Fliesler Recognized With Academic Integrity Award

By Dirk Hoffman

The awards are in recognition that academic integrity is the foundational value of all teaching, learning, and research efforts, according to Kelly Ahuna, PhD, director of UB’s Office of Academic Integrity (OAI), adding that UB seeks to recognize those individuals “who help to elevate this important value at our institution.”

At the conclusion of each spring semester, in conjunction with National Honesty Day on April 30, OAI recognizes individuals or groups who have gone above and beyond their duty to promote and enhance the culture of integrity at UB during the past academic year. Winners receive a crystal pillar award.

Fliesler was honored for his many wide-ranging contributions to academic integrity, Ahuna noted.

“Steve has a long history of integrity work. He was one of the founding organizers of what has become the CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) program’s module on Responsible Conduct of Research, which everyone who has ever done research here knows about!” she said.

“It is very gratifying to be recognized for my contributions over the years to promoting academic integrity as well as the integrity of the scientific literature,” Fliesler said. “I have been teaching research ethics and responsible conduct of research for more than three decades.”

“In addition, in my role as editor-in-chief of the journal Experimental Eye Research, I have to make initial assessments of suspected plagiarism or potential falsification, or fabrication of data in a manuscript submitted for publication. Thankfully, there are now computer program platforms that facilitate this kind of assessment. I am very honored and thankful to UB for this singular accolade.”

Fliesler was nominated for the award by both James D. Reynolds, MD, Jerald and Ester Bovino Professor and Chair of ophthalmology, and Richard J. Karalus, PhD, director of the Office of Research Compliance at UB.

Fliesler works with Karalus on UB’s Responsible Conduct of Research workshop series and on the Veterans Affairs Medical Center Safety Research Committee, where Fliesler has also served as chair.

Experimental Eye Research is one of the world’s leading journals devoted to eye and vision research. In his capacity as editor-in-chief, Fliesler is “the ethics gatekeeper,” according to Reynolds.

“This is time-consuming — and important — work,” Reynolds said.

More locally, Fliesler teaches the PMY (pharmacology and toxicology) 199 seminar class at UB, in which academic integrity is a learning objective.

Ahuna said he provides “comprehensive and insightful information about integrity in the classroom, in the research process, and in the world. He gives students real-life examples of how dishonesty harms both the offender and the greater public. He is setting our students on a path for success in this area from their first semester here at UB.”

“Steve Fliesler has devoted a substantial portion of his professional career to promoting academic integrity and research integrity, locally, nationally and internationally,” Reynolds said.