Australia’s medical regulator has said it is investigating the AFL’s former concussion adviser and world-renowned concussion expert, neurologist Dr Paul McCrory.
McCrory resigned as chair of the Concussion in Sport Group on 5 March after being accused of plagiarising stories in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, with the journal removing one of his editorials from 2005 for alleged “unlawful and indefensible breach of copyright” of the work of Prof Steve Haake.
McCrory has since been accused of further plagiarism, and reportedly apologised, telling website Retraction Watch that he had requested the papers in question be retracted and “the errors were not deliberate or intentional”. It is understood that the investigation by the medical regulator does not relate to the plagiarism allegations. McCrory has not responded to questions about the allegations from Guardian Australia.
Separately, on 16 March, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency [Ahpra] told Guardian Australia that in May 2018 McCrory “provided an enforceable undertaking to the Medical Board of Australia that he will not perform neurodiagnostic procedures, nerve conduction studies, or electromyography until approved to do so by the board”.
That undertaking is still in effect. Ahpra said privacy provisions in the national law prevent the agency from revealing why the undertaking was given. Ahpra said that, speaking generally, medical regulatory agencies “can accept an undertaking from a practitioner to limit the practitioner’s practice in some way if this is necessary to protect the public”.
“An undertaking is voluntarily entered into by a practitioner as opposed to a ‘condition’, which is imposed on a practitioner’s registration.”
They added that “current undertakings which relate to a practitioner’s health are mentioned on the national register but details are not provided”.
Guardian Australia does not suggest that there is any issue with McCrory’s health or that his professional practice poses any risk to the public. McCrory has not responded to questions from Guardian Australia as to why he provided the enforced undertaking.
The undertaking does not prevent McCrory from working as a neurologist or seeing patients, but means he can not perform the procedures listed as part of the undertaking.
An AFL spokesperson said McCrory ceased to be involved with the league’s concussion committees or working groups in January 2021, and has not been involved in such a capacity with the league since. The spokesperson said McCrory continues to see past and present AFL players on referral from club doctors and GPs but does so in a private consulting capacity without funding from the AFL and without any reporting obligation to the AFL.
A practice manager at the Neurology Network in Melbourne, where McCrory has a private practice, said; “To our knowledge, he has conducted his practice consistent with his level of accreditation”.
However, on Tuesday an Ahpra spokesperson told Guardian Australia that McCrory is being investigated. In recent weeks, players have spoken to the media describing the medical treatment they received from McCrory for their concussion injuries.
The Ahpra spokesperson said they were limited in what they could say publicly but were “aware of allegations in the media” about McCrory’s compliance with the undertaking on his registration.
“We take such allegations seriously and will be investigating them.
“We cannot comment further.”
On Thursday the AFL announced a comprehensive and independent review of McCrory’s work, including his clinical treatment of players.
An AFL spokesperson said: “As is common practice in academic institutions and other organisations in which allegations of plagiarism are made or admitted, the AFL believes it is important as a matter of integrity to ascertain the status and the reliability of past research activities and outcomes, and clinical work in which Dr McCrory has been involved for the AFL.”
Guardian Australia revealed on Friday that the league has been unable to answer questions from former players asking the AFL what became of AFL-led concussion studies they took part in, and how their sensitive medical data including brain scans, were used. Repeated requests for answers to questions about those studies from Guardian Australia have also gone unanswered.
Do you know more? melissa.davey@theguardian.com
