Michael Friedlander, executive director of the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, was recently named a 2016 recipient of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine’s Distinguished Scientist Award.

The award is given in recognition of service to the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, as well as leadership in and out of the organization, including seminal accomplishments in biomedical research. Friedlander served as the president of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine for two years, from 2011 to 2013.

He will be honored at the Society’s annual meeting this April in San Diego.

Friedlander was also invited to give a keynote address on, “New approaches to training health researchers,” at this year’s annual meeting in a symposium entitled, “The Translational Scientist: Integrating Science and Medicine.” The symposium will focus on key concepts of translating discovery to health care. Ken Ramos, associate vice president for precision health sciences at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, and Michael Wood, vice president of AstraZeneca Neuroscience will also present along with Friedlander. Ramos will speak about the current state of physician scientist training, and Wood will discuss forging partnerships between academia and industry to transform scientific discoveries into medical treatments.

The Society of Experimental Biology and Medicine was established in 1903 to encourage collaboration between scientific disciplines in biomedical research, and foster the career development of students and new investigators. The Society also publishes a peer-reviewed scientific journal, Experimental Biology and Medicine.