BIRMINGHAM, AL — Harald W. Sontheimer, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology and cell biology at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham), has been named director of the UAB Civitan International Research Center. Sontheimer takes the reins of the center following the retirement of previous director Michael Friedlander, Ph.D.
The UAB Civitan International Research Center is dedicated to the research, treatment and prevention of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The center was created in 1990 following a pledge of $20 million in support from the Civitan International Foundation, a worldwide community service organization, to UAB.
Among the center goals under Sontheimer and Dr. Alan Percy, UAB professor of pediatric neurology and medical director of the UAB Sparks/Civitan Clinics, will be an increased focus in the study of autism and the continued development of a functional magnetic resonance imaging facility.
“UAB has long provided quality clinical services to those with developmental disabilities through the UAB Sparks/Civitan Clinics, which are affiliated with the Civitan Center,” said Sontheimer. “We intend to strengthen those ties and to further build on the research strength of the UAB Department of Neurobiology so that the Civitan International Research Center becomes a leader in generating new knowledge in the struggle to understand and prevent developmental disabilities.”
Sontheimer joined the UAB faculty in 1994 as an associate scientist in the Neurobiology Research Center. He received his doctorate in neurobiology from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, in 1988 and was on the faculty at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., for five years. Sontheimer became a full professor in the UAB Department of Neurobiology in 2000 and was made director of the cellular and molecular biology graduate program in 2002.
Sontheimer is among the world’s leading experts on brain cells known as glial cells and their functions in health and disease in the developing and mature brain. Among his many achievements is the development of a novel therapy for humans with the most devastating type of brain cancer — glioblastoma multiforme. This therapy moved from very basic laboratory investigation at UAB to human clinical trials at several sites around the U.S., including UAB.
In 2004, Sontheimer was chosen as the first McNulty Civitan Scientist by the Chesapeake Civitan District Foundation with funding of $200,000 to support his research. He also is principal investigator for seven active research grants with total current annual funding of nearly $1.6 million. Sontheimer is co-founder of TransMolecular, Inc., a Birmingham-based biomedical research company, and co-chairman of its scientific advisory board.
Civitan International was founded in 1920, with a goal to build good citizenship by providing a volunteer organization of clubs dedicated to serving individual and community needs with an emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities.