ADA CEO Releases Independent Review of June
An independent review commissioned by the American Diabetes Association found that attendees were removed from the June Scientific Sessions for disruptive
American Diabetes Association CEO Chuck Henderson has released the findings of an independent review into the controversial removal of several attendees from the organization's Scientific Sessions in New Orleans on June 5. The review, conducted by five independent volunteer investigators, directly examined two major claims that fueled public anger following the incident.
The first claim asserted that the ADA suppressed a viewpoint by removing individuals for distributing an editorial critical of federal research cuts. The review found this claim had no merit. The editorial in question was published in the ADA's own journal, Diabetes Care. According to the review, people were asked to leave due to repeated disruptive conduct during a session, which violated the conference code of conduct, not due to the substance of the materials they were handing out.
The second claim was that the ADA called in police to intervene against its own members. The review found this did not happen. While security personnel, including some off-duty police officers acting in a security capacity, were on-site, the investigation found no evidence that anyone from the ADA placed a call to the New Orleans Police Department.
Acknowledged Failures and Communication Gaps
Henderson stated he shares the findings not to declare the event a nonissue, but to replace assumptions with established facts. He acknowledged that ADA staff and security did not get everything right. The review identified missed opportunities for better communication from both staff and security personnel in the moments before and during the disruption.
"Let me be clear: We didn't," Henderson wrote regarding getting everything right. The organization states it takes these communication failures seriously.
Context of Advocacy and Community Anxiety
Henderson contextualized the incident within a period of deep anxiety across the medical research community about the future of federal funding. He noted that significant cuts to diabetes research funding have been proposed in recent budget cycles, though most have not materialized due to community advocacy.
He highlighted the ADA's role in ongoing pushback against a White House Office of Management and Budget proposal that would have allowed political appointees, rather than career grantmaking processes, to decide which research gets funded. This advocacy has had an impact: the Senate recently added language to a pending continuing resolution to block the OMB rule, and the ADA is pressing for the same language in House legislation.
A Call for Unified Focus on Larger Threats
The CEO argued that the community cannot afford to spend time fighting itself. He expressed concern that every hour spent contesting the story of one difficult day is an hour not spent on the fight that will determine the next decade of diabetes research.
"That fight has one opponent: policy that harms the health and research interests of the diabetes community," Henderson stated. He called for holding two things at once: a clear-eyed accounting of what occurred in June and a shared recognition that researchers, clinicians, and advocates in the community remain each other's strongest allies against larger threats to their work. He concluded by expressing confidence that the community can choose to face outward together again, as it has after past disagreements.
