A cancer research scandal involving fabricated data at Duke University has drawn renewed attention as it unfolded during the tenure of Sally Kornbluth, who was then dean overseeing clinical research at Duke Medical School and is now president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The scandal centered on a fraudulent cancer breakthrough, including a fake algorithm purportedly recommending optimal drug treatments and a key researcher falsely presented as a Rhodes Scholar. Warnings about the research fraud had accumulated over several years before the case became public. Kornbluth has acknowledged the incident and stated that the experience has significantly influenced her leadership approach. The case has sparked broader concerns about academic fraud and integrity in medical research, highlighting challenges faced by elite institutions such as MIT and Duke in appointing senior leaders. The controversy also reflects a growing skepticism toward scientific research due to repeated instances of fraud in both randomized controlled trials and observational studies.