More than 200 ADA members demand leadership resign after scientists expelled in New Orleans

Five researchers were removed from a major diabetes organization's annual scientific conference, a once-a-year gathering where clinicians present new findings and debate the direction of clinical practice, in New Orleans last month. More than 45 days on, more than 200 members of the American Diabetes Association have signed an open letter calling for CEO Charles Henderson and chief scientific and medical officer Rita Kalyani to step down. The ADA responded Tuesday by asking its membership for patience while a report is being prepared.

The expulsion and what followed

The removal happened at the 2026 Scientific Sessions, the ADA's primary annual conference, held in New Orleans. Five diabetes experts were removed from the meeting. No public explanation for why they were expelled has been provided. What has followed is more than 45 days without a published apology or an announced investigation from the ADA board, according to the open letter's signatories.

What the membership is asking for

The open letter was sent to the ADA board of directors last week. It carries more than 200 signatures and makes four requests: the resignation of Henderson and Kalyani, an independent investigation into the events at the 2026 Scientific Sessions, a full apology to the five colleagues who were removed, and the restoration of editorial independence at Diabetes Care.

That phrase, editorial independence, is worth pausing on. Diabetes Care is an ADA-affiliated scientific journal. Editorial independence, in this context, means the researchers and peer reviewers who run the publication operate without direction from the organization's administrative leadership. The letter's call to restore it implies members believe that standard has slipped.

The letter argued the ADA was founded by physicians and scientists who understood the organization's strength flows from the community it serves. That community is now telling the board, in the letter's framing, that the current path is unsustainable.

The ADA's position as of Tuesday

The ADA's response Tuesday did not announce personnel changes or publish findings from any review. It expressed appreciation for members' patience and said a report is being prepared. The open letter had already documented that more than 45 days had passed with the board taking no meaningful action.