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News
A growing rift inside the American Diabetes Association just went public. After the ADA released what critics called an inadequate investigation into the June ejection of five researchers from its annual meeting, a group of diabetes leaders announced a full boycott. The editors of Diabetes Care, the ADA's flagship journal, have also halted new manuscript submissions until the organization overhauls its leadership.
What started as a tense confrontation at a June conference has escalated into a full-blown institutional crisis for the American Diabetes Association. In June, five prominent diabetes researchers — including Diabetes Care editor-in-chief Steven Kahn — were escorted out of the ADA Scientific Sessions in New Orleans for distributing an editorial critical of NIH funding cuts. The ADA's CEO apologized, promised an independent investigation, and the diabetes community waited.
The results, released September 1, didn't land well. The ADA's audit and governance committee — itself made up partly of board members — concluded the five were removed for violating the meeting's code of conduct, not for the content of their editorial. Critics called the review insufficiently independent. Days later, the ADA acknowledged the investigation wasn't actually complete, saying additional interviews may "clarify or correct" the initial findings.
That was enough for a group of roughly 20 diabetes leaders — including past ADA leaders and journal editors — to announce a boycott on September 10. They demanded an externally led review of ADA's leadership structure, and the editorial team of Diabetes Care announced it would suspend new manuscript submissions until the standoff is resolved.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: The ADA is the nation's leading diabetes organization, and Diabetes Care is one of the most influential journals in the field. A prolonged boycott by top researchers and editors could disrupt scientific publishing, redirect major conference presentations to rival organizations, and threaten the ADA's fundraising and long-term credibility — all at a time when diabetes research funding is already under political pressure.
