Barbara Gower

Barbara Gower is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Nutrition Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She serves as Director of the Metabolism Core for the Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), as well as the Human Physiology Core for the Diabetes Research Center. Her research focuses on the interplay between diet, endocrinology, and metabolism in chronic metabolic diseases, particularly obesity, metabolic health, and type 2 diabetes in African-Americans. She leads NIH-funded studies on low glycemic diets and insulin-lowering interventions.

Education: PhD in Biology (University of Utah, 1990), BS in Microbiology (Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, 1980).

Research interests include body composition, insulin sensitivity, beta-cell function, and nutrition interventions. She holds multiple roles across UAB, including Senior Scientist positions in the School of Medicine’s Comprehensive Diabetes Center, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Center for AIDS Research. Her work emphasizes translating metabolic insights into clinical applications.

Advising and grants: Current NIH-funded projects investigate low glycemic diets for beta-cell function and weight loss in African American women. She directs several interdisciplinary cores and collaborates across departments. Labs/Teams: Metabolism Core (NORC/CCTS), Diabetes Research Center.