Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

Omosefe Ogbeifun, M.D., MPH, an Obesity Medicine fellow in the UAB Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, was accepted into the 2026 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scholars Program, a career development program that supports early-career professionals who treat and/or research diabetes and its complications. 

The UAB Diabetes Research Center (DRC) has named six recipients of the 2026 Pilot and Feasibility Grant Program, which identifies and supports new outstanding and innovative diabetes research projects at UAB.

UAB researchers observed an increase in severe diabetes subtypes in U.S. adults after the COVID-19 pandemic. Their studies led them to develop a new tool to help clinicians identify diabetes subtypes in their patients.

The UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) and Diabetes Research Center (DRC) members and trainees will share their latest scientific findings at the world’s largest diabetes conference, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 86th Scientific Sessions, June 5-8, in New Orleans.

  UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) researchers joined experts from around the country to present diabetes-related research at the 17th Annual Boshell Research Day on April 17.

The UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism have partnered to launch a new Fracture and Fragility Clinic, designed to provide patients with better access to specialized bone‑health care, particularly those at risk for osteoporosis‑related injuries.

The UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center welcomes Madison Newberry Hamby, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow who joined the laboratory of Kirk Habegger, Ph.D., in January 2026.

A research manuscript by Fernando Bril, M.D., assistant professor in the UAB Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, is featured in the Endocrine Society’s Article Highlights of 2025, a selective list celebrating the quality and excellence of articles published in the past year.

A new study led by Ananda Basu, M.D., professor in the UAB Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, determines why early post-meal glucagon concentrations are higher in Type 1 diabetes (T1D) than in individuals without diabetes using a novel glucagon isotope tracer. His findings were recently published in the February 2026 issue of Diabetes. 

A new research study led by UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center scientist Kirk Habegger, Ph.D., shows that cholesterol-lowering drugs enhance weight loss facilitated by glucagon receptor agonist obesity drugs.

Explore key 2026 diabetes research conferences and grant deadlines compiled by the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center.

Sushant Bhatnagar, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the UAB Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, has published an extensive review in Comprehensive Physiology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Physiological Society, offering new insights into the cell-specific roles of BAI receptors in health and metabolic disorders.

The UAB Department of Medicine (DOM) recognized UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) members, Fernando Bril, M.D., Alexandra Dodd, M.D., and Kirk Habegger, Ph.D., at DOM Recognition Day 2025.

UAB Medicine’s Leadership Development Office (LDO) honored 33 graduates of the Emerging Leaders Series (ELS) fall 2025 Cohort 4 during a ceremony held on Thursday, Nov. 12. The cohort completed a multi-session program designed to strengthen leadership capability for emerging leaders across the enterprise.

UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center Scientist Kirk Habegger, Ph.D., will speak at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) glucagon physiology workshop, Feb. 9-10, 2026.

Kirk Habegger, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine in the UAB Department of Medicine Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, has received funding from Eli Lilly and Company to continue investigation of glucagon receptor activation in incretin-based obesity therapies.

Ben Gran is the lab manager for both Dr. Rita Basu and Dr. Ananda Basu who are clinical diabetes researchers at the UCDC. Gran has been with the Basu Lab for a decade supporting cutting-edge diabetes research studies. 

Health care providers from across the state and region gathered to learn about diabetes, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, and more at the 2025 UAB Endocrinology Update, Aug. 23, at Hilton Birmingham Downtown at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

According to the 2025-2026 rankings released in July, UAB Medicine ranked nationally in five adult specialties and high performing in seven other specialties including diabetes and endocrinology.

A new study led by UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center Associate Scientist Fernando Bril, M.D., provides the first evidence that MASLD prevalence is beginning to decrease in adults with diabetes in the U.S. for the first time in decades. However, this good news is overshadowed by the significant increase observed in liver fibrosis.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham startup TIXiMED, Inc., has successfully completed a Phase 1 single ascending dose study of the drug TIX100 in humans, marking a key milestone in the development of a first-of-its kind oral therapy for Type 1 diabetes (T1D).

UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) researchers have contributed to the Frontiers in Endocrinology Research Topic on Disease-Modifying Approaches in Type 1 Diabetes.

Ananda Basu, MBBS, MD, FRCP, M.D., has been appointed as an associate director of the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) and will play an integral role on the center’s leadership team.

Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) showcased their latest findings at the 17th Annual Midwest Islet Club (MIC) Meeting, May 7-8, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

A new study led by Ananda Basu, M.D., used novel non-radioactive, stable glucagon tracers for the first time to characterize glucagon metabolism in humans with and without Type 1 diabetes, providing tools for further exploration into pancreatic alpha cell function in both Type 1 and 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

The UAB Pancreatobiliary Disease Center (PDC) hosted the second annual Hops & Hope Fair on Saturday, May 31, 2025 at Cahaba Brewing Company.

UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) members and trainees will share their latest scientific findings at the world’s largest diabetes conference, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) 85th Scientific Sessions, June 20-23, at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago.

Originally from Elkmont, Alabama, Perez contributes to multiple projects in the Bhatnagar Lab, which researches insulin secretion from beta cells.

UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) scientist Kirk Habegger, Ph.D., is featured in the Diabetes Spotlight in the May 2025 issue of Diabetes, the flagship research publication of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). 

The UAB Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, alongside the Division of Endocrine Surgery, is pleased to host the 2025 UAB Endocrinology Update Conference on Saturday, August 23 beginning at 8 a.m. at the Hilton Birmingham at UAB. 

 As a lab manager, Khadija Seck oversees daily lab operations and helps coordinate experiments in the Habegger Lab.

Haifa Alsharif, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar in the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC), won first place for her poster presentation at the UAB Department of Medicine’s 2025 Trainee Research Symposium (TRS).

A new study by Rita Basu, M.D., and collaborators, finds that restoring hepatic glycogen improves nocturnal glucose regulation in humans with Type 2 diabetes.

UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) Director Anath Shalev, M.D., was invited to present at the International Conference on Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes (ATTD), held in Amsterdam, March 19-22.

In Fall 2024, UAB Heersink School of Medicine announced the winners of the 2024 Dale J. Benos Medical Student Research Day (MSRD). All medical students were invited to present the results of their research projects and submit posters for judging.

Department of Medicine Facilities Coordinator Corey Cates, M.S., was six years old when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. For doctors to uncover Cates’ diagnosis, it took a two-and-a-half-hour drive as well as a one-week stay at the Children's Medical Center in Dallas, TX in 1996.

The UAB Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, alongside the Division of Endocrine Surgery, is pleased to offer the 2023 Endocrinology Update Conference on Saturday, August 19 beginning at 8 a.m. at the Hilton Birmingham at UAB.

In the last several years, UAB Medicine and Heersink School of Medicine have worked to bring leadership development to faculty and staff through the UAB Medicine Institute for Leadership and Momentum in Medicine programs.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine and the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) are pleased to welcome Ananda Basu, M.D., and Rita Basu, M.D., as full professors into the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism.

This week, leaders from across UAB gathered to honor Stuart J. Frank, M.D., at the naming dedication of the Stuart J. Frank, M.D. Conference Room in the Boshell Diabetes Building (BDB). Hallways were lined with cherished colleagues, friends, and mentees. Department of Medicine Executive Vice Chair and Professor Emeritus, Stuart J. Frank, M.D., joined UAB in 1991 and has had an illustrious three-decade career as a physician-scientist.

Ava Michl was traversing her new collegiate world through freshman year at the University of Alabama at Birmingham when she was rocked by an unexpected Type 1 diabetes diagnosis. Up to that point in her life, Michl had no idea she had diabetes.

Department of Psychology Associate Professor Michael Sloane, Ph.D., grew up in the rolling countryside of Ireland, where processed foods were far from a dietary staple– everything was farm to table. His family grew all their own vegetables and fruits, raised chickens for eggs, and bought meat from a neighboring farmer or fresh cuts from the town butcher. So, when he came over to the U.S. to complete his doctoral work at Northwestern University in 1979, Sloane was plunged into a consumer market that was riddled with highly processed and sugary food choices.

The year was 1997. Department of Medicine Communications Director Carolyn Walsh was traveling on i459 when things did not feel quite right. She was fighting to stay awake at the wheel, noticing bouts of drowsiness on and off. Before she could pull over, Walsh was in a car accident.

Medical Student Research Day celebrates the research accomplishments of medical students and provides them with the opportunity to present their projects to fellow students and faculty.

Bruce Korf, M.D., Ph.D., and Anath Shalev, M.D., have been inducted into the Association of American Physicians, a prestigious honor which recognizes outstanding, diverse physician-scientists with credentials in basic or translational biomedical research.

In honor of National Nutrition Awareness Month, Amy Warriner, M.D., director of UAB Weight Loss Medicine and professor in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism, shares her top five tips for maintaining a healthy diet.