(18F) (2FDG) through the collaboration between scientists at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and investigators at the University of Pennsylvania, was a major factor in expanding the scope of PET imaging. The compound was first administered to two normal human volunteers by Alavi in August 1976 at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1999, after decades of research demonstrating the unique and versatile utility of PET and the functional data it provides, the modality was approved for reimbursement by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and rapidly became a cornerstone of the evaluation of a host of diseases, most notably cancers. It is now well established that without the introduction of FDG to medicine, the field of molecular imaging with PET would have been confined to major research institutions, precluding its current widespread clinical applications. In addition, FDG has resulted in the exploration of numerous biologically important compounds in research and drug development. Awards, honors and membership in honorary societies Alavi is the recipient of many awards and distinctions, among which are the highest distinctions in nuclear medicine: the Georg Charles de Hevesy Nuclear Pioneer Award given by the Society of Nuclear Medicine, the Cassen Prize of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, and honorary degrees from the University of Bologna, the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and Shiraz University in Iran. The de Hevesy Award from the Society of Nuclear Medicine was given to Alavi for his pioneering work in the development of positron emission tomography. He is an internationally renowned expert in modern imaging techniques and in the clinical applications of PET imaging for the detection of cancer as well as neurological, cardiovascular, and infectious disorders. 1971-73: Postdoctoral NIH Fellowship in Nuclear Medicine 1982: Member, Steering and Executive Committees, Prospective Investigation of Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosis,Chairman, Nuclear Medicine Working Group 1984: Who's Who, Frontiers of Science and Technology 1984-88: Trustee, Society of Nuclear Medicine 1985: Fellow of the Center for the Study of Aging, University of Pennsylvania 1985: Fellow, American College of Nuclear Physicians 1992: Fred Joliot visiting professor at Orsay, France 1992: Evan-Jone Memorial Lecture, U of MDS, London 1994: IVRA - Keynote speaker 1994: Taylor Lectureship award - Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Maryland 1995: Benedict Cassen Memorial Symposium, CA 1996: 6th Asia & Oceania Congress - award for Outstanding Contributions 1997: Sarabhai Memorial Oration award - Society of Nuclear Medicine of India 1999: The 11th Annual