Congratulations to ASIA's 2023 Fellow of ASIA Award Recipients!
Fellowship in the American Spinal Injury Association (FASIA) is an honor bestowed by the Board of Directors in recognition of longstanding dedication to, and distinguished accomplishments within, the fields of spinal cord injury research, clinical practice, education, and/or advocacy and for longstanding active membership in and service to ASIA. The designation of FASIA recognizes prominent and contributions to, and support of, ASIA’s policies, practices, operations, and goals, which together advance its organizational mission.
“Andy Blight would not only wear the FASIA designation proudly but FASIA would also benefit from a true scholar and dedicated SCI professional like Andy joining the distinguished ranks of FASIA awardees.”
Andrew Blight, PhD retired from the role of Chief Scientific Officer of Acorda Therapeutics in 2017 but remains active in the field of spinal cord injury research. His professional career as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Medical Center. He moved in 1987 to the School of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University, where he became Professor of Anatomy and then to Division of Neurosurgery at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he was Professor and Director of the Research Laboratory from 1992 to 1998. His academic research concentrated on the pathophysiology of spinal cord injury (SCI) and potential therapeutic approaches, with particular interest in the role of inflammation in acute tissue damage and demyelination in long term functional deficits. His work on the therapeutic application of 4-aminopryidine (4-AP) in SCI led him to join Acorda Therapeutics in 1998 as head of research and development, working on clinical trials in SCI and multiple sclerosis (MS). Acorda obtained FDA approval for the use of 4-AP (dalfampridine) in 2010, for improvement of walking in people with MS, but continued research on a number of other approaches to acute and chronic SCI. His interests include both basic science and the issues around clinical trials. Andrew Blight was the co-founder of SCOPE, participated in the NINDS CDEs and continues his commitment to SCI research through SCOPE, SCITT, STUDI and other venues. When asked to volunteer, Andy invariably says “yes”.
“Dr. Gater was and remains a luminary of our profession. His lifetime achievements His legacy will last long beyond his time spent among us.”
A SCI community was rocked in 2022 with the unexpected passing of David Gater, MD, PhD. David Gater had many titles, including Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Miami, Co-PI of the University of Miami SCI Model Systems (and other) research grants, and President of the Academy of SCI Professionals. Prior to taking the reins at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, he held leadership roles at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, VCU/MCV, and the University of Michigan. Dr. Gater attended and presented at ASIA meetings, and trained others who do. David was a humanitarian of the highest order and a master clinician, whose service to the SCI community – civilians and military alike – has established important evidence and hereinafter shaped our practice patterns for those living with SCI.
“Dr. Kwon’s accomplishments in the field of SCI/D have been monumental. The fact that he is still in the prime of his career means that he will continue to lead efforts to cure paralysis and improve the lives of those affected by SCI/D.”
Dr. Brian Kwon is a Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of British Columbia, the Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury, and holds the Dvorak Chair in Spine Trauma. He is an attending spine surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center and the provincial referral center for acute spinal cord injury. As a surgeon-scientist and the current Chair of the AO Spine Knowledge Forum in Spinal Cord Injury, he is particularly interested in the bi-directional process of translational research for spinal cord injury. He leads a research program focused on translation at the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), where he is the Associate Director of Clinical Research. He has worked extensively on establishing biomarkers of human SCI to understand the biology of human injury and to better stratify injury severity and improve the prediction of neurologic outcome. Dr. Kwon has led the development of the porcine model of SCI and is utilizing this for both bench-to-bedside and bedside-back-to-bench translational studies. He founded the International Spinal Cord Injury Biobank (ISCIB) to share valuable human biospecimens with scientists around the world in an effort to accelerate the research community’s understanding of the biology of human SCI. In 2020, for his significant contributions to the SCI community, Dr. Kwon was honored by the Craig H. Neilsen Foundation with their inaugural $1M Visionary Prize. Dr. Kwon delivered the Distinguished G. Heiner Sell Lecture at the 2022 ASIA Annual Meeting in May 2022.
“Jan’s quiet leadership, poise and compassion made her the glue for ASIA members, partners & exhibitors, conference presenters, and attendees."
Janice Tilley was invaluable to the American Spinal Injury Association, supporting office staff, leaders, members, conference partners, exhibitors, and attendees for many years. Jan played several key roles within ASIA from 2002-2015 including fundraising, managing membership and organizing annual conferences. In addition to Jan’s dedication and service to ASIA, Janice has been serving as the Spinal Cord Injury Model Systems (SCIMS) data collector for the long-term data (Form 2) since 2001. She contributed to data entry for National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) at the University of Alabama – Birmingham. Janice worked on projects for Dr. James Krause at the Medical University of South Carolina, Dr. David Tulsky at the University of Michigan and Dr. Gale Whiteneck at Craig Hospital.
“Dr. Widerstrom-Noga exceeds all criteria for FASIA selection; scholarship, mentorship, organizational dedication, professional service, and altruistic dedication to the lives and wellbeing of people living with disabilities.”
Dr. Widerstrom-Noga, DDS, PhD, is a Professor of Neurological Surgery, Rehabilitation Medicine, and the principal investigator of the Clinical Pain Research Laboratory of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Her work primarily concerns the extremely complex problem of persistent neuropathic pain after neurotrauma. Dr. Widerstrom-Noga’s educational background is in cross-disciplinary pain research (pain physiology and pain psychology) and in the clinical management of chronic pain.Dr. Widerstrom-Noga has performed human pain research for three decades and in the field of spinal cord injury (SCI) for over 25 years. Her interests are influenced by her clinical background and interest in elucidating the underlying mechanisms of human pain and the cognitions and behaviors that determine the impact of pain. Dr. Widerstrom-Noga has used highly innovative methods including magnetic resonance spectroscopy to elucidate brain mechanisms and adapted outcome measures used in other chronic pain populations to people with SCI. She has also been instrumental in developing, presenting, and promoting the International SCI Pain Data Sets and the NINDS CDEs for SCI and Pain. She serves as the Chair or as a member in both National and International efforts to standardize pain outcome measures and pain classification, and clinical guidelines related to pain management.
“Dr. Zebracki has established a national and international reputation as an investigator, educator, and contributor to the pediatric spinal cord injury field.”
Kathy Zebracki, Ph.D. is Chief of Psychology at Shriners Children’s Chicago and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She received her Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University and MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Zebracki is an active clinician, researcher, and educator. Her primary clinical interests are in the care of children and adolescents with physical disabilities and chronic health conditions. Her research focus is in the area of psychosocial and medical outcomes of youth with spinal cord dysfunctions. She also serves as a clinical and research mentor for clinical psychology doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows. Dr. Zebracki is the Editor-in-Chief of Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation and an Associate Editor of Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology. She is on the Board of Directors (BOD) of Steel Assembly for Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury and Dysfunction and formerly on the BOD of ASIA, Illinois Spina Bifida Association, and American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. Dr. Zebracki has authored over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles, 15 book chapters, and 150 presentations at national and international meetings. Dr. Zebracki is a Co-Editor of the textbooks, Spinal Cord Injury in the Child and Young Adult and Paediatric Neuropsychology within the Multidisciplinary Context. Dr. Zebracki is also a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (Division 54 Pediatric Psychology and Division 22 Rehabilitation Psychology).
