Dr. Mendell is a Distinguished Professor at Stony Brook University, and his laboratory focuses on the functional effects of neurotrophins in pain and segmental reflex pathways. Specifically, his research centers on the physiology of neurotrophins, and their action in modifying well-delineated circuits in the intact and injured spinal cord, including sensory input and motor output. His group is investigating the effects of neurotrophins on nociceptors and nociception in rats. In previous work, the team determined that administration of the neurotrophin nerve growth factor (NGF), known to be normally upregulated in skin during inflammation, produces hyperalgesia, and now is studying the basis for the peripheral component of this hyperalgesia. Another focus in his research is the action of neurotrophins such as NT-3 and BDNF on spinal reflexes and pathways in the neonatal rat. Dr. Mendell is the author of numerous journal articles and a past president of the Society of Neuroscience.

Anthony O. Caggiano, M.D., Ph.D., is Senior Vice President of Research & Development (R&D) at Acorda Therapeautics. He previously served in various roles in the preclinical and R&D departments since joining Acorda in 2001. He has authored papers in neuro-inflammation, injury, recovery, and cardiovascular disease, and is the inventor or co-inventor on multiple Acorda technologies. He served as chairman of the National Institutes of Health neuropharmacology Small Business Innovations Research grants review special emphasis panel. He has a broad background in drug development having led the research, preclinical development, manufacturing and/or early-phase clinical development on growth factor, antibody, enzyme and small molecule based therapeutics, successfully bringing multiple protein therapeutics from concept, through investigational new drug (IND) and into clinical trials. He was part of a team to gain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a small molecule therapeutic now commercialized under the trade name Ampyra.

Donald S. Faber, Ph.D. is the Florence and Irving Rubenstein University Professor Emeritus at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx. Dr. Faber served as the chair of the Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience from 1999 to 2013, and he also was the Director of the Rose F. Kennedy Center for most of that time. He is a world-renowned neuroscientist who has made major contributions to understanding of both the regulation and plasticity of synaptic transmission, the role of intrinsic membrane properties in both normal and abnormal operation of neural networks, as well as the physiological consequences of nerve cell responses to injury.

Dr. Faber earned his Ph.D. in physiology in 1968 from SUNY at Buffalo. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship with Nobel Laureate John Eccles, he worked as a research associate at the Max Planck Institute for Brain Research in Frankfurt and at the Hospital Salpetriere in Paris, before returning to the U.S. to join the faculty of the University of Cincinnati in 1972. He moved to the Department of Physiology at Buffalo in 1974, where he was named an associate professor and director, Division of Neurobiology in 1978 and rose to professor in 1981. In 1992, he moved to MCP-Hahnemann School of Medicine as chair of the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy and a member of the School’s Spinal Cord Injury Program, until he moved to Albert Einstein in 1999. Dr. Faber has served as a consultant to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF), as well as on the editorial boards of three major journals. His extensive professional recognition includes appointment as a Javits Investigator of the NIH National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke and election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Goldberg is the David Mahoney Professor of Brain and Behavior in the Departments of Neuroscience, Neurology, Psychiatry and Opthalmology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Director of the Mahoney Center for Mind and Brain. He is also a member of the Kavli Institute for Brain Science at Columbia University. He is a Research Scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and Senior Attending Neurologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Goldberg served as President of the Society for Neuroscience from 2009 through 2010.

In 1963, Dr. Goldberg received an A.B. degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard College. From 1963 to 1964, he was a graduate fellow at Rockefeller University, and earned a medical degree from Harvard Medical School, cum laude, in 1968. He was Medical House Officer at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital from 1968-1969, Research Associate in the Laboratory of Neurobiology and the National Institute of Mental Health from 1969-1972, and Resident in Neurology in the Harvard Longwood Program from 1972-1975.

Dr. Goldberg’s research on cognitive systems and neuroscience focuses on the psychophysics and physiology of cognitive processes in the monkey, using single unit recording, iontophoresis, and careful behavioral measurements. Current projects include elucidation of the cortical representation of oculomotor proprioception, using saccadic adaptation to understand the coordinate system of neurons in the lateral intraparietal area (LIP), the role of prestriate cortex in visual search, and the role of inhibition in the response of parietal neurons. Recent discoveries in Dr. Goldberg’s laboratory include the demonstration of a predictive relationship of parietal activity to both saccadic reaction time and visual attention; the demonstration that the lateral parietal area acts as a linear summing junction for at least three independent signals: a saccadic signal, and undifferentiated visual signal, and a cognitive signal; and the proprioceptive representation of eye position in monkey area 3a of primary somatosensory cortex.

Bernice Grafstein, BA, PhD, DSc (hon), is Professor of Physiology & Biophysics and the Vincent & Brooke Astor Distinguished Professor in Neuroscience at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. She has had a notable career in neuroscience research, known for her work on the electrophysiology of the cerebral cortex and on axonal transport and nerve regeneration. She now plays an important role in teaching at the Medical College, serving as Co-Director of the Brain and Mind course for medical students and as Director of the Giving Good Science course for graduate students, as well as a lecturer in these and other courses. She has served on many Medical College committees, and is currently a member of the Basic Sciences Curriculum Committee, the Advanced Basic Sciences Committee and the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. She has received numerous awards for both research and teaching. She was the first woman to be President of the Society for Neuroscience and is currently Vice-President and Life Trustee of the Grass Foundation, which supports training and research in neuroscience. 

Two weeks before he planned to start college, Keith Gurgui sustained a spinal cord injury while diving, leaving him permanently paralyzed below the neck. After leaving the hospital, he underwent six months of rigorous physical therapy to maintain muscular, orthopedic, respiratory and cardiovascular health as well as to learn how to use assistive technology and a wheelchair.

With Mr. Gurgui's accident and rehabilitation came an understanding of disability and rehabilitation, and a personal desire to advocate for issues, knowledge, concerns, needs and rights of people with disabilities. As the System Advocate for the New York Statewide Systems Advocacy Network at the Resource Center for Accessible Living (RCAL) in Kingston, New York, he works with a network of community members who advocate for the needs of the disability community. He is also very interested in stem cell research and the field of regenerative medicine and attended the 2010 World Stem Cell Summit in Detroit, Michigan, hosted by the Genetics Policy Institute. Mr. Gurgui received his Associates in Individual Studies from Ulster County Community College in August of 2014.

Nancy A. Lieberman is a partner in the global law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP where she concentrates on mergers and acquisitions and corporate governance matters. Ms. Lieberman, a quadriplegic, is also a co-founder and director of New Yorkers to Cure Paralysis, an umbrella organization designed to educate New York legislators and the executive branch of the need for funding spinal cord injury research in New York State. She is also a director of the Pacific Council on International Policy, based in Los Angeles, a Trustee of the University of Rochester, from which she received a B.A. degree, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City. Ms. Lieberman is also a graduate of The University of Chicago Law School and received a graduate law degree from New York University.

Kristjan T. Ragnarsson, M.D., was the Lucy G. Moses Professor and Chairman of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, from 1986 to 2016. Since 2016, he holds the title of Emeritus Professor and Chair. He completed his medical studies at the University of Iceland in 1969 and a residency in the field of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R) at New York University Medical Center, Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in 1974 where he also completed a clinical fellowship in Spinal Cord Injury Research in 1975. He served on the faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU School of Medicine between 1976 and 1986.

At Mount Sinai, he led the growth of the Department while serving in various other leadership roles, e.g. President of Mount Sinai’s Medical Board, and Chair, Board of Governors for Faculty Practice Associates; President of American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA), Association of Academic Physiatrists, and the Foundation for Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Member of US Department of VA Scientific Merit Review Board; Chairman of NIH Consensus Conference on “Rehabilitation of Persons with Traumatic Brain Injury”; President of Icelandic American Society of New York; Director of Icelandic American Chamber of Commerce; Executive Trustee, Vice President/Vice Chairman for Iceland, and Chairman Board of Trustees of the American Scandinavian Foundation; Board Member of “Ossur Inc.”, an Icelandic Medical Technology company; leader of numerous committees and task forces; etc.

Dr. Ragnarsson has been highly recognized for his work as a physician. He was consistently listed among “The Best Doctors in New York” by New York Magazine and “America’s Top Doctors” by Castle Connelly.  His awards include Lifetime Achievement Award by ASIA, Gold Key Award by the American Congress of  Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM), Howard A. Rusk M.D., Humanitarian Award by the World Rehabilitation Fund, the Jacobi Medallion by the Alumni of the Mount Sinai Hospital, the Outstanding Faculty Award by the Mount Sinai Medical Center, the Excellence Award by the American Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals, and Distinguished Public Service Award, Distinguished Member Award, and the Frank H. Krusen, M.D., Lifetime Achievement Award (the highest award given in his specialty) by the American Academy PM&R. He has published more than 170 articles and book chapters and has made close to 150 invited presentations and named lectureships in his field of expertise, nationally and internationally.

Fraser Sim is an Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the State University of New York, University at Buffalo. His laboratory focuses on understanding glial development and dysfunction using a combination of human stem and progenitor cells with animal models of neurological disease. Dr. Sim earned his undergraduate and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Cambridge (UK) in Neuroscience. He received postdoctoral training at the University of Cambridge, Weill Cornell University Medical College, and University of Rochester Medical Center with Drs. Robin Franklin and Steven Goldman. In 2009, he joined the faculty of SUNY University at Buffalo. He has developed novel methods to identify and isolate defined progenitor cells from the human brain. By genomic analysis of these purified cell populations, he has identified novel pharmacological targets for treatment of myelin disease. 

Adam B. Stein, M.D., is Chair and Professor, at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell.

Dr. Stein completed his medical degree in 1987 at New York University School of Medicine. His residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation took place at New York University School of Medicine-Rusk Institute for Rehabilitation Medicine, and was successfully completed in 1991. In his final year of residency, Dr. Stein was elected Chief Resident and ultimately honored with the Highest Overall Performance Award. Dr. Stein has been board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation since 1992. He is also board certified in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine since 2003.

After residency, Dr. Stein joined the faculty at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine; he remained at Mount Sinai until 2008. At Mount Sinai, Dr. Stein directed the Spinal Cord Injury Unit and developed the department’s program for ventilator dependent individuals. He served as the Residency Program Director for the Residency Training Programs in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Spinal Cord Injury Medicine, respectively. Dr. Stein coordinated all educational programs provided by the Department to the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and was able to incorporate Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation into each of the four years of the medical school’s curriculum; a rarity in United States Medical Schools.

Dr. Stein began his chairmanship at Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra Northwell in July, 2008. In this capacity, he oversees the delivery of rehabilitation services for the health system for its many hospitals and outpatient therapy centers as well as helping to oversee the Residency Training Program in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Stein also facilitates the education of medical students. He directs the PM&R portion of Advanced Clinical Experience and has contributed as a content leader for “The Human Condition”, one of the core courses at the school. Further, he is a member of the Admissions Committee, a core faculty member of the Communication portion of the school’s first course, CPR: Challenges, Privileges and Responsibilities, and serves as a coach and assessor for the medical students during Reflection, Integration and Assessment periods.

Dr. Stein serves as a member of the Board of Trustees for the Association of Academic Physiatrists and is a member of the Board of Directors of the American Spinal Injury Association.