The Goldberger Murray Boyne Levine Award was established to commemorate the work of four members of the Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy who passed away, Michael E. Goldberger, Marion Murray, Lesley Boyne and Rhea Levine. In 2022, the award was renamed the Goldberger Murray Murphay Award.

Drs. Michael Goldberger, Marion Murray, Lesley Boyne and Rhea Levine were members of the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy when they tragically died. Dr. Goldberger was a senior faculty member recognized as one of the leaders in spinal cord injury research. Dr. Murray was the founder of Drexel's Spinal Cord Research Center. Dr. Boyne was a dedicated postdoctoral fellow with a promising career in neuroscience research and teaching. Dr. Rhea Levine was a senior faculty member and a leader in the field of muscle structure. Dr. Hazel Murphy was a longtime faculty member who passed away in 2022.

Dr. Michael E. Goldberger

Dr. Michael E. Goldberger joined the faculty of the Department of Anatomy at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1973 and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 1978. He received his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965, continued his postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania and served on the faculty of the University of Chicago from 1967 to 1973.

At the Medical College of Pennsylvania, Dr. Goldberger devoted his main efforts to setting up a research group focused on the development of the nervous system and transplantation-related strategies to promote recovery from injury. 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. This classic finding resulted in a series of breakthrough studies leading to promising research on the use of growth factors and fetal transplants to restore function. This research, which he applied to studies of recovery from spinal cord injury, also has important application in brain trauma and neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Goldberger published over 60 scientific papers and presented his research in numerous national and international conferences. He was recognized as one of the leading authorities on spinal cord injury research and served on important advisory committees, grant review study sections and NIH task forces. In 1984 he was awarded the prestigious Javits Neuroscience Investigator Grant Award, given by the NIH to outstanding neuroscientists to support long-term funding. Dr. Goldberger was not only a pioneer in his research, he was a unique person whose devotion to equality and justice inspired everyone who knew him. He died in 1992, but his research work on spinal cord injury has endured and continues to evolve in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy.

Dr. Marion Murray

Dr. Marion Murray was a professor in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy for 30 years until her death in September 2018. She led spinal cord research at Drexel, focusing on neuroplasticity and its relationship to recovery of function after spinal cord injury. She and Dr. Goldberger helped to bring a more patient-focused approach to the practice of spinal cord injury recovery. Dr. Murray published more than 150 scientific articles and reviews. She earned her PhD in physiology from the University of Wisconsin.

Committed to serving the research community, Dr. Murray sat on the advisory boards of the VA Office of Regeneration Research and the Spinal Cord Research Foundation, as well as on several editorial boards. She was honored with numerous awards, including the Research Achievement Award from Drexel's predecessor institution MCP Hahnemann University, the Trustees Award for Excellence in Teaching from Drexel's Graduate School, the Fogarty Fellowship, and the Javits Neurosciences Investigator Award. She inspired and mentored countless students, fellows and faculty. Dr. Murray epitomized scientific leadership, passionately confronting significant problems for human health and then generously sharing her knowledge with others.

Dr. Lesley Boyne

Dr. Lesley Boyne had been a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy at MCP from 1992 to 1996. She started her professional career as a physical therapist with an MS from the University of Southern California. She continued her studies at the University of Michigan, where she received her PhD in 1992, studying the effects of extracellular matrix proteins on the development of the nervous system. At MCP she worked under the direction of Dr. Itzhak Fischer studying the role of cytoskeletal proteins in neuronal growth and regeneration. Her research was focused on the mechanisms associated with the ability of peripheral neurons to regenerate and the differences between axon growth during development and in response to injury. In 1993 she was honored with the National Research Service Award from the NIH. Her work was presented at national and international meetings and published in first-rate scientific journals.

Lesley was not only a dedicated and promising neuroscientist, but also a superb teacher with a keen talent for engaging presentations. She taught Gross Anatomy and Medical Neuroscience in several local colleges to physical therapy students and was a lab instructor and special tutor at MCP to medical students. She was regularly recognized as an outstanding teacher by students and faculty. Lesley died February 7, 1996, at the Medical College of Pennsylvania Hospital, of complications from ovarian cancer. She is survived by her husband and daughter.

Dr. Rhea Levine

Dr. Rhea Levine, a member of the faculty since 1969, died January 19, 2002 after fighting cancer for four years. Dr. Levine was a graduate of Smith College, obtained her PhD from NYU and did her postdoctoral training at Yale. Her research interest was the structure and function of invertebrate muscle. She served on many of the major committees at the university, including the Faculty Promotion and Tenure Committees and the Executive Faculty Committee. As a teacher, she was enthusiastic, scholarly and thorough, and always demanded the highest standards from her students. She served as a mentor and role model for many students and junior faculty. Besides her outstanding contributions as a teacher and researcher, she found time to pursue many other interests; she was a gourmet cook and excellent musician, and still found time to be a devoted mother, wife and grandmother. She also served on the Board of Trustees of the Richard Stockton College and Smith College. Rhea will be greatly missed. Her courage in continuing to teach, research and fulfill all her commitments throughout her illness was an inspiration to all who knew her.

Dr. Hazel Murphy

Dr. Hazel Murphy came to Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1976 as an associate professor in the Department of Anatomy, where she also served as acting chair from 1989-1992. During that time, she led an accomplished NIH-funded research program studying the effects of prenatal cocaine on brain and behavior development. She trained students, postdoctoral researchers and junior faculty, including some who hold senior leadership positions at Drexel today.

Dr. Murphy transitioned to a teaching role in 1999, leading the Medical Neuroscience course for many years. She was outstanding educator who contributed to the development of a new curriculum that incorporated the Medical Neuroscience course into a multidisciplinary Human Structure and Function course.

Endowment Awardees

Goldberger Awardees

Lesley Boyne Travel Awardees

Goldberger / Murray / Boyne / Levine Award

Goldberger / Murray / Murphy Award

 
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