by Paul Govern

Eric Delpire, PhD, professor of Anesthesiology and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, has been awarded the 2023 Davson Distinguished Lectureship, the highest award bestowed by the Cell and Molecular Physiology Section of the American Physiological Society.

The award was established in 1994 to recognize prominent scientists who’ve made major contributions to cell and molecular physiology research. Among the first 12 awardees, five were Nobel Prize winners and another three would later win the Nobel Prize.

According to the society’s announcement, Delpire is being recognized for contributions to the field of transport across biological membranes that have furthered the understanding of cellular volume regulation, synaptic transmission, and transepithelial salt transport. Neurological diseases and hypertension are among areas of health that bear implications from Delpire’s basic research.

Delpire studied biology at the University of Leìge in his native Belgium, later completing a master’s in physiology and a PhD in cell physiology, also from Leìge. In 1991 he joined the faculty at Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, remaining there until joining Vanderbilt in 1997. In addition to leading the Delpire Laboratory, he is the director of basic science research in the Department of Anesthesiology, where he holds the B.H. Robbins Directorship in Anesthesiology Research.

Founded in 1887, the American Physiological Society has 10,000 members and sponsors 16 peer-reviewed journals.

Delpire will deliver the honorary lecture at the American Physiology Summit, April 20–23 in Long Beach, California.