FILE NO. TLC-PO-001 Walter J. Rogan , MD
Epidemiology Branch — Environmental Diseases & Medicine Program, Division of Intramural Research, NIEHS
- Site
- NIEHS
- Affiliation
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
- TLC era
- 1990s
- Tags
- Principal InvestigatorProject OfficerNIEHS LeadershipEpidemiology
Dr. Rogan's research focused on the effect of pollutant chemicals on the growth and development of children. He was involved in three major cohort studies before TLC: the North Carolina PCB/DDT cohort (children born 1978–1982, followed through puberty); the Taiwan Yu-Cheng food-poisoning cohort (transplacental PCB/PCDF exposure); and a Mexico DDE-weaning study.
Rogan received a BA in Biology from LaSalle College, an MD from UCSF, and an MPH in Biostatistics from UC Berkeley. He joined NIEHS as a Staff Associate in 1976 and rose through Medical Officer in the Epidemiology Branch (until 1986), Chief of Epidemiology (1986–1991), Associate Director of the Division of Biometry and Risk Assessment (through 1993), and Acting Clinical Director of the Division of Intramural Research (through 1997).
Founding chair of the NIEHS Institute Clinical Review Subpanel (now IRB) from 1980 to 1983; member of the NIEHS IRB from 1983 to 1993; and chair of the NIEHS IRB from 1992 to 1993 — the period during which TLC was reviewed and approved.
Principal Investigator and NIEHS Project Officer for the Treatment of Lead-Exposed Children trial. Appointed Project Officer for Contract N01-ES-35362 by HHS on June 25, 1993 — the same day the contract was awarded to Kennedy Krieger Institute.
Led publication of the 2001 primary outcome paper (NEJM), the 1999 contaminated-vitamin recall paper, and coordination of the 7-year follow-up. Primary author on the majority of TLC publications from 1998 through 2014.
Held a structural conflict of interest spanning two decades: PI of the trial AND positioned on every major policy body that interpreted the trial's results. AAP Committee on Environmental Hazards liaison (1984–1986) → TLC PI (1993–2004) → ACCLPP ex-officio member who presented TLC results (2004) → NIEHS liaison on the AAP committee that cited TLC to recommend against chelation (2005). Available meeting minutes do not document recusal or conflict-of-interest disclosure.
- 1976 Joined NIEHS as Staff Associate
- 1986 Appointed Chief of Epidemiology, NIEHS
- 1992 Chair, NIEHS IRB (during TLC review)
- 1993 Appointed Project Officer for TLC, day the contract was awarded
- 1999 Published vitamin-contamination recall paper
- 2001 Lead author, TLC primary NEJM publication
- 2004 Presented TLC results to ACCLPP as ex-officio member
- 2005 NIEHS liaison on AAP committee that cited TLC against chelation
- 2014 Final TLC follow-up publication
“We proposed to Dr. Olden that we do a clinical trial.”
“These results do not support conducting another trial.”