This award was originally established to recognize excellence in behavioral neuroscience. Today, this award represents the top award in the trainee poster competition.

Dr. Goldberger’s unique contribution lay in his ability to devise sensitive tech­niques to assess behavioral recovery, which could then be correlated with ana­tomical evidence for nerve regeneration. His seminal research papers revealed for the first time the capacity of central nervous system axons to sprout or grow into an adjacent denervated area. His work led to promi­sing research on the use of growth factors and fetal transplants to restore function. Dr. Goldberger focused on the nature of behavioral recovery and was a mentor to many well-known investigators studying plasticity and recovery after spinal cord injury.