In June 2026, a disturbing incident occurred at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) in New Orleans. Five leading scientists were ejected from the conference for distributing copies of an editorial published in the journal Diabetes Care, which strongly criticized the Trump administration’s ongoing attacks on scientific research.
The incident sparked widespread outrage and led to a personal apology from the ADA’s CEO. However, it appears that the organization has not yet learned its lesson.
According to an editorial and seven accompanying opinion articles posted on a preprint server by the deputy editors of Diabetes Care, the ADA leadership deliberately set up an ambush by venue security and local police. The ADA allegedly had advance knowledge that members would be handing out copies of the editorial and refused to publish the new articles, despite being provided with them in advance.
The ousted scientists included Steven Kahn, editor-in-chief of Diabetes Care, and Desmond Schatz, former ADA President. They were distributing the editorial outside the conference’s opening speech, which was originally scheduled to be given by Jay Bhattacharya, head of the National Institutes of Health under Trump.
The police reportedly escorted the scientists out of the conference in New Orleans, took their conference badges, and threatened to arrest them if they tried to return. The ADA subsequently barred the five scientists from the rest of the conference. Kahn had been slated to chair a symposium, but John Buse of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine took his place.
The backlash to the ADA’s actions has been swift and severe. Several ADA leaders have resigned, and a fiery letter signed by more than 40 ADA officials blasted the decision as ‘outrageous’ and the justifications as ‘unpersuasive’ and ‘fatuous nonsense.’ The community is overwhelmingly repulsed by the way this unfortunate event has occurred and been excused and justified by the Association leadership.
The controversy has also led to calls for an immediate and unconditional public apology, as well as a review of the incident. An open letter to the ADA, titled ‘Shame on You,’ has gathered over 7,500 signatures at the time of this publication.
The ADA’s response to the incident has been inconsistent and unconvincing. Initially, they tried to justify their decision by claiming that the scientists had violated the conference code of conduct. However, it was later revealed that the federal regulations do not restrict leaders of organizations from sharing political views in a personal capacity or from speaking on important public policy issues.
The incident has raised serious questions about the ADA’s commitment to scientific freedom and its willingness to silence dissenting voices. The controversy is a stark reminder of the importance of protecting academic freedom and the need for medical societies to prioritize transparency and accountability.
Source: Original article