Comprehensive Diabetes Center

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).

UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) senior scientists Ananda Basu, M.D., and Rita Basu, M.D., were each honored during the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine Spring 2025 Endowed Chairs and Professorships Reception, May 7.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.

In honor of Diabetes Awareness Month, we caught up with Nicole Johnson, DrPH, the first Miss America with Type 1 diabetes (T1D), who now calls Birmingham home. Johnson shares her story of living with T1D since age 19 and how it has shaped her lifelong career of advocacy and education.

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

Meet Adam Wende, Ph.D., Professor in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Pathology in the Heersink School of Medicine Department of Pathology. His work has been funded by the American Heart Association, Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF), and most recently the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH.

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. 

Our Get to Know series highlights our dynamic researchers from across the UCDC, from faculty members to trainees and laboratory staff. This month, we’re spotlighting Huixian Hong, M.D., Ph.D., an experienced researcher who joined the lab of Kirk Habegger, Ph.D., as lab manager in 2025.

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

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

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.

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). 

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.

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.

Thi Yen Ly Huynh, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Ramanadham Lab at the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC), was selected as a finalist for the Outstanding Young Scientist Awards to be presented at the International Meeting on Lipid Mediators in Health and Disease.

Thi Yen Ly Huynh, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Ramanadham Lab at the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC), was granted a travel award to present at the Southeastern Regional Lipid Conference (SERLC) in Asheville, North Carolina, Nov. 5-7, 2025.

Rithvikha Nair, a senior studying in the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC), has received a 2025 undergraduate fellowship program funding award from Cayman Biomedical Research Institute (CABRI) to support her research in Type 1 diabetes (T1D).

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 write a mini-review for Endocrinology, the flagship journal of the Endocrine Society.

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.

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) senior Nic Amison recently spent two semesters serving as the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center’s (UCDC) first communications intern. 

Haifa Alsharif, Ph.D., said working under the mentorship of Sushant Bhatnagar, Ph.D., in the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) shaped her scientific path and deepened her appreciation for metabolic and diabetes research.

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.

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.

UAB diabetes researchers presented their latest work on an international stage at the 61st Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna, Austria, Sept. 15-19.

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).

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. 

Two UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) members are winners of the 2025 Dean's Excellence Awards for Faculty from the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.

Members of the UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) participated in the UAB Core and Shared Resources Day on January 27, 2026 at the Heersink Conference Center.

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 Comprehensive Diabetes Center (UCDC) researchers joined experts from around the United States to present current topics related to diabetes at the 16th Annual Boshell Research Day on April 4.

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.

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

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.

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).