Translational Research or Human Neuroscience Studies in Spinal Cord Injury (TRoHNS) Award
The 2026 TRoHNS award has been presented to Drs. Markus Harrigan, MD, PhD, and Jan Schwab, MD, PhD for their abstract “Lesion level-dependent systemic muscle wasting after spinal cord injury is mediated by glucocorticoid signaling in mice.”
The TRoHNS award is sponsored by ASIA past president Keith Tansey, MD, PhD, former President of ASIA. The TRoHNS award was created in alignment with ASIA’s goal to support investigators across a broader continuum of spinal cord injury science and to encourage work in underdeveloped areas in the field. The award is given for the best abstract submitted to the annual ASIA conference by a clinician or scientist involved in translational research or human neuroscience studies in spinal cord injury.
Markus Harrigan, MD PhD is a surgeon-scientist and Neurosurgery Resident at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of California [USC]. After completing a B.S. in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences from the Ohio State University [OSU] College of Medicine and Honors College Major in Biomedical Sciences he graduated magna cum laude with honors research distinction. After studying post-sepsis macrophage responses and stromal-derived oncogenic signals as an International Pelotonia Fellow, he was selected to join the Medical-Scientist-Training-Program [MSTP] at the OSU, College of Medicine. Here, he followed his interest in understanding and treating diseases of the central nervous system [CNS]. In parallel, he got appointed to the Buckeye Leadership Fellows Program and served various other early leadership positions. Moreover, his research was awarded with several intramural and extramural fellowships and awards, including the F31 Ruth Kirschstein Fellowship by the NIH/NINDS (F31 NS117124). After completing his MDPhD education at OSU he joined USC Neurosurgery.
Jan Schwab, MD, PhD is a physician-scientist and board-certified Neurologist specializing on spinal cord injury (SCI). His main interest is focused on deciphering the underlying pathomechanisms of the maladaptive immune response after SCI. In addition, he has an interest to develop and apply tools to improve prediction of animal models for clinical trials, reduce inherent bias and increase experimental value in SCI research.
After internships at Tel Aviv and Cornell University he received his MD from the Eberhard-Karls University of Tuebingen followed by a PhD from the Max Planck Research School. He completed Neurological residency at the Charité – School of Medicine (Berlin). Subsequently to his Habilitation in “Experimental Neuropathology” he was appointed as CNRS and DFG-scholarship-fellow at the Université Pierre et Maire Curie in Paris and at Harvard Medical School (Boston) respectively. In 2015 he became appointed as W.E. Hunt & WE Curtis chair at the Ohio State University (OSU). He has been the Program Director of first NIDILRR-‘Spinal Cord Model System’ at OSU (2016). From 2018-25, he served as medical director of the Belford Center for Spinal Cord Injury (OSU). Since 2026 he is chair of Clinical and Experimental Paraplegiology at the Charité – School of Medicine (Berlin) and medical director of the Spinal Cord Department at the Trauma Hospital Berlin. He is founding member and scientific director of the Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation.
TRoHNS Rules and Eligibility
Submissions for the TRoHNS award are accepted through the General Call for Abstracts. Submitters do not have to be members of ASIA but ASIA membership will be favored, as will junior investigator status. After reviewing all submitted abstracts self-identified for consideration for this award, the program committee will determine the top 5 papers in the areas of the award as outlined above and will forward these to the Research and Awards Committee and Dr. Tansey to determine the winner.
Individuals currently serving as ASIA President, President-Elect, Immediate Past President, Research and Awards Committee Chair and Vice Chair are ineligible for the TRoHNS Award.
Past TRoHNS Award Recipients
2025 – Prof. Dr. Norbert Weidner
“Nociceptor-driven SCI-Induced Neuropathic Pain.”
2024 – Ryan Hoiland, PhD
“Treatment with Adjuvant Ethyl Nitrite in the Acute Phase Following Traumatic CIi Improves Cardiovascular Function in Rodents 12 Weeks Following SCI.”
2023 – Lukas D. Linde, PhD
“Long Duration, Low-Concentration Topical Capsaicin Diminishes the Development of Central Sensitization.”
2022 – Andrew Smith, PT, DPT, PhD
“Epidural stimulation-promoted standing ability and spinal cord lesion characteristics in motor complete SCI.“
2020 – Dr. Kiran Pawar
“Noninvasive Chronic Spinal Stimulation as a Multi-session Therapy to Improve Cardiovascular Function After Spinal Cord Injury.”
2019 – Alexandra M. Williams PhD
“A Cardiac-Centered approach to Hemodynamic Management Increases Spinal Cord Oxygenation in a Porcine Model of Acute High-Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury.”
