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College of Arts and Sciences

Office of research & grant development, office of research administration & grant development.

The Office of Research Administration and Grant Development is here to facilitate CAS faculty research by:

• Announcing funding opportunities
• Conducting funding opportunity searches for individual faculty, departments, or special priorities
• Reviewing guidelines and discussing the best way to format responses to specific proposal calls
• Assisting with the development and submission of research proposals (budget, editing, administrative forms, and compilation)
• Facilitating collaboration with other departments, colleges and CWRU central support offices
• Liaising with foundations, program officers, and other outside agencies
• Providing guidance with post-award compliance and progress reports

Email [email protected] to schedule an appointment to discuss your funding needs.

SciENcv and ORCID to Streamline NIH and NSF Grant Applications

The National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) applications require biographical sketches in specific formats for successful submission. There are two ways to approach creating these documents: Applicants may access the biosketch template provided by each agency (NIH Biosketch and NSF Biosketch) and enter or update their information manually. OR Applicants...

What is ORCID? ORCID is an acronym for Open Researcher & Contributor ID. ORCID is an open, non-profit, community-based effort to provide a registry of unique researcher identifiers and a method of linking research-related items, such as articles as datasets, to these identifiers. Publishers that require an ORCID Ten things you...

Data Use Agreement General Guidance

A Data Use Agreement (DUA) is required whenever CWRU is providing data. It is STRONGLY recommended that DUA language/terms and conditions be included in sponsored research agreements including subcontracts whenever possible. DUAs may require IRB approval and Data Security Approval. General Categories of Data Data not from a human subject ...

NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication

NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication Through NEH-Mellon Fellowships for Digital Publication, the National Endowment for the Humanities and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation jointly support individual scholars pursuing interpretive research projects that require digital expression and digital publication. To be considered under this opportunity, an applicant’s plans for digital publication...

NSF News: New Solicitations and Office Hours

New Solicitation & Office Hours: Molecular Foundations for Biotechnology (MFB 2.0): Partnerships to Transform the Industries of the Future (NSF 22-554)  This initiative calls for fundamentally new approaches in molecular sciences to drive new directions in biotechnology, a critical and emerging technology of the 21st century. This is the second year...

Cambridge Journals 2022-2024 Open Access Publishing: Information for Authors

OhioLINK is embarking upon an agreement with Cambridge University Press with two major benefits for students and faculty at institutions of higher education in Ohio.  This deal provides expanded access to important published research from Cambridge University Press and is the first such “Read & Publish” deal with an...

Kelvin Smith Library

Research Data Management

• Research Data Repositories
• Data Managmement Best Practices
• Data Management Plans

Research Data and GIS Specialist

Web Resources

• DataONE's Primer on Data Management
• MANTRA Research Data Management Training
• DMPTool (See tab in this Research Guide)
• Managing Research Data by Graham Pryor (Editor) ISBN: 9781299277847 Publication Date: 2013-03-12

Other Resources at CWRU

• Office of Research and Technology Management's Data Management Policy

Other Contacts at CWRU

• Tracy Wilson-Holden Director, Research Integrity, Education, and Outreach Office of Research and Technology Management 216-368-6131 [email protected]
• Kimberly Volarcik Executive Director, Research Compliance Office of Research and Technology Management 216-368-0134 [email protected]
• Mark Herron Chief Information Security Officer University Technology, [U]Tech 216-368-6959 [email protected]

OSTP Memo Announcement

All researchers should be aware of the updated requirements from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The 2022 Nelson Memo is an announcement from the OSTP requiring federal government agencies to update their public access policies with a provision to make federally funded research publications and their associated data (where applicable) publicly accessible, for free, upon publication, in repositories designated by the government agency (i.e. “agency-designated repositories”). In addition, data repositories for the public sharing and access of associated research data will be determined by the agencies in consultation with researchers. These new rules will go into effect by December 31, 2025.

This means that all researchers engaging in projects supported by federally funded grants should plan accordingly to collect, organize, and share their data and results in a publicly accessible manner. For more information, visit the OSTP website or contact the Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship at KSL to discuss the matter.

What is research data management? Research data management (RDM) comprises a set of practices—including file organization, documentation, storage, backup, security, preservation, and sharing—which affords researchers the ability to more quickly, efficiently, and accurately find, access, and understand their own or others' research data. Why should you care about research data management? RDM practices, if applied consistently and as early in a project as possible, can save you considerable time and effort later, when specific data are needed, when others need to make sense of your data, or when you decide to share or otherwise upload your data to a digital repository. Adopting RDM practices will also help you more easily comply with the data management plan (DMP) required for obtaining grants from many funding agencies and institutions. What should you do if you need assistance implementing RDM practices? Whether it's because you need discipline-specific metadata standards for your data, help with securing sensitive data, or assistance writing a data management plan for a grant, help is available to you at CWRU! In addition to consulting the resources featured in this guide, you are encouraged to contact your department's liaison librarian, the Freedman Center for Digital Scholarship, or the Office of Research Administration.  The box at the bottom right of the page has further points of contact.

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• Last Updated: Oct 25, 2024 3:48 PM
• URL: https://researchguides.case.edu/RDM

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Materials Science & Engineering

Additive and advanced materials manufacturing.

We're a lead institution of America Makes, a national network improving and expanding U.S. manufacturing

Read about how we're advancing new materials for manufacturing with the support of LIFT

Explore 3-D printing at Sears think[box]

Case Western Reserve has a long history of manufacturing-related discoveries, from the automobile and aerospace industries to biomedical devices. We’ve continued that tradition into the 21st century as a leading institution in the federal America Makes network, and even with our open-access, 50,000-square-foot maker’s playground Sears think[box] . From new materials discovery to alloy developments and enhancements to thermal electrics, magnets and nitinol, we’re leading the field of advanced materials. We’re developing the next generation of aluminum lithium alloys for lightweight structures like fan blades in jet engines, and novel ways to produce micro- and nanocomposites for enhanced structural integrity.

We work with local, national and international companies to understand the needs of modern manufacturing and develop solutions for everything from robotics and automation for even the smallest runs to integrating the latest additive manufacturing techniques for large-scale products. From our foundry for metal casting to our development of novel treatments of materials surfaces to enhance their properties, we improve the production of everything from corrosion-resistant implants to tougher yet lightweight aerospace components. Our process modeling capabilities allow us to develop models that comply with the manufacturing equipment’s parameters in order to develop ideal processing techniques. Our deformation-processing equipment is capable of small-scale extrusion and simulated extractions to gain insights on new manufacturing techniques, and our expertise in additive manufacturing can enhance the production of all materials systems, whether they incorporate lightweight metals, ceramics, polymers or composites.

Institutes, centers and labs related to Additive and Advanced Materials Manufacturing

Advanced Manufacturing and Mechanical Reliability Center

Develops and provides mechanical testing for materials using an array of equipment.

Sears think[box]

Sears think[box] is open for active students, staff, and faculty of CWRU, CIA, and LCCC from 12p-7p on weekdays. We continue to offer remote services for our community members and alumni who are unable to visit our facility.

Please click on the appropriate button below to learn how you can engage with think[box] this spring.

Metal Processing Laboratory

Explores metal casting innovations and applications.

Mesoscale Science Lab

Creates experimental techniques to develop a physical understanding of processing-structure-property relationships of crystalline and amorphous materials

Frank Ernst Research Group

Researches alloy surface engineering, plated metallization, metal-oxide interfaces and materials for fuel cells, photovoltaics, and nanotechnology

Faculty who conduct research in Additive and Advanced Materials Manufacturing

Bud Baeslack III

Jennifer Carter

Frank Ernst

John Lewandowski

Jim McGuffin-Cawley

Matthew Willard

Case School of Engineering Nord 500 216.368.4436

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Innovation Week continues with awards, panels, luncheons and more

Now in its third year, Innovation Week recognizes Case Western Reserve community members who exemplify the university’s innovative culture. 

Yesterday, the 2024 Faculty Distinguished Research Award winners were honored, and today, a celebratory luncheon will recognize the Innovators of the Year alongside a keynote from Patrick Hanley, research and development director at Dow Inc. 

This year’s Milestone Awards will be presented in two parts during lunch sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, at which free lunch will be provided.

The Inventor Milestone Awards will be presented during Wednesday’s luncheon . Beginning at noon, the event will include the “Serendipitous Epiphany through Efforts to gain Knowledge” (SEEK) contest and award presentation. Inspired by the history of the Michelson–Morley experiment, the SEEK Award will be awarded to the faculty researcher whose persistence through research setbacks led to the best unintended and unexpected results. 

The 2024 Commercialization and Pedagogical Milestone Awards will be presented during Thursday’s luncheon , which will begin at noon and feature an industry panel discussion. Leaders from Lubrizol, Nestle, Saint-Gobain and Swagelok will share stories of failure and success.

See the complete list of Milestone Award winners below. 

Inventor Award

The first Milestone Award category, the Inventor Award, honors any member of the CWRU community who has received at least one issued patent through the university’s Technology Transfer Office in fiscal year 2024. Honorees include:

• Kumar Alagramam
• Yunus Alapan
• Abdullah Amin
• Jacob Antunes
• Tanvir Baig
• James Basilion
• Narendra Bhadra
• Niloy Bhadra
• Vahab Bonab
• Rasim Boyacioglu
• Susann Brady-Kalnay
• Robert Brown
• Michael Bruckman
• Hulya Bukulmez
• Clemens Burda
• Arnold Caplan
• Amitabh Chak
• Mastooreh Chamanian
• Yijiang Chen
• Kevin Cooper
• Jared Cregg
• Anna Czapar
• Chris Dealwis
• Robert Deissler
• Dominique Durand
• Matthew Elitt
• Donald Feke
• Philip Feng
• Stephen Fink
• Yazan Gharaibeh
• Satyam Ghodasara
• Suhasini Gopal
• Miklos Gratzl
• Mark Griswold
• Vikas Gulani
• Umut Gurkan
• Mitchell Hopkins
• Yee-Hsee Hsieh
• Michael Jenkins
• Kevin Kilgore
• Christopher King
• Bradley Lang
• Stephen Lewis
• Chung-Chiun Liu
• Joseph Lott
• Zheng-Rong Lu
• Tristan Maidment
• Debnath Maji
• Ica Manas-Zloczower
• Sanford Markowitz
• Robyn Marks
• Debra McGivney
• Nathan McMullen
• Pedram Mohseni
• Helen Moinova
• Monica Montano
• Wyatt Newman
• Andrew Olah
• Ammar Patel
• Sina Pourang
• David Prabhu
• Sanjay Rajagopalan
• Lauren Randolph
• Imran Rashid
• Stuart Rowan
• Christopher Ryan
• Abrahim Salman
• Matthew Schiefer
• James Seckler
• Jerry Silver
• Kenneth Singer
• Jonathan Stamler
• Evi Stavrou
• Colin Stomberski
• Michael Suster
• Xinyao Tang
• Ronald Triolo
• Dustin Tyler
• Satish Viswanath
• Tina Vrabec
• Jesse Wainright
• Bingcheng Wang
• Xinning Wang
• Xuefei Wang
• Yanming Wang
• Zhouping Wei
• Joseph Willis
• David Wilson
• Katherine Wright
• Chunying Wu
• Mousa Younesi
• Yiyuan Yuan
• Yongyou Zhang
• Christian ZormanDavid Wilson
• Xiangwu (David ) Zeng
• Christian Zorman

Commercialization Award

The second Milestone Award category, the Commercialization Award, honors any CWRU community member with a technology that was newly licensed through the university’s Technology Transfer Office in fiscal year 2024. The Commercialization Award winners include:

• Richard Adams: Algorithm for Unsupervised Segmentation of Infant Brains using Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting
• Ozan Akkus: High throughput optical assay for screening hemoglobin oxygen affinity modifying drug
• Ran An: High throughput optical assay for screening hemoglobin oxygen affinity modifying drug
• Eric Baer: Random Information Encoding, Storage and Retrieval from Multilayer Polymeric 1-D Photonic Films
• Brecken Blackburn: Optical Coherence Tomography-based Diffusivity and Viscosity Measurement
• Brecken Blackburn: Phase-Decorrelation Optical Coherence Tomography for Cornea Characterization
• Susann Brady-Kalnay: Near Infrared Fluorophore Imaging Agents that bind the PTPmu biomarker
• Thomas Brantley: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Thomas Brantley: HoloNeuroAnatomy
• Andrew Buzza: Systems and Methods to Selectively Silence Small Fibers in a Surgical Setting
• Andrew Buzza: Systems and Methods to Selectively Silence Small Fibers Transcutaneously
• Murat Cavusoglu: Design and Radio Frequency tuning of the actuation coils for a robotic catheter with embedded micro-actuation coils for magnetic actuation inside MRI scanner
• Murat Cavusoglu: Coupled magnetic actuation and insertion control for a magnetically actuated catheter
• Murat Cavusoglu: Actuation dithering for thermal management of a robotic catheter with embeded micro-actuation coils for magnetic actuation inside MRI scanner
• Murat Cavusoglu: Method for catheter localization, and shape and contact force estimation for control feedback
• Murat Cavusoglu: Hybrid magnetically actuated flexible catheter with variable length stiff segment
• Darin Croft: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Darin Croft: HoloNeuroAnatomy
• Mitchell Drumm: Human G551D CFTR Expressing Mouse on a CFTR Null (CWRU) Mouse Background
• Andrew Dupuis: Optimized MR Imaging Using Large Language Model Agents
• Henry Eastman: A Content Agnostic Framework to Create and Display Holographic Presentations in a Shared Mixed Reality Experience
• Henry Eastman: A Method for Creating a Shared Mixed Reality Experience for a Group Wearing Head Mounted Displays
• Henry Eastman: A Method for Optimizing and Displaying Digital Materials for Mixed Reality through a Head Mounted Display
• Henry Eastman: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Henry Eastman: A method for content location selection based on position and view in a mixed reality or augmented reality environment
• Henry Eastman: Method for Manipulating Mixed Reality Models
• Henry Eastman: An interface and network infrastructure for optimizing management of multiple simultaneous holographic experiences from a single control panel
• Rebecca Enterline: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Darcy Freedman: PSE READI: Policy Systems and Environmental Intervention Readiness Assessment and Decision Instrument
• Barbara Freeman: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Barbara Freeman: HoloNeuroAnatomy
• Sarah Garrow: Method for determining needle position and pose from MR imaging
• James Gasparatos: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• James Gasparatos: An interface and network infrastructure for optimizing management of multiple simultaneous holographic experiences from a single control panel
• James Gasparatos: HoloNeuroAnatomy
• Robert Gotschall: A method for content location selection based on position and view in a mixed reality or augmented reality environment
• Robert Gotschall: A Method for Creating a Shared Mixed Reality Experience for a Group Wearing Head Mounted Displays
• Robert Gotschall: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Robert Gotschall: Method for Manipulating Mixed Reality Models
• Robert Gotschall: An interface and network infrastructure for optimizing management of multiple simultaneous holographic experiences from a single control panel
• William Grissom: RF Frequency Encoded Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• William Grissom: Method for determining needle position and pose from MR imaging
• William Grissom: Optimized MR Imaging Using Large Language Model Agents
• William Grissom: Method to Design RF Pulses for Short-TR and Multi-Echo MRI Pulse Sequences
• Mark Griswold: Hololens Applications
• Mark Griswold: A Method for Creating a Shared Mixed Reality Experience for a Group Wearing Head Mounted Displays
• Mark Griswold: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Mark Griswold: Method for Manipulating Mixed Reality Models
• Mark Griswold: An interface and network infrastructure for optimizing management of multiple simultaneous holographic experiences from a single control panel
• Mark Griswold: RF Frequency Encoded Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Mark Griswold: Optimized MR Imaging Using Large Language Model Agents
• Mark Griswold: Method to Design RF Pulses for Short-TR and Multi-Echo MRI Pulse Sequences
• Mark Griswold: Design and Radio Frequency tuning of the actuation coils for a robotic catheter with embedded micro-actuation coils for magnetic actuation inside MRI scanner
• Mark Griswold: Coupled magnetic actuation and insertion control for a magnetically actuated catheter
• Mark Griswold: Actuation dithering for thermal management of a robotic catheter with embeded micro-actuation coils for magnetic actuation inside MRI scanner
• Mark Griswold: Method for catheter localization, and shape and contact force estimation for control feedback
• Mark Griswold: Hybrid magnetically actuated flexible catheter with variable length stiff segment
• Shi Gu: Optical Coherence Tomography-based Diffusivity and Viscosity Measurement
• Shi Gu: Phase-Decorrelation Optical Coherence Tomography for Cornea Characterization
• Ariel Gubatina: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Umut Gurkan: High throughput optical assay for screening hemoglobin oxygen affinity modifying drug
• Erin Henninger: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Erin Henninger: An interface and network infrastructure for optimizing management of multiple simultaneous holographic experiences from a single control panel
• Craig Hodges: Human G551D CFTR Expressing Mouse on a CFTR Null (CWRU) Mouse Background
• Michael Hore: Random Information Encoding, Storage and Retrieval from Multilayer Polymeric 1-D Photonic Films
• Siyuan Hu: Characterizing artifacts in multi-dimensional MR Fingerprinting with high efficiency for sequence optimization: systematic error index
• Michael Jenkins: Nerve cuff for light delivery to a peripheral nerve
• Michael Jenkins: Systems and Methods to Selectively Silence Small Fibers in a Surgical Setting
• Michael Jenkins: Systems and Methods to Selectively Silence Small Fibers Transcutaneously
• Michael Jenkins: Detection of Shear Wave Speed By Doppler Shifted Phase Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography
• Michael Jenkins: Optical Coherence Tomography-based Diffusivity and Viscosity Measurement
• Michael Jenkins: Phase-Decorrelation Optical Coherence Tomography for Cornea Characterization
• Mette Johansen: Near Infrared Fluorophore Imaging Agents that bind the PTPmu biomarker
• Sanjana Kamath: Design and Radio Frequency tuning of the actuation coils for a robotic catheter with embedded micro-actuation coils for magnetic actuation inside MRI scanner
• Michael Landers: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Michael Landers: HoloNeuroAnatomy
• Stephen Lewis: Systems and Methods to Selectively Silence Small Fibers in a Surgical Setting
• Stephen Lewis: Systems and Methods to Selectively Silence Small Fibers Transcutaneously
• Nate Lombard Poirot: Design and Radio Frequency tuning of the actuation coils for a robotic catheter with embedded micro-actuation coils for magnetic actuation inside MRI scanner
• Nate Lombard Poirot: Actuation dithering for thermal management of a robotic catheter with embeded micro-actuation coils for magnetic actuation inside MRI scanner
• Nate Lombard Poirot: Method for catheter localization, and shape and contact force estimation for control feedback
• Dan Ma: Characterizing artifacts in multi-dimensional MR Fingerprinting with high efficiency for sequence optimization: systematic error index
• Dan Ma: Algorithm for Unsupervised Segmentation of Infant Brains using Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting
• Dan Ma: Time-resolved image reconstruction using joint temporally local and global subspace modeling for diffusion MRI
• Dan Ma: Optimized MR Imaging Using Large Language Model Agents
• Sangeeta Mahajan: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Joao Maia: Double Hyperbolic Contraction in Extensional Mixing Elements (EMEs)
• Sanford Markowitz: VACO-6 cell line
• Isabel McGaugh: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Jeffery Mlakar: A Content Agnostic Framework to Create and Display Holographic Presentations in a Shared Mixed Reality Experience
• Jeffery Mlakar: A Method for Creating a Shared Mixed Reality Experience for a Group Wearing Head Mounted Displays
• Jeffery Mlakar: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Jeffery Mlakar: An interface and network infrastructure for optimizing management of multiple simultaneous holographic experiences from a single control panel
• Michael Moffitt: Nerve cuff for light delivery to a peripheral nerve
• Michael Moffitt: Systems and Methods to Selectively Silence Small Fibers in a Surgical Setting
• Michael Moffitt: Systems and Methods to Selectively Silence Small Fibers Transcutaneously
• Michael Moffitt: Percutaneous port-based photobiomonulation
• Michael Moffitt: Selective Multiple frequency stimulation
• Michael Moffitt: System and methods to silence small fibers transcutaneoursly
• Andrew Olah: Random Information Encoding, Storage and Retrieval from Multilayer Polymeric 1-D Photonic Films
• Zhilang Qiu: Time-resolved image reconstruction using joint temporally local and global subspace modeling for diffusion MRI
• Andrew Rollins: Method for measuring biomechanical properties in an eye
• Andrew Rollins: Detection of Shear Wave Speed By Doppler Shifted Phase Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography
• Andrew Rollins: Optical Coherence Tomography-based Diffusivity and Viscosity Measurement
• Andrew Rollins: Phase-Decorrelation Optical Coherence Tomography for Cornea Characterization
• Brian Rothstein: HoloNeuroAnatomy
• Jillian Schulte: PSE READI: Policy Systems and Environmental Intervention Readiness Assessment and Decision Instrument
• Zoe Sekyonda: High throughput optical assay for screening hemoglobin oxygen affinity modifying drug
• Warren Selman: HoloNeuroAnatomy
• Anuj Sharma: Optimized MR Imaging Using Large Language Model Agents
• Catherine Simonson Shick: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Catherine Simonson Shick: HoloNeuroAnatomy
• Scott Simpson: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Preethy Sridharan: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Jeffrey Sunshine: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Kerrin Sunshine: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Lisa Tan: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Galen Tingle: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Ronald Triolo: Non-Hydraulic Self-Leveling Walker
• Eser Tuna: Method for catheter localization, and shape and contact force estimation for control feedback
• Lauren Ulrey: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Sue Wish-Baratz: Anatomical Models for Holographic Medical Education
• Sue Wish-Baratz: HoloNeuroAnatomy

Pedagogical Awards

The final Milestone Award category, the Pedagogical Awards, recognizes new educational programs that were approved by the Faculty Senate Education Committee during fiscal year 2024. The Pedagogical Award winners include

• Aerospace Physiology, Graduate Certificate & MS (School of Medicine) – Michael Decker & Lisa Damato
• Interschool Quantitative Biosciences, Graduate Certificate (School of Medicine) – Steve Eppell, Mike Hinczewski, Matthias Buck, Walter Boron, Glenn Starkmann,  Kristina Lee Semrad
• Public Health, Graduate Certificate (School of Medicine) – Daniel Tisch, Kristina Knight, Andrew Morris, and Mendel Singer
• Business Information Technology, BSM (Weatherhead) – Kalle Lyytinen, Jennifer Hawkins
• FinTech, Minor (Weatherhead) – CNV Krishnan, Greg Harmon, Lakshmi Balasubramanyan, Jay Vaidya
• Supply Chain Management, Minor (Weatherhead) – Operations Management Department
• Data Science, MS (Case School of Engineering) – Mehmet Koyuturk

• News Releases

National Multiple Sclerosis Society awards $1M to Case Western Reserve University researchers to study new approach to treat the disease

Case Western Reserve University

Credit: Case Western Reserve University

CLEVELAND—Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating disease of the brain and spinal cord that impacts millions worldwide.

In MS, the immune system mistakenly attacks the myelin sheath—a protective layer surrounding nerve cells in the nervous system. The loss of myelin, combined with ongoing inflammation, causes dysfunction and death of nerve cells, making the disability worse, such as difficulties with movement, coordination, and sensation.

Treatments now focus on reducing attacks on myelin, but don’t address nerve-cell damage and death.

But with $1 million from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS), a research team co-led by Paul Tesar , the Dr. Donald and Ruth Weber Goodman Professor of Innovative Therapeutics and director of the Institute for Glial Sciences, and Ben Clayton, assistant professor and founding member of the Institute for Glial Sciences, both in the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, will take a different approach.

Tesar and Clayton’s team is using cutting-edge techniques to study brain cells that become toxic in MS, searching for clues to what may protect the nervous system from damage.

“There is an urgent need,” Tesar said, “for transformative therapies that not only slow damage, but also protect and potentially regenerate nerve cells.”

Their project is one of five that NMSS has committed a total of $4.6 million in multi-year funding to, to accelerate the development of strategies to repair the nervous system and protect it from damage.

Recent research has shown that, in MS—especially in the progressive stages—cells in the brain that normally support nerve cells, called astrocytes, can become toxic. These toxic “rogue” astrocytes contribute significantly to nerve-cell damage and disease progression.

“Our project's hypothesis is that, by targeting and inhibiting the formation of these toxic astrocytes, we can effectively protect nerve cells, halting or even reversing disability in MS patients,” Clayton said. “This approach represents a novel strategy in MS treatment, and our aim is to pioneer the discovery and development of new medicines that specifically prevent the formation of toxic astrocytes, offering a groundbreaking direction in MS therapy.” 

In particular, the researchers will focus on developing new medicines that prevent toxic astrocytes from forming. The result, they hope, will protect nerve cells, and stop—or even reverse—disability in MS patients.

Their approach

The team built a system to model the formation of toxic astrocytes found in MS. Using this model, they’ve screened tens of thousands of compounds and identified a promising category of drugs that inhibit toxic astrocytes formation. They will test these drugs in a mouse model of MS to see if they can protect nerve cells and promote brain repair.

The researchers will use cutting-edge genetic approaches to identify genes involved in the formation of toxic astrocytes to better understand how these harmful cells form and reveal new targets for treatment.

Then they will leverage advanced human brain models—called “brain organoids”— generated from tissues of people with MS. The organoids will be used to determine whether blocking toxic astrocyte formation provides therapeutic benefit in a human model system. 

Time frame?

The initial phases of their research, involving experiments with mice and brain models, might take several years, Tesar said. If successful, the next steps would involve clinical trials with human participants, which could take additional years to ensure safety and effectiveness.

“Realistically, it could be a decade or more before treatments based on this research are available to patients,” he said. “However, each step brings us closer to potentially life-changing therapies for those affected by MS.”

                                                            ### About Case Western Reserve University

One of the nation's leading research universities, we're driven to seek knowledge and find solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems. Nearly 6,200 undergraduate and 6,100 graduate students from across 96 countries study in our more than 250-degree programs across arts, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing, science, and social work. Our location in Cleveland, Ohio—a hub of cultural, business and healthcare activity—gives students unparalleled access to engaging academic, research, clinical, entrepreneurial, and volunteer opportunities and prepares them to join our network of 125,000+ alumni making an impact worldwide. Visit  case.edu  to learn more.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

The National MS Society, founded in 1946, is the global leader of a growing movement dedicated to creating a world free of MS. The Society funds cutting-edge research for a cure, drives change through advocacy and provides programs and services to help people affected by MS live their best lives. Connect to learn more and get involved:  nationalmssociety.org ,  Facebook ,  X (formerly known as Twitter) ,  Instagram ,  YouTube  or  1-800-344-4867 .

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Alcohol and fertility: how much is too much?

Kristin van heertum, brooke rossi.

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Corresponding author.

Received 2017 Apr 3; Accepted 2017 Jun 27; Collection date 2017.

Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ ) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

Alcohol use is prevalent in the United States. Given that a substantial portion of the drinking population is of reproductive age, it is not uncommon for couples who are attempting conception, or for women who are already pregnant, to be regularly consuming alcohol. Alcohol use is associated with multiple reproductive risks, including having a child with a Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, increased risk of fetal loss, and decreased chance of live birth. This review serves to examine the risks of alcohol in the context of reproductive health.

Keywords: Alcohol, Infertility, Fertility, Lifestyle, Fecundability

Approximately 12% of couples in the U.S. experience difficulty conceiving or impaired fecundity, defined as the ability to achieve a live birth in a single menstrual cycle [ 1 ]. As alcohol is the most widely used recreational substance, it is important to understand any deleterious effects it has on human reproduction [ 2 ]. In this review, we will discuss the prevalence of alcohol use in the U.S.; the health risks and benefits associated with alcohol consumption outside of reproduction; the risks of alcohol use in pregnancy including congenital anomalies and pregnancy loss; the effects of alcohol on fertility in both women and men, such as alcohol’s impact on ovarian reserve, steroid hormone production, sperm quality and fecundability; and finally the impact of alcohol consumption on fertility treatments.

Prevalence of alcohol use and abuse

Alcohol use is common in the United States. The 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that 86.4% of people age 18 or older reported alcohol consumption at some point in their lives, and 56% reported drinking in the past month [ 3 ]. The survey reported a prevalence of binge drinking, defined as drinking a quantity of alcohol to raise the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 g/dL (typically 4 drinks for women and 5 drinks for men in 2 h), of 26.9% (see Table 1 for alcohol consumption definitions) [ 4 ]. Another study performed using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a telephone based survey implemented by U.S. state health departments, found that while the overall prevalence of alcohol consumption is not increasing, it appears that the rate of binge drinking is rising across the country [ 5 ].

Definitions of Levels of Alcohol Consumption (compiled from [ 7 ])

The rates of alcohol use in pregnancy in the U.S. remain surprisingly high. According to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 8.5% of pregnant women in 2011-2012 reported current alcohol use, 2.7% reported binge drinking, and 0.3% reported heavy drinking, defined as 5 more episodes of binge drinking in the past month [ 6 , 7 ]. A recent cohort study of over 5000 pregnant women found that women with an intended pregnancy were 31% less likely to consume alcohol in pregnancy than those with unintended pregnancies [ 8 ]. This study also found several surprising characteristics associated with drinking in pregnancy, including college-education, white race, older age (particularly over 35 years), higher income, and nulliparity. Factors associated with binge drinking during pregnancy in this study were smoking (past or current), illicit drug use, younger age and being unmarried. Other risk factors for continuation of alcohol use during pregnancy include stressful life events prior to conception and a high level of pre-pregnancy alcohol consumption [ 9 , 10 ]. Women may be less likely to drink during pregnancy if they have experienced any difficulty conceiving [ 10 ].

Rates of alcohol use in women undergoing fertility treatment vary across different studies, but appear to be somewhere between 26 and 41% [ 11 , 12 ]. However, studying alcohol consumption in a group of women who are attempting conception or are already pregnant presents significant challenges. While recall bias can occur in any population, these women may be less likely to accurately report their level of alcohol consumption as they may be embarrassed by, or feel guilty about, their alcohol use.

Non-reproductive sequelae of alcohol use

Excessive alcohol intake can lead to multiple chronic diseases including hypertension, heart disease, liver disease, gastrointestinal bleeds, cancer (breast, mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, colon), dementia and other cognitive deficits, anxiety/depression, and social and economic losses, such as damage to relationships and loss of employment [ 13 ]. Conversely, moderate alcohol intake, defined as up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men, may offer some health benefits [ 14 , 15 ]. These benefits include decreased risk of stroke and diabetes, as well as decreased risk of heart disease or mortality from heart disease. In 2005, it was estimated that 26,000 deaths were prevented in the U.S. due to reductions in ischemic heart disease, diabetes and ischemic stroke because of benefits attributed to moderate alcohol consumption [ 6 ]. However, care providers must still balance the overall risks and benefits of alcohol use when counseling their patients on their level of alcohol intake.

Alcohol use during pregnancy

The teratogenic effects of alcohol use during pregnancy are well documented [ 16 ]. Alcohol readily crosses the placenta to the amniotic fluid and fetus [ 17 ]. The fetus will typically be exposed to higher concentrations of alcohol than the mother due to accumulation of alcohol and its metabolites in the amniotic fluid, and comparatively reduced fetal metabolic enzyme activity [ 17 ]. Some proposed mechanisms of teratogenicity include impaired anti-oxidant capability, increased free radicals and reactive oxygen species with resultant increased apoptosis in fetal cranial/brain tissue [ 17 ].

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), which are caused by alcohol exposure in utero, include fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), partial fetal alcohol syndrome (PFAS), alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) and alcohol-related birth defects (see Table 2 for summary of characteristics) [ 18 ]. FASD represents a continuum of disease characterized by behavioral and cognitive deficits, craniofacial anomalies, and growth retardation. Prevalence of FASD has been estimated at 2-5% in the general U.S. population, with rates of FAS estimated to be 0.2 to 7 per 1,000 children [ 19 ]. While studies have shown that the degree of deficits/defects worsens with increasing dose and exposure time, there has been no definitive identification of a safe exposure dose or duration in pregnancy [ 20 , 21 ]. A recent prospective cohort of 992 women found a strong association between consumption of alcohol in the late first trimester and some characteristic facial anomalies, microcephaly, low birth weight and reduced length [ 22 ]. However, alcohol use in the second trimester was also associated with low birth weight and length, while use in the third trimester only effected birth length. Other studies have confirmed that growth deficiency, neurobehavioral issues and microcephaly can occur following alcohol exposure in any trimester, but the characteristic facial features are likely due to first trimester exposure [ 23 ]. In many studies, it is often difficult to determine if alcohol was consumed in an isolated trimester or throughout the pregnancy. Therefore, it is not possible, currently, to make a determination regarding the fetal effects of alcohol in women who abstain from use in the first and/or second trimesters and subsequently use alcohol in the third trimester.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders – all diagnoses require documented prenatal alcohol exposure (compiled from [ 19 ])

There is conflicting data regarding the effects of alcohol exposure in utero when there is no evidence for FASD. Several studies from the Danish National Birth Cohort did not identify any effect on general intelligence, attention or executive function in 5 year old children whose mothers reported low-consumption, moderate-consumption, or binge drinking compared with children whose mothers reported no alcohol use in pregnancy [ 24 , 25 ]. However, there are weaknesses to these studies, as they did not include any diagnostic evaluation for FASD in their cohort, and 5 years of age may be too young to make a true assessment on any neuropsychological effects of alcohol, as the brain is still developing at this age [ 26 ].

The findings of studies examining the effects of alcohol intake on the risks of pregnancy loss have been variable [ 27 ]. This, in part, can be attributed to the inconsistency of classification of alcohol consumption: some studies report on a dichotomous categorization of use or no use, while others include information on specifics of amount or type of alcohol used. Additionally, given the clear documentation of the teratogenicity of alcohol, this is not a subject that allows for a robust study such as a randomized controlled trial. Finally, as mentioned previously, if women think it is socially unacceptable to drink alcohol while pregnant, they may underreport or not report use.

There is some consensus that at a threshold of 2 to 4 drinks per week the risk of miscarriage begins to increase, particularly in early pregnancy, though there have been several studies that did not document any increased risk of fetal loss with any level of alcohol consumption [ 28 – 30 ]. Table 3 provides a summary of notable findings on fetal loss. It has been theorized that an increase in reactive oxygen species plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of fetal loss due to alcohol exposure [ 31 ]. Avalos et al., in a prospective cohort study in the Kaiser Permanente system, found that women who consumed 4 or more alcoholic beverages per week were more than twice as likely to experience a miscarriage as those who did not drink any alcohol (HR 2.65, 95% CI 1.38-5.10) [ 27 ]. The study did not find any increased risk of miscarriage in those women who drank less than 4 drinks per week, or in women who drank only beer or wine, compared to those who abstained. The study did, however, document a significantly increased risk of fetal loss in women who only drank liquor compared to those who did not drink at all (HR 2.24, 95% CI 1.32-3.80). Another study from the Danish health registry had similar findings, with the risk of first trimester loss in those women who drank 4 or more drinks per week being more than double the risk of those who abstained (HR 2.82, 95% CI 2.27-3.49) [ 28 ]. This study also found that women who consumed 2-3.5 drinks per week had an increased risk of miscarriage in the first trimester (HR 1.66, 95% CI 2.27–3.49) as well as fetal loss at 13–16 weeks (1.57, 95% CI 1.30-1.90). A different Danish cohort study also documented an increase in the risk of stillbirth in those who consumed 5 or more drinks per week in pregnancy, versus those who drank less than one drink per week on average (OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.18-5.97) [ 32 ]. The study did not find any increase in the risk of neonatal death with any amount of alcohol consumption in pregnancy. On the other hand, pre-pregnancy alcohol consumption, at least in low to moderate amounts, does not appear to increase the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth [ 33 ]. The recommendation, therefore, should be for pregnant women to abstain from any alcohol use in pregnancy, as even those women who drink less than moderately are at an increased risk for loss, in addition to the risk of FASD with even low doses of alcohol exposure.

Summary of study findings on alcohol and pregnancy loss

Effects of alcohol on female reproduction

The physiologic effects of alcohol consumption on female reproductive physiology have not been well delineated due to a paucity of high quality studies in this area. Table 4 summarizes several of the studies reviewed below. Studies in humans and animal models have found alterations in ovulation and menstrual cycle regularity with chronic/prolonged alcohol intake, though amount consumed is often not specified [ 34 ]. Schliep et al. found that acute alcohol use increased estradiol, testosterone and LH levels, with greater increases seen in women who reported recent binge drinking, though with no associated menstrual cycle dysfunction [ 35 ]. While acute alcohol consumption may have little or no associated effect on the menstrual cycle, there does appear to be a negative effect on fertility treatment outcomes, as will be discussed later.

Summary of study findings on alcohol and female reproductive function

a One standard drink in the U.S. has roughly 14 g of alcohol [ 65 ]

Heavy alcohol use may diminish ovarian reserve and fecundability in women. Ovarian reserve, a measure of a woman’s reproductive potential determined by her remaining oocytes, can be measured in a variety of ways, including serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels as well as antral follicle count [ 36 ]. A study of African American women in Michigan found that women who regularly binge drink two or more times a week had a 26% lower AMH level than current drinkers who do not binge after age-adjustment [ 37 ]. There is also evidence that women who suffer from alcoholism may experience menopause at an earlier age than their non-alcoholic counterparts [ 38 ].

On the other hand, the relationship between light to moderate alcohol use and female infertility has yet to be fully characterized [ 39 ]. An 8-year cohort study of 18,555 women without a history of infertility who were attempting to conceive found no relationship between alcohol consumption and ovulatory dysfunction [ 40 ]. Multiple other studies have found no relationship between moderate alcohol consumption and fecundability [ 41 – 43 ]. A retrospective study of almost 40,000 pregnant women actually reported a shortened time to pregnancy in women who consumed a moderate amount of alcohol compared with those who did not drink at all [ 44 ]. However, a Danish cohort study found that, compared with women who drank no alcohol, women who reported consuming 1–5 drinks per week, in addition to those who consumed more than 10 drinks per week, had a decreased chance of achieving a clinical pregnancy (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.40-0.93 and OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.22-0.52, respectively) [ 45 ]. A cohort survey-based study of 7,393 Swedish women also found a dose-response relationship of the amount of alcohol consumed to the risk of seeking treatment for infertility, with high alcohol consumers being more likely to seek treatment than moderate drinkers (RR 1.58, 95% CI 1.07–2.34), while low consumers had a significantly lower risk of pursuing fertility treatment (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.46-0.90) [ 46 ]. Another study from Denmark found that alcohol intake of 1–6 drinks per week in women over the age of 30 may be associated with an increased incidence of infertility when compared to women of the same age who consume less than one drink per week [ 47 ]. Though the findings are inconsistent, women who are already seeking treatment for infertility should be encouraged to minimize alcohol consumption, as even moderate levels could negatively impact their ability to conceive.

Effects of alcohol on male reproduction

Alcohol consumption in men can also cause difficulties with fertility. Some studies on long-term, heavy alcohol use have reported reduced gonadotropin release, testicular atrophy, and decreased testosterone and sperm production [ 48 ]. Other studies of men who drink heavily have documented increases in gonadotropins and estradiol, independent of liver disease, with decreased testosterone as a consistent finding [ 49 ]. Alcoholism is also associated with liver dysfunction, which can result in hormonal disturbances due to the inability to metabolize estrogens. A decrease in the quality of semen parameters has also been consistently documented in heavy consumers of alcohol, even with occasional azoospermia [ 50 ]. Furthermore, it has been well documented that alcohol abuse and acute intoxication are associated with sexual dysfunction, including issues with arousal and desire, as well as erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction, all of which could lead to difficulties conceiving if men are unable to have effective intercourse [ 48 , 49 , 51 ].

The effects of low to moderate consumption of alcohol, however, do not appear to be clinically significant [ 21 , 52 ]. Table 5 provides a summary of several of the studies cited here. Multiple studies have found a decrease in normal sperm morphology in men who regularly drink alcohol, with no other associated alterations in semen parameters [ 49 ]. Two large cohort studies failed to identify a correlation between male alcohol consumption and fecundability [ 53 , 54 ]. A cross-sectional study of over 8,000 men from the U.S. and Europe who were classified as low to moderate consumers of alcohol found no difference in semen parameters, and actually documented a linear increase in serum testosterone levels with increasing amounts of alcohol consumption [ 55 ]. Several other studies have similarly shown no effect in semen parameters with moderate alcohol consumption [ 56 , 57 ]. Therefore, men who drink heavily should be advised to decrease their alcohol intake. However, those who drink moderately should be counseled regarding alcohol consumption based on their overall health status, and not necessarily on reproductive health.

Summary of study findings on alcohol and male reproductive function

Effects on infertility treatment

There is substantial evidence that alcohol use, even in moderate quantities, negatively affects assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes [ 58 ]. A multicenter prospective study of 221 couples undergoing IVF or gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT) found a 13% decrease in the number of oocytes retrieved (95% CI -2% to −23%), a 2.86 times higher chance of not achieving pregnancy (95% CI 0.99–8.24) and a 2.21 times higher risk of miscarriage (95% CI 1.09 to 4.49) when the woman consumed one additional drink per day compared to those who had one less in the weeks before treatment [ 11 ]. The study also found a higher risk of not achieving a live birth when men drank alcohol in the month leading up to the treatment cycle, particularly when men drank the week of the sperm collection (OR 8.32, 95% CI 1.82–37.97). Another study of 2,545 couples undergoing 4,729 cycles of in vitro fertilization (IVF) examined the effects of variable amounts of alcohol consumption at the time of initiation of IVF stimulation [ 12 ]. The study found a decreased rate of live birth in women who consumed 4 or more drinks per week compared with those who drank less than 4 drinks per week (OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.71-0.99). In couples in which both the man and the woman drank 4 or more alcohol beverages per week, the live birth rate was decreased even further compared to those couples in which both partners drank less than 4 drinks per week (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.66-0.96). These findings were largely felt to reflect failures in fertilization. Therefore, as it appears that even moderate levels of alcohol intake can decrease success with IVF by decreasing oocyte yield and live birth rates, efforts should be made to decrease alcohol use prior to initiating treatment with IVF.

The etiology for the detrimental effects on IVF outcomes has not been identified. However, as previously mentioned, acute alcohol consumption can cause increases in estradiol, testosterone, and LH levels [ 35 ]. Furthermore, estrogens are metabolized by the liver, and FSH is cleared by the kidneys and the liver [ 59 , 60 ]. Therefore, alterations in liver function due to alcohol consumption may result in altered metabolism of the exogenous gonadotropins used in IVF, as well as the estrogen response of ovarian follicles to stimulation. In theory, these hormonal shifts could result in abnormal folliculogenesis and impaired endometrial receptivity.

The effects of alcohol on other forms of fertility treatments have not been well studied. One trial of 932 couples randomized to natural cycle with intracervical insemination (ICI), controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) with ICI, natural cycle with intrauterine insemination (IUI) or COS with IUI examined the effects of multiple lifestyle factors [ 61 ]. The study found that across all treatment groups, the pregnancy and live birth rates were higher in women who reported past alcohol usage (previously consumed at least one alcoholic beverage per week more than a month ago) than in current users or those that reported never consuming alcohol. However, this study did not further stratify alcohol usage by amount, and therefore it is difficult to extrapolate this data to form any recommendations.

Given the potentially devastating consequence of FASD, women who are pregnant, attempting to conceive, or at risk for unintended pregnancy should be screened for alcohol use. The women should also be advised against consuming any amount of alcohol, as no “safe dose” has been identified, and effects to the fetus may begin as early as immediately after implantation [ 2 , 62 ]. Furthermore, ART should not be provided for women who are unwilling or unable to minimize their consumption of alcohol [ 63 ]. Women are more likely to abuse alcohol if they are unsuccessful in conceiving after initial infertility evaluation, so continued screening for alcohol use should be performed throughout treatment [ 64 ]. Those women who do undergo ART should be advised to minimize their alcohol consumption prior to initiating treatment, as even moderate amounts of alcohol may decrease their chances of a successful live birth. While a moderate level of drinking does not appear to alter outcomes in men, male partners should be advised to at least avoid alcohol the week before they provide a semen sample for IVF.

Acknowledgements

Not applicable.

Availability of data and materials

Abbreviations.

Anti-Müllerian hormone

Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder

Assisted reproductive technology

Blood alcohol concentration

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Controlled ovarian stimulation

Fetal alcohol syndrome

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Follicle stimulating hormone

Gamete intrafallopian transfer

Intracervical insemination

Intrauterine insemination

In vitro fertilization

National Survey on Drug Use and Health

Partial fetal alcohol syndrome

Authors’ contributions

KV and BR collaborated to write this article together. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Authors’ information

KV is a clinical instructor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Department of Reproductive Biology. BR is an assistant clinical professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Department of Reproductive Biology.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Consent for publication, competing interests.

Kristin Van Heertum and Brooke Rossi have no conflicts to disclose.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Contributor Information

Kristin Van Heertum, Email: [email protected].

Brooke Rossi, Email: [email protected].

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2024-25 General Bulletin

Business Administration, DBA

Degree:  Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Program Overview

Business leadership is increasingly required to integrate multiple sources of knowledge, understand the perceptions of diverse parties, and put human values into action. Executives are challenged to create social, intellectual, and economic value for their organizations and for society at large based on rigorous and sound evidence. Recognizing these challenges, Weatherhead School of Management offers two doctoral degrees in management for working professionals: the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) and the PhD in Management with a Designing Sustainable Systems track.

Our DBA is based on the original vision of a practitioner-scholar who has the ability to think intensely and critically about business problems confronting an organization, a community, a nation, and the world. Students are afforded opportunities to probe and model “wicked” problems, challenge existing assumptions, and test new ideas. We accomplish this through a cross-disciplinary fashion drawing from and contributing to both management theory and practice.

Our PhD  Management with a track in Designing Sustainable Systems is focused on preparing interdisciplinary scholar-practitioners for successful research and academic careers. In our PhD track, students develop the ability to approach problems of practice rigorously from multiple disciplinary angles, to produce sound evidence, and apply theoretical frames to address those problems  and communicate them to academic and practitioner audiences. The program also prepares students for successful teaching in  academic settings and various academic courses.

Curricula and coursework in these programs provide a foundation for lifelong conducting of rigorous research and practicing of evidence-based management. Courses interrelate theoretically and methodologically and prepare students to holistically bring academic, theoretical and data-driven perspectives to bear on problems that they encounter in their organizations or in public  policy advocacy.

Learning Outcomes

• Students are competent researchers.
• Students are effective scholarly communicators in print and in presentations.
• Students are scholarly practitioners and practical scholars.
• Students are change agents that bring evidence-based management to businesses and society.

Program Requirements

The DBA is a 60 credit hour, three-year, lock-step program with an option to pursue the Designing Sustainable Systems track in the PhD in Management Program. DBA students' research projects are evaluated by a faculty review committee over the course of the program at critical research milestones.

Research Requirements and Deliverables

Research proposal.

The first research deliverable is a qualitative research proposal that frames the student’s research problem of practice and research question. Additionally, the proposal specifies a design for the fieldwork portion of the qualitative research project. An inductive qualitative research proposal is developed that synthesizes a substantial (though not exhaustive) body of scholarly literature (theoretical and empirical) in a fashion that creates a conceptual framework that provides insight into a significant problem of practice reflecting the lived experiences of a specific group of practitioners.

The research proposal outlines a broad research question to guide the qualitative research and specifies a design for the fieldwork to be carried out in the study. Students develop individual scholarly skills of reading, writing, conceptualizing (including framing), creating ethnographic/phenomenological/semi-structured interview protocols, conducting semi-structured interviews, and interpretively coding and analyzing qualitative interview data.

Qualitative Research Paper

The qualitative research paper presents findings and explanatory concepts from the student's qualitative fieldwork research study. It identifies and frames a potent "phenomenological practice gap" wherein current practitioner and academic knowledge is lacking in guiding effective practice. The research synthesizes significant scholarly literature into a coherent conceptual framework and an understandable logical argument of relationships among theoretical constructs.

Students learn to frame effective questions for practitioner-scholarship research that embodies inquiry and openness, aligning the conceptual framework and research question to the chosen problem of practice, and to write scholarly papers that are clear and present a logical flow of well-supported arguments. By understanding the development of grounded theory and understanding ethnographic observation and field notes, students formally and rigorously code and analyze qualitative data in an interpretive fashion.

Quantitative Capstone Project

The quantitative capstone project integrates the analytical approaches that students learn in their quantitative courses. The capstone exercise is intended to allow students to demonstrate their independent competence in quantitative inquiry skills and multivariate data analysis. Additionally, based on a satisfactory assessment, it allows the student to progress toward the completion of the quantitative research paper, which is a requirement for both the DBA and the PhD in Management: Designing Sustainable Systems programs.

Quantitative Research Paper

At the end of the Fall semester of the third year, students will have completed a quantitative research paper. The objective of the quantitative research paper is to generate a rigorous and valid quantitative empirical study that is guided by a hypothesized model of the student’s variables or phenomenon of interest. The study must be framed by current theoretical and empirical work within the area of interest and the hypotheses must be based on appropriate casual logic.

A robust research design is utilized that follows the material covered in the quantitative research courses including collecting, analyzing, and validating data in a way that mitigates biases. Students complete a systematic and rigorous quantitative analysis and interpret the analysis in a way that provides novel insight into the phenomenon of interest. The quantitative research paper details the project and is written in a manner that meets high scholarly standards to merit future publication in top-rated journals and/or other dissemination outlets.

Integrative Paper

As a final requirement for the DBA program, an integrative paper is required. Students write a short overview statement introducing their qualitative and quantitative research studies, making substantive observations and conclusions about each study, and presenting a personal reflective statement about its significance to the author, scholarship and to practice.   

DBA Dissertation

An original and significant endeavor, the DBA Dissertation consists of the integrative paper and the qualitative and quantitative research papers.  This  provides an overview and organizes the study into a coherent thesis and serves as the dissertation requirement of the DBA program.

Sample Plan of Study

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