Steve Fening, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and managing director of the Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership, has been appointed as an associate vice president for research, with a focus on strategic partnerships.
“Steve is proven leader who will help us achieve President Kaler’s ambitious goals,” said Michael Oakes, senior vice president for research. “His appointment is a key to our university’s efforts to substantially accelerate research growth and impact.”
In this added role, Fening said he will focus on “driving growth in our research enterprise by leveraging partnerships with industry and federal agencies. I’m also excited to support the alignment and acceleration of translational research programs across campus.”
Fening expects to leverage his connections with government, industry and the entrepreneurial ecosystem nationally, as well as his strong ties to the Cleveland community in this role. Since 2014, he has developed and led translational research programs at CWRU, and before that led sports health research at Cleveland Clinic. He will also maintain appointments at Cleveland Clinic and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. He has served on the boards of several for- and not-for-profits.
Fening has received more than $20 million in grant funding, published more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and presentations, and has several patents. He was a 2017 recipient of the Crain’s Cleveland Business Forty Under 40 and is a member of several national and international professional societies.