Current Researchers
Brendan M. McGuire, MD
Dr. McGuire’s research focus is in the clinical management of complications in patients with end-stage liver disease. He has been involved in industry sponsored multi-center studies using two liver assist devices for treating acute and chronic liver disease. He is the primary investigator at UAB of the acute liver failure study group, which is an NIH funded RO1 including 27 U.S. adult liver programs. He is also the primary investigator of a pilot study looking at the prevalence of kidney pathology in patients with hepatitis C cirrhosis undergoing liver transplantation at UAB.
Meagan Gray, MD
Dr. Gray's research focus is in nutrition, fatty liver disease and transplant hepatology and health disparities. In February 2019, the first non-alcoholic fatty liver disease clinic opened at UAB. It operates ouf of UAB Hospital-Highlands and is run by Dr. Gray.
In Memoriam - Joseph R. Bloomer, MD, FACP, FAASLD
Founding Director of the UAB Liver Center
Dr. Bloomer, a respected educator, accomplished researcher, and dedicated clinician, served as Director at the UAB Liver Center and held the position of Professor of Medicine and Genetics from 1995 until his retirement in 2016. Upon retiring, he was named Professor Emeritus of Medicine by the University's Board of Trustees, acknowledging his significant contributions to the UAB School of Medicine. Dr. Bloomer played a crucial role in advancing hepatology research and collaborated extensively to improve the diagnosis and treatment of porphyria, a group of rare hereditary disorders causing liver, nerve, and/or skin damage. He initiated his research in this area with an NIH/NIDDK grant in 1976, maintaining funding until his retirement.
Throughout his career, Dr. Bloomer published 156 original manuscripts and 68 book chapters and reviews based on his translational and clinical research. He served as president of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and received the AASLD Distinguished Service Award in 2009 for his leadership and contributions to liver disease research. Additionally, he was honored as a member of the AASLD Inaugural Class of Fellows in 2014 for his significant impact on the study of liver disease. Dr. Bloomer held memberships in various professional organizations, including the American College of Physicians, American Society for Clinical Investigation, and Association of American Physicians. He also received the Theodore E. Woodward Award from the American Clinical and Climatological Association. Dr. Bloomer was instrumental in founding the Porphyrias Rare Disease Clinical Research Consortium and was an honorary member of the American Porphyrias Expert Collaborative. Renowned for his contributions to gastroenterology and hepatology, he served on numerous editorial and advisory boards.
Originally from Rockville, Indiana, Dr. Bloomer graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Case Western Reserve Medical School. Following his residency at the University of California Hospital in San Francisco, he served as a clinical associate at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). After completing a hepatology fellowship at Yale University, he joined the medical faculty and became an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Subsequently, Dr. Bloomer assumed the role of Director of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota before being recruited to establish the UAB Liver Center in 1995.
Editor's note: Information retrieved from an online remembrance . His obituary was originally published in full by The Birmingham News from Dec. 24 to Dec. 31, 2021.