On Friday morning, several diabetes experts were removed from the American Diabetes Association conference in New Orleans after they distributed copies of an editorial that criticized the Trump administration’s impact on scientific research. The editorial, published in Diabetes Care, highlighted how budget reductions and policy changes affected diabetes research and outcomes.
The incident occurred shortly before Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was slated to speak. However, a senior adviser took his place after an announcement that Dr. Bhattacharya was canceled. Aaron Kelly, a pediatrics professor at the University of Minnesota, was among those escorted out by security when distributing the editorial. Security attempted to seize the documents, leading to a tense situation captured on video by MedPage Today.
After re-entering the venue through another entrance, the researchers encountered security and police again. According to Dr. Kelly, the police warned them of trespassing and potential arrest if they returned. Justin Ryder, a pediatric obesity researcher at Northwestern Medicine, confirmed that conference badges were confiscated, and researchers were instructed not to return.
A representative for the Louisiana State Police stated that event organizers requested assistance to remove the individuals. The actions intend to prevent further distribution of the editorial that criticized NIH cuts and other policies.
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