For the last several months, the federal government has been investigating complaints regarding medical research conducted on thousands of people in China by Harvard's School of Public Health (SPH).

In September 1999, Gwendolyn Zahner, a psychiatric epidemiologist and former assistant professor at SPH, filed a complaint with the Office for Protection from Research Risks in Washington, D.C. questioning medical research conducted by the University.

In the 15-page complaint recently obtained by The Boston Globe, Zahner--who according to SPH officials was denied tenure in 1998--questioned whether illiterate study participants actually consented to genetic research and whether their identities were kept confidential from Chinese government officials.

Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and Massachusetts Mental Health Research Corp.--both Harvard-affiliated institutions--were also named in the complaint, which focused on nearly a dozen studies into the causes of conditions ranging from schizophrenia to obesity. Most of the studies are funded by the National Institutes of Health, placing them under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

SPH officials denied the claims, saying that Harvard follows the same research practices overseas that it does in the United States.

"There is nothing being done [in China] to create any anxiety," said SPH spokesperson Robin Herman. "We care deeply about the safety, privacy and confidentiality of our participants, and we always have."

Herman said that most of the studies conducted by SPH in China are observational, only requiring participants to fill out questionnaires, take blood pressure tests or give blood samples for DNA analysis.

She said concerns about consent from illiterate participants are unfounded.