The conflict began at the American Diabetes Association's Scientific Sessions when Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health, was invited as keynote speaker. Scientists objected to his role in slashed research grants. Dr. Steven Kahn of the University of Washington organized distribution of an editorial decrying federal funding cuts before the speech.
On June 5, colleagues distributed 1,000 printouts around the lecture hall. Security guards—some armed—seized editorials, grabbed researchers, and expelled five scientists, dubbed the New Orleans Five. Some were threatened with arrest upon return. The event, expected to draw over 12,000 attendees, exposed tensions between the nonprofit and researchers fighting a disease affecting more than 40 million Americans.
Since September, Dr. Kahn has co-led a boycott with nearly 1,200 experts refusing to work with the American Diabetes Association's medical journals or present at conferences. At Diabetes Care, editors stopped editing and submissions slowed. The A.D.A. conceded three of the expelled researchers "likely shouldn't have been removed," but the partial apology failed to end the standoff.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing