties (November 11, 2026)
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.