Sadis Matalon, Ph.D., Dr.Sc. (Hon.), FAPS, Distinguished Professor and Alice McNeal Endowed Chair in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, is the senior faculty winner of the 2021 Dean's Excellence Award in Research.
Matalon was born in Athens, Greece, and came to the United States in 1966 as an undergraduate Fulbright Scholar, earning his degree in physics from Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. He earned both his master's degree and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota; his research exploring novel treatments for lung disease has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1978. In 1987, he received an American Lung Association Career Investigator Award, which he used to study the role of an artificial version of a substance in the lungs—pulmonary surfactant—in repairing severe lung injury. Matalon also received a MERIT from the National Institute of Health for his studies to understand the mechanisms by which viruses damage the lungs.
Throughout his 34 years at UAB, Matalon has tirelessly showcased his dedication to his research and the department. He serves as the vice chair and director of the Division of Molecular and Translational Biomedicine and is also the founding director of the UAB Pulmonary Injury and Repair Center in the School of Medicine. Previously, he was the associate editor of News in Physiological Sciences (1997–2003) and associate editor and deputy editor of the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology (2003–2011). He has been a member of the American Physiological Society since 1975 and has served on the editorial board of AJP-Lung since 1994. His success as a distinguished researcher culminated in him being named editor-in-chief of AJP-Lung (2012–2018) and editor-in-chief of Physiological Reviews (2018–2023). He has published more than 280 articles in peer-reviewed journals and received two honorary Doctor of Science degrees from the University of Thessaly and the University of Athens, Greece.
"This award celebrates a story of a distinguished life of science and a remarkable contribution that spans five decades," said Dan E. Berkowitz, MB BCh, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine. "This award also celebrates a career of collaboration, devotion, and dedication to students and mentees. It is this intellectual curiosity, grit, mentorship, and lifelong learning and hard work that define Dr. Matalon. There is no one that I believe is more deserving of this award than he."