Experts expelled from ADA conference embroiled in new controversy

Turmoil at the American Diabetes Association has taken a fresh turn, with leaders blocking editors at its flagship journal from publishing an opinion piece and first-person accounts detailing a high-profile controversy at the group’s own annual meeting just last month.

Nearly five weeks after five diabetes specialists were escorted out of a convention center in New Orleans for handing out reprints of an editorial expressing concern over cuts to federal research, the ADA’s flagship journal, Diabetes Care, was preparing to publish an editorial and several accounts detailing the episode, which drew national attention and prompted the ADA to both apologize for the evictions and pledge a formal review. But the organization says it delayed publication pending the outcome of that review — even as there is disagreement about how it is being carried out.

In the spiked editorial and personal accounts, now available on an open-access website, the diabetes specialists who were ejected in early June detail their treatment. Prominent ADA members, including past leaders and one who resigned in the wake of the confrontation, also express dismay over how the events were handled initially and afterward. All voice disappointment over the decision to suppress views opposing policies of the Trump administration while also disagreeing with how ADA’s leadership handled the episode and its aftermath.