Ray L. Watts, M.D., a Birmingham native and graduate of UAB School of Engineering, was named UAB’s seventh president in 2013 and is now the university’s longest-serving president. Dr. Watts has led, with campus- and community-wide collaboration, development of UAB's most comprehensive-ever strategic plans—Forging the Future (2018-2023) and the current Forging Ahead (2024-2028)—as well as the current Research Strategic Initiative that is helping accelerate the pace of discovery and maximize the impact of UAB research on people’s lives locally and globally.
During Dr. Watts’s decade-plus tenure, UAB has made unprecedented strides in all pillars of its mission, including record enrollment and greater access to higher education for first-generation students; the most successful era of research funding in the university’s history; accelerated commercialization and economic development efforts; advancements in patient care and precision medicine; construction of key new facilities as part of UAB Campus Master Plan that is creating on the most vibrant, state-of-the-art, and sustainable urban campuses in the nation; and strong community partnerships to improve education, health, and quality of life throughout Birmingham, the state of Alabama, and beyond.
In 2025, Dr. Watts was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor as well as the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. He was also named 2025 CEO of the Year by Business Alabama and 2021 CEO of the Year by Birmingham Business Journal. He serves on a number of boards, including UAB Health System (chair), Southern Research (chair and interim CEO), Prosper Birmingham (founding board member), Innovation Depot, Birmingham Business Alliance (served two consecutive terms as chair, 2016-2017), and the UAB Center for the Arts/Alys Stephens Center for the Performing Arts (chair, Corporate Board).
Dr. Watts earned his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine and completed a neurology residency, medical internship, and clinical fellowships at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a two-year medical staff research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Thereafter he joined the faculty at Emory University, where he was part of a team that created an internationally renowned research and clinical center for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. He returned to UAB in 2003 as the John N. Whitaker Professor and Chair of Neurology, and was named Senior Vice President and Dean of Medicine in 2010. He served as President of the Health Services Foundation (UAB School of Medicine Faculty Practice Plan) for five years before being named dean.
Dr. Watts and his wife Nancy, a retired nurse, have five grown children and 11 grandchildren.
Committees & Boards
As President, Dr. Watts leads several critical committees and boards, ensuring coordinated decision making and alignment across the university’s academic, research, clinical, and community missions.
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President’s Clinical Trial Oversight Committee (PCTOC) - Chair
Provides strategic oversight of UAB’s clinical trial portfolio, ensuring ethical conduct, regulatory compliance, and effective institutional partnerships. The committee reviews enterprise wide recommendations from the Clinical Trials Advisory Committee (CTAC) and holds final approval authority for clinical trial strategy and policy.
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Risk Cabinet – Chair
The President’s Risk Cabinet is the university’s senior advisory body that oversees enterprise risk management, leads the University Compliance Program, and conducts final review of university-wide policies to ensure coordinated, proactive management of academic, clinical, financial, operational, and compliance risks.
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UAB Technology Alignment and Collaboration Committee (TACC) - Chair
Advances technology alignment across UAB by promoting secure, compliant, and efficient IT solutions for academic, clinical, and research operations. TACC strengthens collaboration among units, prioritizes enterprise technology needs, and reduces duplication by coordinating investments and shared resources.
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Board of Directors of UAB Health System - Chair
Provides governance and strategic leadership for UAB Health System, including UAB Hospital, UAB Highlands Hospital, Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, The Kirklin Clinic, and UAB’s satellite clinics. The Board oversees systemwide strategy, quality, financial stewardship, and patient care outcomes.
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Southern Research Board of Directors – Chair
Guides the strategic direction of Southern Research, a nationally recognized contract research organization focused on scientific innovation and translational solutions in areas such as drug discovery and life sciences. The Board ensures strong governance, research excellence, and mission advancement.
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Corporate Board, UAB Arts/Alys Stephens Center for the Performing Arts – Chair
Provides leadership and oversight for UAB Arts and the Alys Stephens Center, Birmingham’s home for the performing arts for over two decades. The Board supports strategic programming, community engagement, and the center’s role as a premier presenter of music, dance, and theatre in the Southeast.