In an interview with Dr. Adams, a striking violation of privacy rules and regulations. See below:
So in my previous employment arrangement, I was a faculty member at the State University of New York, Albany. Embedded in the SUNY system is the RNA Institute, which is a strange cross hybrid of SUNY faculty that work on RNA related research questions, yet try to be a commercial entity. Consequently I did a little research into this, and the RNA Institute is still owned by SUNY, and have no legal authority to operate as an independent entity.
I have to say that my entire time at SUNY was an absolute nightmare. Because I worked at the RNA Institute, the SUNY system was relentlessly annoying about my position, and the work I performed. And the RNA Institute was bothered that I would have hallway conversations with SUNY colleges because we had neighboring offices. However, needless to say, not everyone at the RNA Institute was bad. Some members at the RNA Institute had their own share of issues with the system and the inherent setup of the system.
In this post I am making everyone aware that the RNA Institute completely violates all confidentiality or does little to correct the actions of a few, and essentially does what they want. For instance, when you go on a job interview, the normal practice is to provide a curriculum vitae (CV) to the prospective employer. Professional curtesy is that, this piece of information is held in confidence, and really only used to gauge the expertise of the candidate for position of hire. When I started my position, however, this group decided to post the my CV everywhere on the web, and on their website. And more importantly, without my consent!
“It was just a strange feeling” said Dr. Adams when interviewed about the process. “If I want to put my name out into the academic community, theres something called LinkedIn and Facebook. Those are the platforms to do so.
Dr. Adams continued, “Why would I want my CV that contains specific institutional information all over the internet? It was like they wanted to use me to promote their Institute.”
Initially however I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I thought well maybe it was just an honest mistake. When I spoke to administrators at the RNA Institute about taking my CV off their servers, they said they would. However, still to this day the file is hosted on their website, and worse it is still searchable.
“I don’t even work at the RNA Institute anymore.”
The RNA Institute needs to remove the CV from their servers. I no longer have an affiliation with the group and I no longer am physically located at the Albany location. There is no reason my CV should be hosted on their site.
Essentially I am going to post this every week and on every news outlet until the issue is taken care of.
This is one of the reasons I started my own gig. I thought well If SUNY can allow an illegal entity to operate without proper protocols and licenses, then why couldn’t I start my own group that operates within the rules and regulations of CT.
“We want to make a difference in people lives.” Dr. Adams stated.
It takes time to really make meaningful change, however I am grateful for my friends who have supported my journey. At my Institute, I believe in respecting all colleagues and working in the utmost professional manner.
I close this post, by reaching out to the local community to see if anyone else has had similar issues at their institution(s), or within the NY system, because this type of behavior cannot be tolerated.
Thank you so much the continued support. For comments or suggestions regarding this segment please send us an email at braininstituteamericaposts@gmail.com
-Brian D. Adams, President and CEO of The Brain Institute of America
