Fening, Steve, PhD

As the Director of the Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership (CCTRP) in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Fening drives innovation and translational research to move technologies to the market, where they can improve patient care.

Dr. Fening’s career goal is to reduce the gap between scientific discovery and patient care through translational research and commercialization. He has overseen more than $20M in grant funding, supported more than 60 translational projects, and published over 100 peer-reviewed publications and presentations. He is a co-founder of Apto Orthopaedics Corporation and ICBM Medical, Inc. startups, and serves on the boards of Jumpstart, Inc., the Ohio Life Sciences Association, and HAMIco.

His research expertise spans orthopaedic biomechanics, cartilage repair, and clinical outcomes research, with a strong emphasis on translating academic discoveries into commercial medical products.

Dr. Fening is a co-founder of two startup companies and serves on the board of directors for several for- and not-for-profits.

Prior to joining Case Western Reserve University, Dr. Fening has served as the Director of Research for Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, the Director of Orthopaedic Research for Summa Health System, and the Director of Orthopaedic Devices at the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron. His areas of research focus included the biomechanics of sports injuries to the knee, shoulder, and head and in innovation more broadly across orthopaedic devices. He has received over $20M 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.

Dr. Fening received undergraduate and masters degrees in mechanical engineering, an interdisciplinary PhD degree in biomedical engineering, and a postdoctoral fellowship in orthopaedic biomechanics.

RESEARCH PROGRAMS

• Translational research and academic technology commercialization
• Orthopaedic joint mechanics (shoulder and knee biomechanics)
• Orthopaedic cartilage repair and novel animal models for focal chondral defects
• Clinical outcomes research and electronic health record-based studies
• Medical device innovation and startup formation

MAJOR PROJECTS & FUNDING

• Apto Orthopaedics Corporation, Co-founder and CTO; developing non-invasive adjustment of growing rods for early-onset scoliosis
• Shoulder and knee biomechanics research — over 70 publications on glenohumeral instability and combined bony defects
• I-Corps@NCATS Cleveland Site — Co-leads national innovation training program for academic biomedical researchers

HONORS & RECOGNITION

• • 2017 Crain’s Cleveland Business 40 Under 40, Crain’s Cleveland
  • 2010 Distinguished Educator, Cleveland Clinic
  • 2009 Basic Science Teacher of the Year, Cleveland Clinic
  • Holder of multiple patents in orthopaedic devices
  • Featured in Nature (2017): “Medical technology: Ohio’s bio boom”