Faculty Positions

Nominations and applications are invited for full-time, twelve-month faculty positions.

Applicants must be investigators with track records of cancer research.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Health Professions, Department of Nutrition Sciences, is seeking doctorally prepared scientists with track records in studying lifestyle factors (diet, exercise, etc.) and nutritional status in relation to cancer risk and progression. Appointments at the rank of professor, associate professor, and assistant professor are being considered, with rank and tenure status based on qualifications. Candidates must have an M.D., Dr.P.H., or Ph.D. Successful senior candidates will be expected to demonstrate a track record of a sustained program of research in this area, including mentoring of junior faculty and trainees.

Recruited faculty will play an active role in the Department of Nutrition Sciences and the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Department of Nutrition Sciences has more than 18 full-time faculty members and more than 90 staff, students, and postdoctoral fellows involved in basic, animal, physiologic, clinical, and community-based research, service, and teaching. The department has a robust portfolio of extramural research funding and is one of only a select number of institutions to host both a Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) and the Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC). The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of the original NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers, holds over $140 million dollars in extramural research funding, and comprises seven major research programs, 15 shared facilities, and four SPOREs. UAB is a flourishing urban university and medical center with research funding exceeding $433 million.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is responsive to the needs of dual-career couples.

Interested applicants should send a letter of interest with CV to:

Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, PhD, RD
Professor; Associate Director, UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
NP 2514, 1530 3rd Ave. S.
Birmingham, AL 35294-3360
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

UAB is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Department of Nutrition Sciences has a rich history of nutrition education and research that predates the University of Alabama at Birmingham itself. As far back as the 1920s, doctors at Hillman Hospital were studying the benefits of folic acid in the treatment of pellagra and other major deficiency diseases. In 1963, the University of Alabama Hospital (UAH) and Hillman Clinics inaugurated the Dietetic Internship program, and in 1964, Dr. Walter B. Frommeyer, Jr., created a division of nutrition within the Department of Medicine and named Dr. Charles E. Butterworth, Jr. director.

In 1977, Dr. S. Richardson Hill, Jr., president of UAB, established a university-wide Department of Nutrition Sciences with Dr. Butterworth as its first chair, a role he held until 1988. In 1983, the department moved into the Nutrition Sciences building at 1675 University Blvd., built thanks to a generous donation by Birmingham philanthropist Charles B. Webb, Jr., honoring the memory of his wife, Susan Mott Webb.

From 1988 until 1999, clinical nutrition expert Dr. Roland L. Weinsier served as department chair. In 2000, Dr. Weinsier was awarded a Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) grant (initially referred to as a Clinical Nutrition Research Center) funded by NIDDK/NIH. Dr. W. Timothy Garvey joined UAB in 2004 and served as chair of the department until 2018. In 2008, he established the UAB Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC), which became the Diabetes Research Center (DRC) in 2013. Dr. Garvey continues to direct the DRC, the only NIDDK-funded diabetes center located in the Deep South.

Dr. James O. Hill served as chair of the Department of Nutrition Sciences from 2018 to 2022 and continues to serve as director of the NORC. Dr. Hill came to UAB from the University of Colorado in 2018, where he directed the NORC and founded the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center.

Today, Dr. Barbara Gower serves as chair of the Department of Nutrition Sciences, director of the Metabolism Core for the NORC and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, and director of the Human Physiology Core for the DRC.

Department Chairs 1977–Present

Charles E. Butterworth, Jr., MD, 1977–1988

• Published “The Skeleton in the Hospital Closet” (1974) documenting what became known as hospital malnutrition, leading to the improvement of nutritional support for patients
• In 1977, named Chair of the newly created Department of Nutrition Sciences
• Under his leadership, the department was the first to be awarded a Clinical Nutrition Research Unit grant supported by the National Cancer Institute of the NIH

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Roland L. Weinsier, MD, DrPH, 1988–1999

• Joined UAB in 1975, built a nutrition clinic and nutrition support service, and developed a popular first-year School of Medicine nutrition course
• Authored Fundamentals of Clinical Nutrition and Handbook of Clinical Nutrition
• In 2000, was awarded a Clinical Nutrition Research Unit grant funded by NIDDK/NIH to establish what is now known as the Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC)

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W. Timothy Garvey, MD, 2004–2018

• In 2004, joined UAB as Chair of the department, which he led until 2018
• In 2008, launched the Diabetes Research and Training Center (DRTC), which in 2013 became the Diabetes Research Center (DRC), one of only six NIDDK-sponsored research centers in the U.S. and the only center in the Deep South
• Served as associate director of the UAB NORC

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James O. Hill, PhD, 2018–2022

• In 2018, joined UAB from the University of Colorado as Chair of the department and director of the NORC
• Cofounded the America on the Move program and the National Weight Control Registry
• Authored The Step Diet Book and State of Slim

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Barbara Gower, PhD, 2023–present

• January 2023, named chair of the department
• Director of the Metabolism Core for the NORC
• Director of the Metabolism Core for the Center for Clinical and Translational Science
• Director of the Human Physiology Core for the DRC

The UAB Department of Nutrition Sciences is primarily administered by the School of Health Professions with additional administrative reporting lines to the School of Medicine and School of Dentistry.

The department has a rich history that predates the University of Alabama at Birmingham itself. Currently, it comprises more than 20 primary full-time faculty members and more than 90 staff, students, and postdoctoral fellows. The faculty includes a multidisciplinary team of physician-scientists, PhD scientists, registered/licensed dietitians, and nurses working together in patient care, research, and education programs.

The department is located in the Susan Mott Webb Nutrition Sciences Building and in the adjacent Learning Resources Center. Both of these buildings are centrally located within the UAB medical center complex. The Webb building provides more than 60,000 square feet of space dedicated to teaching, community service activities, and nutrition research including world-class core facilities for phenotyping small animals and metabolic assessments in humans.

Chair's Report

To learn about the most recent happenings in our department, please check out our Chair's Report.

Past Publications