Posted on May 21, 2002 at 10:32 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The administration building of the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation (UAHSF) has been renamed to honor Dr. John N. Whitaker, former chairman of neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Dr. Whitaker was also a three-term president of the Health Services Foundation, serving from 1992 until his death last year as a result of injuries sustained in a cycling event.

The building, formerly known as the 500 Administration Building, is located at 500 22nd Street South. It will now be known as the John N. Whitaker Building.

Whitaker joined the UAB faculty in 1985 as professor of neurology and chairman of the department. He was a very active clinician, teacher and scientific investigator, specializing in demyelinating diseases. He served terms as president of the American Neurological Association and chairman of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s medical advisory board. He led three advanced clinical trials of drugs for multiple sclerosis, was the author of more than 200 scientific articles and book chapters, and served on the editorial boards of several scientific journals.

He was instrumental in developing several major programs at UAB, including the Epilepsy Center, the Alzheimer’s Disease Center; Parkinson’s Disease Center and the Comprehensive Stroke Center.

Whitaker received his B.A. degree from Hendrix College and earned his medical degree at the University of Tennessee in Memphis.

The University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, P.C., is a nonprofit physician group practice affiliated with the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The physicians of the Health Services Foundation are affiliated with UAB Hospital and The Kirklin Clinic at UAB, which houses most outpatient activities.