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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Just days after declaring its review complete, the American Diabetes Association says its investigation into the removal of five researchers from its June annual meeting isn't finished after all. The audit and governance committee acknowledged its initial findings didn't capture the full scope of interviews conducted — raising fresh questions about transparency and accountability at one of diabetes medicine's most prominent organizations.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is walking back its own investigation. Just days after announcing it had concluded its review of the June incident in which five researchers — dubbed the "New Orleans Five" — were forcibly removed from its annual Scientific Sessions for distributing a Diabetes Care editorial critical of NIH funding cuts, the ADA now says the work isn't done. Its audit and governance committee admitted that its initial findings "did not take into account the full breadth and depth" of the investigation, including interviews conducted after the preliminary conclusions were drafted.
The five researchers — Steven Kahn, Maureen Gannon, Aaron Kelly, Justin Ryder, and Desmond Schatz — were only interviewed individually shortly before the original report was released, after months of requesting a group interview. None of them received a copy of the original report. The committee has since emailed the five, promising a "final report" to the full board "in the weeks ahead," though no firm timeline was given.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: The ADA's reversal raises serious concerns about governance and transparency at a major medical organization — and signals that the controversy over scientific freedom and institutional accountability in diabetes research is far from resolved.
