Scientists ejected from diabetes conference for distributing journal reprints

Those ousted included ADA journal editor-in-chief Steven Kahn and former ADA president Desmond Schatz

See full article...

 

[Anadromous]

Every day, a new appalling avenue to explore.

This forever besmirches the ADA.

 

[DarthSlack]

So the ADA not only puts a disclaimer on an editorial pointing out the Trump administration is gutting research, they throw people out of the conference for the crime of distributing said editorial?

Sounds to me like the ADA needs new leadership.

Yesterday.

 

[xPutNameHerex]

Thank you for noting the ADA's role in this. I've seen other articles, including from some major publications, that frame it as the police removing the scientists for anti-Trump rhetoric.

Which look, sadly I wouldn't past parts of law enforcement doing that nowadays, but such framing gives the ADA exactly what it wants in trying to make it look like law enforcement was doing it so they can avoid responsibility and answering questions about why the ADA is so feckless that it must bow down to Trump.

 

[numerobis]

What is the relationship between the ADA and the government? I thought it was an independent non-profit.

 

[DarthSlack]

What is the relationship between the ADA and the government? I thought it was an independent non-profit.

ADA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, it's not part of the government. It's supposed to be about advocacy for diabetes research and patient care but clearly they're more worried about offending Trump than in letting diabetes researchers tell the truth.

And really, this is what everyone has to remember, companies and organizations that have a responsibility to stand up to Trump have instead kissed the ring.

 

[crepuscularbrolly]

“These attendees were escorted out by our onsite event security because they demonstrated behavior not consistent with this code of conduct,”

Code that states you have to kiss Trump’s ass?

 

[MacCruiskeen]

What is the relationship between the ADA and the government? I thought it was an independent non-profit.

"NIH director Jay Bhattacharya had been scheduled to speak. Bhattacharya cancelled and another NIH official spoke in his stead."

It's 'independent' but not independent of government money. To the extent that there still is any for research. Even though groveling for crumbs has proven to be a losing strategy with this administration, they're going to go with it anyways.

 

[aapis]

Right now is the best time to start actually standing up to the US government.

 

[TheBeezNeez]

Cases of Herpes have soared since multitudes of people have started kissing Trumps heinie!

 

[numerobis]

Right now is the best time to start actually standing up to the US government.

It's the second-best time. The best time would have been twenty years ago.

(Well, actually, that's already in Bush's second term.)

 

[Hypatia]

Guess which article from the ADA’s journal is about to become the most read in its history?

 

[numerobis]

ADA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, it's not part of the government. It's supposed to be about advocacy for diabetes research and patient care but clearly they're more worried about offending Trump than in letting diabetes researchers tell the truth.

And really, this is what everyone has to remember, companies and organizations that have a responsibility to stand up to Trump have instead kissed the ring.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that a charity heavily dependent on billionaires for funding would kowtow to the billionaires.

 

[darkghost]

Professional scientist here. I've come to tell you it's already too late. China has been nipping at our heels and was set to overtake the US at pace in around 10 years. Europe had been doing since amazing research lately as well with lots of great research coming out. Then this admin happened, and it's too late to get back in the race. It's inevitable. If the US reclaims it's title as the world's innovator in health research, it won't be for generations, certainly not in my life time. We simply do not value science and have not for at least 20 years but probably longer. We won't notice for another 5 to 10 years when we reflect back and wonder what the hell happened. Same as our industrial base. It's no one grand event, it's erosive politics and policy over time, and this admin is just the latest and most dramatic in a long series of policy moves to revert us back to the scientific backwater we were at the start of the 20th century.

We might have lost it all.... But at least we stuck it to the libs.

 

[SportivoA]

It's the second-best time. The best time would have been twenty years ago.

(Well, actually, that's already in Bush's second term.)

Euge, it's been that long. Still were some funny mock election results in school back then. Us kids' choices would have presumably set us up for a better future with more complete trust in science and available funding.


If this is too political for distribution at your own conference, surely it shouldn't grace this month's issue of your journal??

 

[MechR]

I came expecting news of a dumb copyright tussle, only to be reminded of the grimmer era we now live in

 

[YetAnotherBoris]

“Inappropriate conduct, including but not limited to harassment; threatening or unwelcome physical or verbal actions; or disorderly or disruptive conduct such as protesting, will not be tolerated.”

The ADA leadership then proceeds to threaten, harass, and have police physically manhandle its own members for daring to engage in ... communication... , at a ... conference...

 

[Bernardo Verda]

Seems to me that the ADA leadership's action in this incident simply, and very effectively, proved the ejected scientists position to be absolutely correct.

 

[dmsilev]

The Streisand Effect has been a thing for over twenty years now. Yet, somehow, the lesson never gets learned.

 

[TappedOut]

Right now is the best time to start actually standing up to the US government.

I would argue 2016 was the best time, but right now is pretty damned good, too.

 

[MacCruiskeen]

It's no one grand event, it's erosive politics and policy over time, and this admin is just the latest and most dramatic in a long series of policy moves to revert us back to the scientific backwater we were at the start of the 20th century.

Yes, the current adminstration's anti-science policy didn't appear out of thin air. It's been the goal of at least some faction of politics for decades. This is just their opportunity to take the sick dog out behind the barn and give it both both barrels.

 

[Wtcher]

They rely on fear to get neighbours, friends, and family members to police one another.

 

[marsiglio]

The USA will not remain a leader in medical and scientific research if organizations like the ADA automatically bow to political coersion. There was enough of this in centuries past to demonstrate that such censorship is never to be tolerated.

 

[InsanelyOne]

I'm a few years from retiring. Once I do I'm selling everything and leaving this country to never return. Good riddance USA. You had a good 250 year run but this experiment is coming to an end.

 

[mcswell]

Guess which article from the ADA’s journal is about to become the most read in its history?

In case anyone missed the link in the article to this editorial, here it is again: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/a...guided-Brushes-of-a-Pen-Continue-to-Dismantle. Spread it around!

 

[RunUpHill]

Huge props to these five scientists.

 

[UweHalfHand]

A contact email address is at <askada@diabetes.org>. I just sent them a short editorial opinion…

 

[SteveBigandTall]

ADA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, it's not part of the government. It's supposed to be about advocacy for diabetes research and patient care but clearly they're more worried about offending Trump than in letting diabetes researchers tell the truth.

And really, this is what everyone has to remember, companies and organizations that have a responsibility to stand up to Trump have instead kissed the ring.

I can see why some would be worried about 501(3)c status but that's not gonna help ya, they'll just find something else to strip that from ya.

 

[Bernardo Verda]

The ADA confirmed to MedPage Today that five registered scientists had been removed from the meeting, claiming the scientists had violated the organization’s code of conduct for conferences. “These attendees were escorted out by our onsite event security because they demonstrated behavior not consistent with this code of conduct,” the ADA media team said in a statement. “They were respectfully given the opportunity to cease this behavior and chose not to which is why they were escorted out.”

The most aggravating aspect of this story might be the sniveling manner in which the ADA leadership tried to cast the blame on these scientists.

The richly ironical reversal is that the "charges" leveled by the ADA leadership against the ejected members -- that they allegedly were violating the organization's Code Of Conduct -- quite evidently apply to the leadership's own actions, rather than to the claimed offenses of those they took action against.

 

[Bernardo Verda]

They rely on fear to get neighbours, friends, and family members to police one another.

And professional colleagues, it appears.

 

[Unclebugs]

All it takes for evil to succeed is for people to stand by and do nothing. Here, people did nothing, but throwing them out may just have the opposite effect because unlike in Iran, the internet is not being shut down . . . so far.

 

[kaibelf]

I hope the blowback on this is severe enough that anyone at ADA who facilitated this loses their professional head.

 

[ingramm]

Handing the future to China … one stupid move at a time. Thanks GOP

 

[OtherSystemGuy]

Wonder how long it'll take for membership to demand a recall vote for the entire ADA board.

 

[AustinAllan]

The Trump administration and it's synophancs are in full fascist mode. The ADA leadership has behaved as craven supplicates. I applaud the courageous stand taken by these physicians and urge others to stand with them.

 

[cgo_12345]

I challenge everyone that downvotes this to provide a relevant, reasonable and authoritive explanation.

You regurgitate AI slop, nobody owes you more explanation than that. Enjoy your well earned downvotes.

 

[AustinAllan]

I challenge everyone that downvotes this to provide a relevant, reasonable and authoritive explanation.

I asked AI about this and its initial response was that the ejection of five scientists from the ADA conference for distributing an editorial is highly uncommon and has sparked significant controversy. I think the AI was biased by the material it was trained on.

I added clarification and guidance. It admitted that 501(c)(3) organizations face strict legal prohibitions on engaging in partisan political activity.

Then I said that the material expressed criticism of President Trump and the administration. If material was also distributed expressing support of of President Trump and the administration then that could have caused problems, perhaps substantial problems. It then said my logic is so practical that it mirrors the actual rules of almost every large convention center.

Your argument is entirely specious. They were re-distributing an article from the ADA's own journal. Not some random political screed.

 

[walsall]

The Founding Fathers put their lives at risk to rise up against tyranny. Yet the wimps of today get on their knees before tyrants. Devolution…