Philadelphia, June 18, 2025 -- Ava M. Puccio, RN, PhD, associate professor of neurological surgery and co-director of the University of Pittsburgh Neurotrauma Clinical Trials Center, received the prestigious Mary Ann Liebert Award for Science from the National Neurotrauma Society at the organization's annual meeting June 18 in Philadelphia. The award recognizes a female researcher who has made notable scientific contributions in the field of neurotrauma and who has made recent impactful contributions to education, mentoring or advocacy.
Dr. Puccio’s research is focused on improving outcomes in traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury patients. She has been involved in the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in TBI (TRACK-TBI) network—a national, multi-center initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that has been revolutionizing clinical care for brain-injured patients—since its inception. She is also principal investigator for the TRACK-TBI National TBI Biospecimens Repository, a collection of biological samples from TBI patients organized to aid clinicians, researchers and industry partners identify new, effective treatments for TBI.
Dr. Puccio was also an early adopter of team science and has been a leader in training the next generation of neurotrauma scientists. Her previous mentees include undergraduates, medical students, residents, clinical fellow and academic postdoctoral students.
