UF College of Dentistry saddened by the death of Dr. Michael G. Humphreys-Beher

Michael G. Humphreys-Beher, Ph.D., a professor of oral biology at the University of Florida College of Dentistry and an internationally known researcher on Sjögren’s syndrome, died Sept. 10 at the age of 46 from complications of cystic fibrosis.

“Michael was the most courageous scientist that I have ever known,” said Arnold Bleiweis, Ph.D., a UF professor and past chairman of the department of oral biology. “He continued to come into work while fighting this serious disease. In the past 18 months, he and his colleagues published 12 papers and received two National Institutes of Health grants totaling more than one half million dollars. His work was published in some of the most distinguished scientific journals and will be his legacy. UF has suffered the loss of an important member of its faculty.”

At UF since 1988, Dr. Humphreys-Beher held a joint appointment in the College of Medicine’s department of pharmacology and therapeutics. His contributions include cellular and molecular studies of autoimmune disorders. In addition, he developed a mouse model to better understand Sjögren’s syndrome, a disease that causes the body’s immune system to attack salivary and tear glands.

After earning a bachelor of science degree in molecular biology from the University of California, Irvine, Humphreys-Beher in 1981 received master’s of science and doctoral degrees in microbiology from the University of Virginia.

Humphreys-Beher was the College of Dentistry’s first recipient of a UF Research Foundation Professorship. He recently received the Salivary Research Award from the International Association for Dental Research, an organization that in 1990 had awarded him a prestigious Young Investigator Award. In 1999, the American Association for Dental Research named him Salivary Researcher of the Year.

Humphreys-Beher’s other honors include being elected an honorary member of two organizations, the Hungarian Dental Academy and the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation’s medical and scientific board of directors. He authored 110 papers published in peer-reviewed journals, as well as 15 book chapters and 84 abstracts. His research discoveries were awarded two U.S. patents. He was adviser to several doctoral students.

“Michael was an incredibly bright and productive scientist. One of the hallmarks of his work style was the numerous collaborations he established to carry out his research activities,” said Frank Catalanotto, D.M.D., dean of the UF College of Dentistry. “His tenacity and hard work serve as an inspiration to all who knew him. He will be missed.”

Humphreys-Beher is survived by his wife, Emily Humphreys-Beher, and daughter, Monica Humphreys-Beher, of Gainesville; his parents, George and Natalie Beher of Qualicum Beach, British Columbia; two brothers, Robert Beher of Los Angeles and Stiphan Beher of Santa Fe, N.M.; and a sister, Carol Sheppard of Atlanta.