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Dr. Schafer received a B. S. in Biophysics in 1963 and Ph.D. in Physiology in 1968, both from the University of Michigan. He undertook two postdoctoral fellowships: the first at the Gustav-Embden Center for Biological Chemistry in Frankfurt, Germany, and the second at Duke University under the mentorship of Dr. Tom Andreoli. Dr. Schafer became an Assistant Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1970, becoming an Associate Professor in 1972, and being promoted to Professor in 1976. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 7 books, and 57 reviews or book chapters. Dr. Schafer is internationally recognized for his pioneering work on sodium transport, as evidenced by the many honors that he has won, including the Homer Smith Award from the American Society of Nephrology in 1993.

Dr. Schafer's research interests are focused on the regulation of salt and water reabsorption in the kidney, and abnormalities of these regulatory processes in salt-sensitive essential hypertension. Dr. Schafer uses a variety of techniques to address fundamental issues in sodium homeostasis, including isolated perfused tubules; intracellular electrophysiology; computer-assisted image analysis and fluorescent labeling; cell culture; and protein and RNA expression.

The APS Renal Section's Distinguished Lecturer Committee, a subcommittee of the Renal Section Steering Committee, included Jeffrey Garvin (Renal Section Program Committee Chair); Steven Hebert (Editor, AJP: Renal), Gabriel Navar (APS Past-President); and Jeff Sands (Renal Section Chairman).