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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
The American Diabetes Association has wrapped up its internal review of the June incident in which five researchers were removed from its annual meeting for distributing a journal editorial critical of federal research cuts. The ADA concluded the attendees violated its code of conduct — not for the editorial's content, but for disrupting the event. The expelled researchers say the review was neither truly independent nor transparent.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has officially closed its review of the June 5 incident at its annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, where five prominent diabetes researchers — dubbed the "New Orleans five" — were removed by security and police while distributing copies of a Diabetes Care editorial criticizing federal cuts to NIH research funding. The ADA's audit and governance committee concluded the researchers were removed for disrupting the event and violating the attendee code of conduct, and that the editorial's content played no role in their removal.
The five researchers — Steven Kahn, Maureen Gannon, Aaron Kelly, Justin Ryder, and Desmond Schatz — are pushing back. Lead author Kahn questioned the review's independence (two committee members sit on the ADA board), said it remains unclear what conduct rules were actually broken, and noted the group has never been shown the report. Renowned diabetes expert David Nathan, who was interviewed by the committee, called the review a "whitewash" and expressed concern about the organization's future.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: The controversy raises important questions about scientific freedom and institutional accountability. With federal research funding under political pressure, how major medical societies handle dissent — and whether their internal reviews hold up to scrutiny — has real implications for the broader research community.
