David H. Rowitch, professor of pediatrics and neurological surgery at the University of California, San Francisco, will present “Developmental Perspective on Brain Cancer” on Wednesday, September 15 from 12 to 1 p.m. as part of the Gail F. Beach Memorial Visiting Lectureship Series at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. For more information, call 305-243-7108 or visit www.themiamiproject.org/lectures.

Pantelis Tsoulfas, associate professor of neurological surgery and cell biology and anatomy at the Miller School of Medicine, will present “Identification of Novel Transcription Factors Controlling Neuronal Differentiation in Vertebrates” on Wednesday, September 8 from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. For more information, please call 305-243-7108 or visit www.themiamiproject.org/lectures.

Kim Anderson-Erisman, director of education for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, will present “Translation in Spinal Cord Injury: Perspectives and Priorities” on Thursday, September 2 from 8 to 9 a.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. For more information, please call 305-243-7108.

Barth Green, left, and Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, at the award ceremony.

Barth A. Green, professor and chair of neurological surgery, received the Florida Association of Nonprofit Organization’s prestigious Lawton’s Heart Humanitarian Award for his lifetime devotion to humanitarian causes during an award ceremony at the organization’s annual conference in Fort Lauderdale. Founded 20 years ago, FANO represents Florida’s non-profits.

Green was honored for leading the massive medical relief effort in Haiti after the devastating January 12 earthquake. He also was lauded for co-founding three organizations that have immeasurably improved countless lives: Project Medishare, which has been improving access to health care in Haiti’s Central Plateau since 1994; The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and Shake-A-Leg Miami, which teaches people with disabilities and disadvantaged children how to sail.

In his introduction, Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, talked about Green’s “selfless commitment to make the world a better place, his dedication to the global community, and his incredible contribution to his profession.”

The award program was initiated in 1992 to bring public recognition to individuals who dedicate their lives to humanitarian work. The name of the award was changed in 1999 to the Lawton’s Heart Humanitarian Award to recognize the late Florida Governor Lawton Chiles for his lifetime of community service and leadership. In a surprise appearance, the governor’s son, Lawton “Bud” Chiles III, presented the award to Green.

“Lawton Chiles was a friend of mine when I was a young doctor running around the state in helicopters rescuing patients,” Green said after accepting the award. “He funded all of the wonderful programs that have saved so many thousands of lives. He was an extraordinary human being and I am honored to receive this honor that bears his name.”

Green also talked about the Miller School’s extraordinary role in the Haiti relief effort. “When the earthquake occurred we had a massive airlift, bringing in thousands of doctors and nurses who were running around saving lives. More than six months later we are joining forces with partners in this country who are helping us show the Haitian people they haven’t been forgotten.”

Kenneth S. Kosik, Harriman Professor of Neuroscience and co-director of the Neuroscience Research Institute at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will present “MicroRNA’s and the Necessity for a Systems Biology” on Wednesday, September 1 from 12 to 1 p.m. as part of the Gail F. Beach Memorial Visiting Lectureship Series at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. For more information, call 305-243-7108 or visit www.themiamiproject.org/lectures.

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis will host a special seminar by Paul J. Reier, Anne and Oscar Lackner Eminent Scholar Chair and professor of neuroscience at the University of Florida College of Medicine, on Wednesday, August 25 from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. Reier will present “Respiratory Function after Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.” For more information, please visit www.themiamiproject.org/Lectures or call 305-243-7108.

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis will host a special lecture on Tuesday, August 3 from 9 to 10 a.m. at the Lois Pope LIFE Center, seventh-floor auditorium. Christopher Cardozo, associate professor of medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and director of the molecular program at the VA Rehabilitation, Research and Development Center of Excellence for the Medical Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury, will present “Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms by Which Anabolic Interventions Preserve Muscle and Bone after SCI.” For more information, call 305-243-7108 or visit www.themiamiproject.org/lectures.

The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis is a candidate for a $250,000 grant sponsored by the Pepsi Refresh Project. Cast your vote today and help The Miami Project fund its KiDZ Neuroscience Center. If awarded, the grant money will be used to expand the childhood unintentional injury prevention programs and educate more than 100,000 children and parents about injury prevention in the state of Florida. The program with the most votes at the end of June will be awarded the grant. Please vote at www.refresheverything.com/injuryprevention. Each person can vote once per day.

Surrounding Miami Project President Marc Buoniconti, center, are from left, Mary Anne and Don Shula, Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt, President Donna E. Shalala, artist Romero Britto, former Miami Dolphins safety Dick Anderson, Nick and Lynn Buoniconti, Governor Charlie Crist, State Senator Thad Altman, lobbyist Ron Book, and former Dolphins receiver Nat Moore.

With a packed auditorium at The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis’ Lois Pope LIFE Center a fitting stage, Florida Governor Charlie Crist formally signed a bill on May 18 allowing cities to install cameras to catch motorists who run red lights.

The Mark Wandall Traffic Safety Act, which takes effect July 1, allocates a portion of the fines collected to the state’s trauma centers and to The Miami Project for its research into spinal cord and brain injuries, the majority of which occur in motor vehicle accidents.

“The importance of this is obvious,” the Governor said, telling the crowd, which included such notables as former Miami Dolphins Coach Don Shula, that his grandfather spent much of his life in a wheelchair, paralyzed by Guillain-Barré Syndrome. “Just one accident away and but for the grace of God go I.”

President Donna E. Shalala, who with Miller School Dean Pascal J. Goldschmidt and Miami Project founders Nick and Marc Buoniconti were on hand for the ceremonial bill-signing, lauded the legislation for linking the dangerous act of red-light running with help for The Miami Project and the state’s trauma centers, which are always underfunded.

“This is a particularly important act for everybody in the state,” President Shalala said. “I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t had a friend or a neighbor or a classmate who hasn’t been affected by someone who ran a red light. It’s something that touches everyone.”

Dean Goldschmidt thanked the governor for helping the more than 200 Miami Project researchers, scientists and clinicians in their quest to cure paralysis. “I cannot tell you how much it means to us to be helped by this bill,” he said.

Miami Project President Marc Buoniconti, who suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury during a 1985 college football game, also thanked the governor, the bill’s sponsors, and others who made the bill possible through their leadership.

“Our one goal is to cure paralysis and without the money coming in year after year it will never happen,” Buoniconti said. “We’re on the verge of our first-ever clinical trial and this is going to help us cross that goal line.”

Sponsored by State Senator Thad Altman, of Melbourne, and State Representative Ronald Reagan, of Bradenton, the law imposes uniform standards for cameras, which already are in use in dozens of communities around the state. It was named for Bradenton resident Mark Wandall, who was killed by a red-light runner in 2003. Championed by his wife Melissa, the law calls for fines of $158; state analysts estimate it will raise as much as $95 million a year by 2014.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Florida ranked third in traffic fatalities, behind California and Texas, in 2007 and 2008.