Editors of Diabetes Care, the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) flagship medical journal, have joined a boycott of the organization launched Sept. 10 by a group of diabetes researchers and clinicians.
STAT reported on Sept. 11 that four of the journal's editors will no longer review manuscript submissions, the latest escalation in a dispute over the ADA's removal of five members from its June meeting. The four are Editor-in-Chief Steven Kahn, Cheryl Anderson of UC San Diego, John Buse of the University of North Carolina, and Elizabeth Selvin of Johns Hopkins.
The status of the journal is now in dispute. The editors posted a notice on the journal's submission page saying editorial review of new manuscripts was suspended as of Sept. 10, Retraction Watch reported. That notice was later removed. A banner on the ADA's professional website and journals now says the association continues to accept and review all new and previously submitted manuscripts.
This is a professional dispute, not a patient safety issue. Nothing about it changes a prescription, a blood sugar target, a screening schedule, or insulin coverage.
The Dispute That Led Here
The conflict began June 5 at the ADA's Scientific Sessions in New Orleans. Kahn and four other members, Maureen Gannon, Aaron Kelly, Justin Ryder, and Desmond Schatz, were escorted out after handing out copies of a Diabetes Care editorial on federal research funding cuts. ADA CEO Charles Henderson later apologized in a video to the five members and announced that the events would be reviewed.
On Sept. 1, the ADA's Audit and Governance Committee released its review of the June events. It concluded that the five were removed because their conduct disrupted the event and violated the ADA Attendee Code of Conduct, and that the content of the material they were handing out was unrelated to their removal.
Boycott organizers reject those findings. "The investigation has been a sham, and the report is in line with that; i.e., it tries to exonerate those in charge of the ADA," Kahn wrote on LinkedIn on Sept. 10, according to Retraction Watch.
The boycott letter, addressed to the ADA board, sets out its terms. According to Healio's reporting on the letter, signers say they will not attend meetings led by ADA leadership or the board, including the 2027 Scientific Sessions. They also say they will not take part in other ADA activities, including presentations, fundraisers, grant reviews, manuscript reviews, journal management, manuscript submissions, or position statements. The boycott is to continue until the board allows a formal, independent review of the organization's structure and function. The letter also alleges that ADA leadership blocked publication of opinion pieces and an editorial that Diabetes Care had accepted about the June events.
The ADA has responded briefly. "We are aware of the efforts taking place," an ADA spokesperson told STAT. "We remain focused on serving the millions of people counting on us to deliver on our mission."
Kahn told STAT the editors' action is effectively "a strike against a major corporation." He said the boycott reflects members' view that the nonprofit's leadership "is operating like a corporate board, rather than leadership of a membership organization." Kahn told Fierce Biotech that hundreds of people had signed the letter, a figure that has not been independently verified.
The Reach and Limits of a Peer Review Boycott
A peer review boycott does not retract published papers or erase anything already in print. Diabetes Care remains online, and the ADA says its journals continue to operate.
The editors see it differently. "How exactly does the ADA think any meaningful editorial work is going to happen when the entire editorial board is boycotting?" Michael Haller, a University of Florida pediatric endocrinologist and associate editor of the journal, wrote on LinkedIn, according to Retraction Watch.
Peer review depends on unpaid expert volunteers, and experienced reviewers are hard to replace quickly. If senior reviewers withdraw for long, papers may take longer to move through review, and some authors may send their work elsewhere. The boycott's inclusion of position statements could also matter over time, because the ADA's Standards of Care in Diabetes shape how many U.S. clinicians manage the disease. Those guidelines remain in effect and unchanged.
What It Means for Patients and Researchers
People living with diabetes do not need to do anything. Keep scheduled appointments, continue prescribed medications, and follow the care plan a clinician has set. Nobody should change diabetes care because of an organizational dispute, and anyone with concerns can raise them with their clinician. The ADA says its programs and events continue without interruption.
Any effect on patients would be indirect and slow. Professional societies turn research into guidelines, and guidelines shape what clinicians do. A long dispute that slows the research review process could eventually delay guideline updates, but that would be a concern over years, not weeks.
Researchers and trainees may feel the effects sooner. Early-career scientists often depend on grant reviews, conference presentations, and journal publication to advance, and those are among the activities the boycott covers.
Several questions remain open. It is not yet clear how many manuscripts are actually being reviewed, whether the ADA will replace editors, or whether the board will agree to the independent review the boycott demands. The ADA's position is that the June removals were consistent with its code of conduct. MedicalDaily will report further developments as they are confirmed.
Key Questions Answered
What happened? Editors of Diabetes Care, the ADA's flagship journal, joined a boycott of the organization launched Sept. 10. STAT reported that four editors will no longer review manuscript submissions.
Why are they boycotting? Signers object to the removal of five members from the ADA's June Scientific Sessions for handing out a journal editorial on federal research funding cuts, and to how ADA leadership handled the aftermath.
What does the boycott cover? ADA meetings, including the 2027 Scientific Sessions, plus presentations, fundraisers, grant reviews, manuscript reviews, journal management, manuscript submissions, and position statements.
What has the ADA said? An ADA review released Sept. 1 concluded that the five members violated the attendee code of conduct. The ADA now says its journals continue to accept and review manuscripts.
Is the journal shutting down? No. Diabetes Care remains online, and published papers are unaffected. The editors and the ADA disagree about whether new manuscripts are being reviewed.
Does this affect my diabetes care? No. Guidelines, prescriptions, and coverage are unchanged. Nobody should change diabetes care because of this dispute.
Who is most affected? Diabetes researchers and trainees who rely on ADA grant reviews, conferences, and journal publication.
