Sadis Matalon, PhD, Alice McNeal Endowed Chair of the UAB Department of Anesthesiology, has been elected a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens, one of the oldest research institutions in Greece. This is one of the highest honors a scientist of Greek descent can receive.

"Being selected as a corresponding member of the Academy of Athens has been a dream of mine," Matalon said. "It is an honor to be among such distinguished colleagues."

Matalon was selected because of his numerous contributions to the field of acute lung injury and repair. Funded by NIH since 1978, he is considered a leading investigator in understanding the mechanisms by which toxic gases and pathogen damage to the lungs can cause pulmonary edema.

His work has been published in more than 360 publications and 17,000 bibliographic references. He is also the owner of five international patents for various treatments for acute lung injuries caused by viral infections and exposure to toxic gases.