Several diabetes experts were removed by police from a renowned medical conference after they distributed an editorial critical of the Trump administration’s handling of scientific research. This occurred Friday morning at the American Diabetes Association meeting in New Orleans. The event was scheduled to feature Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as a speaker. However, moments before his session, it was announced he would not be speaking, and a senior adviser at the NIH took his place.
The researchers were giving out copies of the editorial published in Diabetes Care, the association’s leading journal. The editorial outlined the impact of cuts by the NIH and other actions taken by the Trump administration on diabetes research and patient outcomes. Security staff intervened to confiscate the papers and asked the researchers to leave, said Aaron Kelly, a pediatrics professor at the University of Minnesota, who was among those removed. A video by MedPage Today captures a heated exchange, with a uniformed individual placing hands on one of the experts.
The researchers attempted to re-enter through a different entrance but faced police and security again. Dr. Kelly noted, “They were clearly trying to intimidate us.” Justin Ryder, a pediatric obesity researcher from Northwestern Medicine, was involved in distributing the editorial and reported that the police warned they would be trespassing and arrested if they returned.
A Louisiana State Police spokesperson stated that event organizers had requested assistance in removing certain attendees. The researchers confirmed that their access badges were confiscated, and they were instructed not to return.