BOSTON - The former medical director of an exclusive Massachusetts prep school was reprimanded for using a school computer to access adult pornography, one of the many reasons his appointment was not renewed, the school says.

But John Palfrey, the head of Phillips Academy in Andover, stressed in a Friday email to students, parents, staff and faculty that the schools concerns with Dr. Richard Keller are unrelated to a federal child pornography charge against him. Palfrey said he does not believe any of the students were the subject of Kellers alleged crime.

Keller, 56, a pediatric endocrinologist, was arrested at his Andover home Thursday. He remained in custody Friday and has a Monday bail hearing. Both Childrens Hospital in Boston, where he works, and Harvard Medical School, where he is a pediatrics instructor, say they have placed him on leave.

Federal prosecutors allege that Keller purchased and ordered more than 50 DVDs of child pornography online. During a search of his home, authorities found more than 500 photographs and 60 to 100 DVDs of child pornography, according to an affidavit.

Keller was the medical director at Phillips Academy in Andover for 19 years.

Palfrey said in the email that the school told Keller in April of last year that his contract would not be renewed. Palfrey said Keller resigned and left that same month.

Palfrey said the school did not renew Kellers contract because of professional misconduct unrelated to the federal charge. He said the reasons included the reprimand in 1999, an inappropriate cartoon Keller showed students in 2002, and an inappropriate voicemail he left a colleague in 2010.

Childrens Hospital has said no complaints or concerns have been expressed by any patients or family members about the care Keller provided to them at Childrens.

Paige Kelly, a federal public defender who represented Keller in court after his arrest, didnt return a call seeking comment. If convicted, Keller faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison.

Phillips Academy in Andover is one of the nations most selective prep schools and alumni include both presidents Bush, Jack Lemmon and Humphrey Bogart.

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Phillips Academy: Ex-med chief used computer for porn

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The Boston Children's Hospital pediatric doctor charged with receipt of child pornography was disciplined for using a school computer to access adult pornography when he was medical director at Phillips Academy boarding school, school officials said Friday.

Richard Keller, 56, who is also a pediatrics clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School, was the medical director at Philips Academy for 19 years, according to John Palfrey, the head of the school.

In an e-mail to faculty, staff, students, alumni and parents on Friday, Palfrey said Keller was reprimanded in 1999 for using an academy computer to access pornography that featured adult subjects, and in 2002 was reprimanded for showing an inappropriate cartoon to students.

According to Palfrey, Keller was cited for "poor management and poor judgment," leading the Andover, Massachusetts, school to place him on administrative probation in 2009.

Palfrey went on to say that as recently as 2010, Keller sent an inappropriate voice-mail message to a colleague at the school. A claim by Keller that the school had discriminated against him was determined to be "groundless," according to Palfrey.

In April 2011, the academy informed Keller that his contract would not be renewed. The doctor resigned that month, the school said.

"We have no reason to believe that any of our students were involved in, or affected by, Dr. Keller's alleged criminal behavior," Palfrey said, adding the federal case made Thursday against Keller is unrelated to alleged misconduct at Phillips.

Keller's name came to the attention of authorities after the U.S. Postal Inspection Service began a 2010 investigation into a movie production company that sold films featuring minor boys, according to the criminal complaint.

Investigators conducted a review of the company's customer database and located alleged customer Richard Keller, who had two addresses listed, authorities said.

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Boston Children's Hospital pediatric doctor allegedly used school computer to access adult pornography

By Chelsea Conaboy, Globe Staff

When Dr. Richard Keller, the Boston Childrens Hospital pediatrician who had served 19 years as the medical director at Phillips Academy in Andover, was arrested Thursday on charges of receiving child pornography, school officials said the private boarding high school had refused to renew Kellers contract last year. They would not say why.

In an e-mail to parents, students, faculty, staff, and alumni Friday evening, Head of School John Palfrey provided more details and disclosed that Keller had been reprimanded in 1999 for using a school computer to view adult pornography. Palfrey wrote:

As always, our highest priority is the safety of our students. We offer many layers of support to ensure their well being while in our care. We have no reason to believe that any of our students were involved in, or affected by, Dr. Kellers alleged criminal behavior.

These are the facts surrounding Dr. Kellers departure from Phillips Academy. Dr. Keller was employed for 19 years as the schools physician on a year-to-year contract. In April, 2011, Phillips Academy informed Dr. Keller that his annual contract would not be renewed. Dr. Keller resigned his appointment and left the school that same month.

The reasons for the schools decision not to renew his appointment involved professional misconduct unrelated to the charges Dr. Keller faces from the US Attorneys office. The facts that led up to the schools decision not to renew Dr. Kellers contract were several; no single incident led to this decision. The salient facts include the following. In 1999, Dr. Keller was reprimanded for using an academy computer to access pornography involving adult subjects. In 2002, Dr. Keller was reprimanded for showing an inappropriate cartoon to students. Dr. Keller was also cited for poor management and poor judgment, which led the school to place him on administrative probation in 2009. In 2010, Dr. Keller sent an inappropriate voice-mail message to a colleague at the school. Dr. Keller subsequently claimed that the school had discriminated against him. The school investigated Dr. Kellers claim and determined it to be groundless. Upon conclusion of that investigation, the school informed Dr. Keller that his contract would not be renewed for violating his administrative probation.

We will continue to assist the US Attorneys office in all aspects of this investigation, while responding to the needs of our community in the days ahead. We encourage anyone with any information as it pertains to these charges to contact the US Attorneys office.

Keller has been placed on leave from his roles at Childrens Hospital and as part-instructor at Harvard Medical School, a role he has had since 1992.

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Dr. Richard Keller was reprimanded for viewing adult porn on Phillips Academy computer, head of school says

GE Healthcare pledged $32.9 million over 10 years Thursday for an imaging research facility at UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

The company and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation also announced an agreement for intellectual property and licensing practices from the research. Their 11-year collaboration has already resulted in 200 inventions and more than 80 filed U.S. patents, WARF said.

The imaging facility, to be located in the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research near UW Hospital, will focus on applications of medical imaging such as personalized medicine. For example, molecular scans of cancer patients' tumors after initial doses of chemotherapy could help doctors check if the drugs selected are best for the patients.

"That can save patients a tremendous amount of challenges associated with chemotherapy," said Dr. Thomas Grist, chairman of radiology at the UW medical school.

GE Healthcare plans to invest the $32.9 million in equipment, researchers and research support. Some equipment might be installed this year, with the imaging center expected to be fully functional by early 2014.

It will be in the second tower of the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research, which is expected to open by the end of 2013. The $135 million, nine-story building, supported by $67 million in state funding, will also house the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research and labs focusing on cardiovascular diseases, neuroscience and other areas.

The building is part of a $600 million, three-tower hub expected to eventually house some 1,700 researchers and lab workers. No date has been set for construction of the third tower to begin.

GE Healthcare's new partnership with the medical school could create up to 100 research scientist and related jobs, press materials said. The company employs about 6,500 people in Wisconsin, including about 700 at a plant on Madison's Southeast Side.

The partnership could lead to advances like a vascular MRI scanning technique already developed through the company's partnership with the university, officials said.

"The technology that we develop here will help health care around the world, as well as right here in Wisconsin," said Tom Gentile, president and chief executive officer of the company.

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GE Healthcare pledges $32.9M for imaging research facility at UW School of Medicine

Northampton Community College's (NCC) Alumni Association will hold its annual Recipes for Success 2012 Alumni Awards Presentation on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 5:30 p.m. at Alumni Hall, Gates Center.

The honorees will be Joan Christopher 91, Distinguished Service to NCC; Walter Bartholomew 97, Distinguished Service to the Community Award; Maryann Haytmanek, Educator's Award; Michael Caruso, Honorary Alumnus Award; Tara Fetzer 06, Outstanding Young Alumna Award; Richard Patricia 89, Professional Achievement Award; and John Posh 88, President's Award.

Christopher has been a volunteer of the Alumni Associations Fundraising Committee providing support to the annual White House dinner and auction. She has freelanced for Broadcast Images, Clark Production and RCN TV4, and is a radio/TV graduate of NCC. She lives in Northampton.

Bartholomew, an NCC alumnus, is scientific advisor to Teleflex Medical, Perouse Medical and Personal Medical Devices. He is also the board director of the Lehigh Valley Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He lives in Nazareth.

Haytmanek is the project director for NCC's New Choices, KEYS and Benefits Access for College Completion programs. She serves as co-president for Pennsylvania Women Work, part of the National Network for Women's Employment. She lives in Allentown.

Caruso is the founder and board chairman of Caruso Benefits Group. He is on the Lehigh Valley Partnership board of directors and acts as chairperson of the Lehigh Tower Society for Planned Giving. He is a past president of the NCC Foundation. He lives in Bethlehem.

Fetzer, an alumna of NCC's veterinary technician program, received her doctorate in veterinary medicine from North Carolina State University. She is a small animal intern/instructor at Texas A & M University College of Veterinary Medicine. She lives in College Station, Texas.

Patricia, a radio/TV graduate of NCC, is a broadcast media art teacher at Warren County Technical School, where he was named "Teacher of the Year, 2011-12. He is also a professional videographer. He lives in Phillipsburg.

Posh is an NCC alumnus in radiographic technology, who completed a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. He is the director of the MRI internship program at the University of Pennsylvania and an adjunct lecturer in radiology and forensics at Quinnipiac University. He lives in Bethlehem.

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Alumni Awards mixer held at Northampton Community College

NORTHBRIDGE An open house took place yesterday afternoon at a home designed by Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School students for two school alumni who have 10-year-old twin boys with cerebral palsy.

The students also raised money to build the specially equipped four-bedroom home on Rebecca Road for Christopher and Amy Murray and their three children, twins Michael and Eric and 7-year old Katie.

The Murrays, who currently live on Benson Road, plan to start moving into their new home Sept. 20.

Christopher is a 1992 graduate of the school, and Amy is a 1994 graduate. About 200 students at the school, including graduated drafting student Eli Lurie, who designed the house, played a major role in several facets of the home, according to school health service instructor Janice Muldoon-Moors.

It was a tremendous effort by the students at the school, she said

I am absolutely proud of the efforts of the students at the school, Valley Tech vocational coordinator Thomas R Bellard said.

Students held several fundraisers to benefit the home-building effort.

Mrs. Murray said the twins' medical condition they have spastic quadriphegia cerebral palsy means they can't move their arms and legs, which could leave them in danger if fire struck the house.

The boys attend the Kennedy Day School in Brighton.

The home is totally handicapped-accessible and includes a lift in the boys' bedroom that will get them out of bed. A powered chair will be built in their room that can take them to the specially equipped bathroom attached to the bedroom. Ms. Muldoon-Moors said the Wilcox Foundation is giving a $10,000 grant to pay for a generator that will supply power to run the special equipment if the electricity goes out.

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Valley Tech students design house for twins with cerebral palsy

NORTHBRIDGE An open house took place Wednesday afternoon at a home designed by Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School students for two school alumni who have 10-year-old twin boys with cerebral palsy.

The students also raised money to build the specially equipped four-bedroom home on Rebecca Road for Christopher and Amy Murray and their three children, twins Michael and Eric and 7-year-old Katie.

The Murrays, who currently live on Benson Road, plan to start moving into their new home Sept.20.

Christopher is a 1992 graduate of the school, and Amy is a 1994 graduate. About 200 students at the school, including graduated drafting student Eli Lurie, who designed the house, played a major role in several facets of the home, according to school health service instructor Janice Muldoon-Moors.

It was a tremendous effort by the students at the school, she said

I am absolutely proud of the efforts of the students at the school, Valley Tech vocational coordinator Thomas R Bellard said.

Students at the school also held several fundraisers to benefit the home-building effort.

Mrs. Murray said the twin boys medical condition they have spastic quadriphegia cerebral palsy means they cant move their arms and legs, which could leave them in danger if fire struck the house.

The boys attend the Kennedy Day School in Brighton.

The home is totally handicapped-accessible and includes a lift in the boys bedroom that will get them out of bed. A powered chair will be built in their room that can take them to the specially equipped bathroom attached to the bedroom. Ms. Muldoon-Moors said the Wilcox Foundation is giving a $10,000 grant to pay for a generator that will supply power to run the special equipment if the electricity goes out.

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BV students design very special home

MADISON, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Imagine a place where doctors can tell patients in advance if cancer treatment will work for them, without going through an entire course of chemotherapy.

The University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health, GE Healthcare and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) today announced new agreements focused on bringing that vision to life. The agreements celebrate 30+ years of research collaboration and technology invention with an anticipated $32.9 million GE investment in a state-of-the-art imaging research facility. The center will be located in the Wisconsin Institutes for Medical Research (WIMR), which is connected to the UW Health Sciences Learning Center and UW Hospital and Clinics.

The 10-year research agreement, under which GE research support is re-evaluated and committed annually, comprises GE Healthcare providing up to $32.9 million in anticipated research support, including cash funding, diagnostic imaging equipment and research personnel, to support its collaborative research program with UWs existing Departments of Radiology and Medical Physics, which plans to expand its research activities into additional space in WIMR.

A new patent and technology agreement between GE Healthcare and WARF governs the intellectual property and licensing practices of the research agreement. According to WARF, during the past 11 years collaborations between GE and UW researchers have resulted in nearly 200 invention disclosures, more than 80 filed U.S. patents and numerous licensing agreements and technology improvements.

Through our collaboration with GE Healthcare, we will have one of the few imaging centers in the world that brings together state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging systems with physicians, engineers and scientists focused on improving patient care and personalizing medicine, in an environment that is connected to an outstanding academic medical center at UW Hospital, said Dr. Thomas Grist, chair of the department of radiology at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

The center will also be a nexus for the development of new products for GE and other Wisconsin-based start-up companies that arose from research in the Departments of Radiology and Medical Physics, like Neuwave, Novellos, and Tomotherapy, Grist added.

Tom Gentile, president and CEO, GE Healthcare Systems, GE Healthcare, said the partnership will have not only a global but a local impact. GE Healthcares research collaboration with UW-Madison not only will yield significant economic benefits to the state of Wisconsin but it will enable us to partner to create protocols that will fundamentally change clinical care both here and around the world, Gentile said. I am proud of GEs longstanding relationship with these important thought leaders in medical imaging.

The agreement ushers in the next frontier of medical and imaging research, according to UW School of Medicine and Public Health Dean Robert Golden. The long and productive partnership with GE Healthcare has yielded many advancements in imaging, and we look forward to the next era in research, said Golden.

Additional research programs anticipated through the joint UW/GE Healthcare program include:

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UW, GE Announce Anticipated $32.9MM Investment toward Next Frontier in Diagnostic Imaging and Radiology