Linda Koo
Linda Chih-ling Koo (born 1954 in Thailand), is a Chinese cancer epidemiologist and former lecturer at the University of Hong Kong. She is known for her studies on the relationship between indoor pollution, dietary factors, and lung cancer in China.[1]
Research[edit]
Her research has included examining the links between passive smoking,[2] incense burning [3] and lung cancer, speculating that these linkages are confounded by poor dietary and lifestyle habits.
Tobacco industry links[edit]
She has been criticized for her ties to the tobacco industry, which attempted to recruit her as a consultant because she had said she thought that lung cancer was mainly caused by dietary factors.[4]
She has acted as a consultant to the tobacco industry,[5] which often cited her research on confounding factors to argue that passive smoking might not cause lung cancer. In a confidential 1989 industry memo, Covington & Burling lawyer John Rupp wrote that "‘‘we have reestablished a productive ongoing working relationship with Dr. Linda Koo, who is the single most prominent ETS scientist in all of Asia. Although Dr. Koo...cannot afford formally to join our group, the ability we have developed to consult with her should pay substantial dividends."[6]
1992 plagiarism controversy[edit]
In 1992, Koo's University of Hong Kong colleague Lam Tai-hing was found guilty of plagiarizing Koo's questionnaire, which she had devised with her colleague John Ho to study lung cancer among nonsmoking Chinese women.[7] This guilty verdict was upheld by the Court of Appeal the following year, whereupon the University subsequently announced that Tai-Hing would be investigated by a university committee.[8] In 1995, this committee found Tai-Hing not guilty of "disgraceful or dishonorable" conduct,[9] a decision which Koo and Ho appealed to a judicial review later that year.[10] On October 24, 1995, the university rejected Koo and Ho's appeal.[11]
External links[edit]
- Kessler, Gladys (August 17, 2006). "United States of America v. Philip Morris et al.: Final Opinion of Judge Gladys Kessler" (PDF). United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
References[edit]
- ^ Gagliardi, Jason (18 January 1999). "Speaking up on tobacco links". South China Morning Post.
- ^ Koo, Linda C.; Kabat, Geoffrey C.; Rylander, Ragnar; Tominaga, Suketami; Kato, Ikuko; Ho, John H-C. (July 1997). "Dietary and lifestyle correlates of passive smoking in Hong Kong, Japan, Sweden, and the U.S.A." Social Science & Medicine. 45 (1): 159–169. doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(96)00331-0.
- ^ Koo, Linda C.; Ho, J.H-C.; Tominaga, Suketami; Matsushita, Hidetsuru; Matsuki, Hideaki; Shimizu, Hiroyuki; Mori, Toru; Wong, Ming Chung; Ng, Candy Yin-Fong (November 1995). "Is Chinese Incense Smoke Hazardous to Respiratory Health?: Epidemiological Results from Hong Kong". Indoor Environment. 4 (6): 334–343. doi:10.1177/1420326X9500400604.
- ^ O'Sullivan, B. (1 September 2000). "Eyes on the prize: transnational tobacco companies in China 1976-1997". Tobacco Control. 9 (3): 292–302. doi:10.1136/tc.9.3.292. PMC 1748382. PMID 10982573.
- ^ Kessler 2006, p. 1419
- ^ Assunta, M (1 December 2004). ""Care and feeding": the Asian environmental tobacco smoke consultants programme". Tobacco Control. 13 (suppl_2): ii4–ii12. doi:10.1136/tc.2003.005199. PMC 1766156. PMID 15564219.
- ^ "Plagiarism case returns to court for review". Times Higher Education. 5 May 1995.
- ^ "HKU to probe plagiarism case". South China Morning Post. 12 September 1993.
- ^ Dyer, C. (11 March 1995). "Hong Kong doctor cleared of plagiarism". BMJ. 310 (6980): 618–619. doi:10.1136/bmj.310.6980.618b. PMID 7703743.
- ^ "Plagiarism case returns to court for review". Times Higher Education. 1995-05-05.
- ^ "China still hopeful ten years on". Nature. 378 (6557): 537–552. 7 December 1995. Bibcode:1995Natur.378..537.. doi:10.1038/378537a0. PMID 8524377. ProQuest 204460657.
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