Four UI faculty on paid leave for misconduct investigations

The University of Iowa currently has four faculty on paid leave pending allegations of misconduct, and the UI has paid them a combined $461,110 so far, UI officials said Thursday in response to an open-records request from The Gazette.

Since 2005, the UI has had seven faculty members on paid leave for investigations of misconduct, university officials said.

The four individuals on paid leave now were not identified by UI officials, who cited personnel confidentiality, but two of the faculty are known because of recent criminal charges that have garnered media attention.

Gary Hunninghake, a professor and researcher who was director of the UI Institute of Clinical and Translational Science, has been on paid leave since April 23. UI officials conducted an internal investigation related to Hunninghake, but recently said that investigation was concluded and declined to release the details.

The day after he was put on paid leave at the UI, Hunninghake told Chicago police he was stabbed and robbed. Chicago authorities investigated and say Hunninghake admitted to stabbing himself; he is charged with felony disorderly conduct in Chicago for filing a false police report.

A UI assistant pathology professor, Toshiki Itoh, has been on paid leave since July, 2008, after he was charged with assaulting a female laboratory assistant and performing sex acts against her will. He was convicted in October on two counts of assault causing bodily injury and faces a retrial in February on a felony third-degree sexual abuse charge.

A total of 13 UI faculty members have been on paid administrative leave since 2005, but only seven of those were for allegations of misconduct, officials said. Other reasons for paid leave could be personal or family issues, UI officials said.