Ken Saag, M.D., Division of Clinical Immunology and RheumatologyKenneth G. Saag, M.D., Jane Knight Lowe Professor of Medicine in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been elected president of the Board of Trustees of the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
NOF is the nation’s leading health organization dedicated to preventing osteoporosis and broken bones, promoting strong bones for life, and reducing human suffering through programs of awareness, education, advocacy and research.
As president of NOF, Saag will serve as the primary spokesperson for the foundation on medical and scientific matters. He chairs the Scientific Advisory Council and monitors the scientific integrity of the foundation’s statements to ensure appropriate scientific input. Saag will also serve as co-chair of the National Bone Health Alliance, a public-private partnership co-founded by NOF.
“I am deeply honored to take on this important responsibility at a critical crossroads in the field of osteoporosis care,” Saag said. “While we have made great progress in the past 25 years, there is much new work to do given many of the current challenges, particularly the recent national decline in testing and treatment.”
At UAB, Saag is vice chair for Faculty Development in the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine. He is also the director of the National Institutes of Health-funded UAB Center of Research Translation, the founding director of the Agency for Healthcare, Research and Quality-funded UAB Deep South Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics, and the UAB Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research. He also directs AHRQ and NIH-supported training grants in health services, patient-centered outcomes and translational research.
Saag is a practicing rheumatologist, epidemiologist and outcomes researcher with more than 20 years of experience in conducting patient-oriented clinical trials and comparative effectiveness research in musculoskeletal disorders. He is the only rheumatologist on the NOF Board of Trustees. He is experienced in designing and conducting clinical trials of therapeutics of osteoporosis and in population-based investigations, working with large databases, and quality indicator development.
| As president of NOF, Saag will serve as the primary spokesperson for the foundation on medical and scientific matters. He chairs the Scientific Advisory Council and monitors the scientific integrity of the foundation’s statements to ensure appropriate scientific input. |
He is a member of the American College of Rheumatology Board of Directors. He has served on the FDA Arthritis Advisory Committee and co-chaired the American Medical Association Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement on Osteoporosis. He is on the editorial board of Rheumatology and Therapy, and serves as associate editor of Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Diseases.
Saag is a member of the NIH Neurologic, Aging and Musculoskeletal Epidemiology Study Section and has previously chaired the Arthritis Foundation Clinical, Therapeutics and Outcomes Study Section. He has served on several IOM committees and national committees to develop both arthritis and osteoporosis guidelines, and the Musculoskeletal Workgroup of the Cochrane Collaboration.
Recently, Saag published the first edition of the clinical handbook Diagnosis and Management of Osteoporosis. He has published more than 270 peer-reviewed manuscripts, and has also written more than 100 reviews, editorials and book chapters. He is a member of the American Association of Physicians. Much of his career has focused on innovative clinical research and care, as well as physician education in osteoporosis.