science

Jonathan Fishbein

Jonathan Fishbein is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jonathan Fishbein rather than just read about it. In short: Jonathan Fishbein is an American physician and former director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office for Policy in Clinical Research Operations. In 2005, Fishbein alleged that an NIH-funded clinical trial of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine, conducted in Africa, was invalid because of poor data collection, faulty record-keeping, and lax quality control.

Key takeaways

Jonathan Fishbein belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Jonathan Fishbein to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Jonathan Fishbein from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jonathan Fishbein is an American physician and former director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office for Policy in Clinical Research Operations. In 2005, Fishbein alleged that an NIH-funded clinical trial of the antiretroviral drug nevirapine, conducted in Africa, was invalid because of poor data collection, faulty record-keeping, and lax quality control. The NIH subsequently attempted to fire Fishbein, and he sought protection as a whistleblower. The clinical trial in question was the HIVNET 012 study, which tested the antiretroviral drug nevirapine, used in some developing countries as a cost-effective method to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to unborn child. Fishbein was among several NIH employees to raise concerns about the study; he alleged that the NIH had become "so heavily invested in the trial's outcome" that it had lost objectivity about the quality of the result. Internal NIH documents showed that concerns had been raised about HIVNET012, but that the Institute did not notify the Bush Administration before the launch of a major project to subsidize nevirapine use in Africa to combat the spread of HIV. The NIH subsequently attempted to fire Fishbein; he alleged that the attempted dismissal was in retaliation for his complaints about HIVNET 012, while the agency cited poor performance during a probationary period as the cause for firing. In addition to his concerns about nevirapene, Fishbein also alleged that the drug was being improperly tested on foster children. He further complained that female staff at NIH were being sexually harassed. The NIH claim that Fishbein had unperformed at his position was undermined by Fishbein having been recommended for a cash performance bonus mere weeks before the attempt to terminate him. In response to the allegations about nevirapene launched by Fishbein and others, the Institute of Medicine conducted an independent review of HIVNET 012 methodology and findings. The institute's review concluded that nevirapine was safe and effective in the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, as HIVNET 012 had found, and that the study's methodology was sufficiently sound that scientists and policy-makers could rely on the study's findings.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jonathan Fishbein

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jonathan Fishbein claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jonathan Fishbein before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jonathan Fishbein ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jonathan Fishbein

In research: Jonathan Fishbein appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Jonathan Fishbein in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Jonathan Fishbein is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 21st-century American medical doctors, American whistleblowers, Drug safety, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jonathan Fishbein outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Jonathan Fishbein in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jonathan Fishbein means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Jonathan Fishbein out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jonathan Fishbein in simple terms?

Why does Jonathan Fishbein matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jonathan Fishbein?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jonathan Fishbein.