Key facts
- Five scientists were escorted out of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) annual meeting and barred from the rest of the conference.
- The scientists were distributing an editorial published in ADA's journal, Diabetes Care, which sharply criticized the Trump administration's stance on scientific research.
- The ADA's deputy editors claim the organization refused to publish follow-up articles and opinion pieces related to the incident.
- The deputy editors allege ADA leadership knew in advance of the distribution and deliberately arranged for security and police intervention.
- The scientists are requesting a thorough investigation, a formal process for membership concerns, and support for its journal editors' publication decisions.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is facing renewed controversy after its deputy editors published an editorial and seven accompanying opinion articles on a preprint server, alleging the ADA refused to publish them. The articles detail troubling new information regarding the ousting of five prominent scientists from the ADA's annual meeting in New Orleans on June 5. These scientists were distributing an editorial critical of the Trump administration's approach to scientific research.
The deputy editors claim that ADA leadership was aware in advance of the scientists' actions and deliberately arranged for venue security and local police to escort them out, confiscating their badges and threatening arrest. This alleged pre-planned 'ambush' is a key new detail emerging from the published articles.
Initially, the ADA attempted to justify the removal by citing violations of the conference code of conduct and federal regulations for 501(c)(3) nonprofits regarding nonpartisanship. However, these justifications were widely criticized. Following significant backlash on social media and negative media coverage, ADA CEO Charles Henderson issued a video apology, acknowledging the incident was not reflective of the organization's values and promising an independent review.
Despite the apology, the five scientists, including Diabetes Care editor-in-chief Dr. Steven Kahn and former ADA President Desmond Schatz, state that little has been resolved. They report no direct meeting with ADA leadership, no official exoneration, and no identification of those responsible for the decision to remove them. They are now requesting a thorough investigation, the establishment of a formal process for addressing membership concerns, and greater transparency in patient advocacy and research funding support, including standing behind their journal editors' publication decisions.