The Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation (BHOF) has appointed Dr. Kenneth G. Saag, M.D., M.Sc., as North American editor-in-chief of Osteoporosis International. His five-year term will begin December 15, 2026. He will serve alongside René Rizzoli, M.D., who leads the journal’s European office.
Saag and Rizzoli will oversee the journal’s editorial direction in collaboration with its editors, Editorial Review Board, authors, reviewers, and publisher. Saag will also oversee Archives of Osteoporosis in collaboration with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF).
Saag has more than 35 years of experience in osteoporosis and bone health research, including clinical trials, population-based epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology, implementation science, and rehabilitation science. He has contributed to more than 440 peer-reviewed manuscripts and co-authored BHOF’s Clinician’s Guide to Prevention and Treatment of Osteoporosis. He has also served as first author on three studies of osteoporosis therapies published in The New England Journal of Medicine.
His current research includes a $13 million pragmatic trial funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. Conducted in collaboration with BHOF and more than 20 participating sites, the study examines post-fracture management strategies and is expected to include more than 2,000 patients with fragility fractures.
Saag is a professor of medicine and director of the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His previous leadership positions include serving as president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, now known as BHOF, from 2016 to 2018, and president of the American College of Rheumatology. His editorial experience includes serving as senior deputy editor of Arthritis & Rheumatology, as well as working as an editor, Editorial Board member, and reviewer for journals covering bone health and rheumatology.
In his new role, Saag will oversee peer review and content development for the journal’s North American office, appoint and supervise editors and Editorial Review Board members, identify emerging research areas, and support timely manuscript review. His priorities include maintaining scientific rigor and research integrity, broadening international and multidisciplinary participation, and addressing developments in scholarly publishing, including artificial intelligence, research reproducibility, and evolving open-access requirements.
Saag was selected through an independent search conducted by a committee appointed by the BHOF Board of Trustees and overseen by the committee chair.
Osteoporosis International is an international multidisciplinary journal jointly established by BHOF and IOF and published by Springer Nature. It covers research and developments related to the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and management of osteoporosis and other metabolic bone diseases.
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