Joseph F. Volker, (1913–1989) was the first chief executive of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, serving in that capacity from 1966 to 1976.
In 1966, the University of Alabama Medical Center and the College of General Studies (formerly the Birmingham Extension Center) were merged as the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
Volker became head of the merged institution as "Vice President of Birmingham Affairs," reflecting that UAB was still treated as an offsite department of the main campus in Tuscaloosa.
With the creation of the University of Alabama System in 1969, UAB became a fully autonomous four-year institution, and Volker's title was changed to "president.
",[3][4] Volker earned his DDS degree from Indiana University and his MS and PhD degrees in biochemistry from the University of Rochester,[5] where he conducted groundbreaking studies on the use of fluorides in the prevention of dental decay".