Kenneth Saag received his MD degree from Northwestern University in 1986, did residency and a Chief Resident Year at Northwestern-affiliated Evanston Hospital, and completed his fellowship in Rheumatology at the University of Iowa, where he also earned an MS degree in Epidemiology. He is currently the Water’s Endowed Professor and Director of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He is also the director of two UAB research centers: the Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone, and Autoimmunity Center (CAMBAC) and the Center of Research Translation (CoRT) in Gout and Hyperuricemia.
Dr. Saag’s research focuses on the comparative effectiveness and safety of therapeutics, as well as methods to improve the quality of care in gout and osteoporosis. He has become a leading authority in osteoporosis-causing conditions and his contributions have led to current prevention and treatment guidelines. He has published 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts and authored more than 150 reviews, editorials, and book chapters. He has been a successful research mentor, training over 20 post-doctoral fellows and junior faculty
He has received numerous awards, including the Department of Medicine Research Award, the American College of Rheumatology Research Foundation Excellence in Investigative Mentoring Award, the European Calcified Tissue Society Excellence in Research Award, and the University of Iowa School of Public Health Distinguished Alumni Award. He was elected to the Association of American Physicians, is the immediate past president of the American College of Rheumatology, and past president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation Board of Trustees.
