Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine For over 180 years, the School of Medicine has been at the forefront of biomedical discoveries and training the next generation of physicians and scientists. K.

The Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has trained medical students, served the community and been at the forefront of discovery for more than 175 years. Located in downtown Cleveland, the Medical Department of Western Reserve College (also known as Cleveland Medical College) was founded in 1843. By 1865, the medical school's graduates included Nancy Talbot Clarke, the second woman to graduate from an American medical school, six of the first seven female physicians in the United States and the third African American to graduate from medical school. The Western Reserve College Medical Department's reputation as a leader in medical education continued to grow. In a 1911 survey of 155 North American medical schools commissioned by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Abraham Flexner reported that the Western Reserve University medical school was second only to Johns Hopkins University. Forty years later, the Western Reserve University School of Medicine revolutionized medical education with a new curriculum that integrated the basic and clinical sciences and conformed to students' needs. Created by faculty members Dr. Joseph Wearn, Dr. T. Hale Ham and Dr. John L. Caughey Jr., the curriculum of 1952 became the most progressive medical curriculum in the country at the time. Central themes included the following ideas: teaching should be based on problem solving; students should accept responsibility for their own education; basic principles of medicine should be emphasized; curriculum should be designed as a continuum by faculty subject committees not by departments; teaching should be interdisciplinary; and basic sciences should be integrated with clinical sciences. The tenets of the 1952 curriculum remain basic principles of today's Western Reserve2 curriculum. In addition to being one of the foremost medical schools, the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has established itself as a research powerhouse. The School of Medicine's research program began in 1887 with the construction of the H. Cushing Laboratory and the Physiological Laboratory in downtown Cleveland. Since then, faculty and alumni have accomplished major achievements in the medical field. Highlights include development of the modern technique for human blood transfusions, the process of chlorinating drinking water and an early heart-lung machine used during open-heart surgery; discovery of the Hageman factor in blood clotting and of the gene for osteoarthritis; the first surgical treatments of coronary artery disease; and creation of the world's first human artificial chromosome. Today, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is one of the nation's top 25 medical schools and the largest biomedical research institution in Ohio. Among its former and current faculty and alumni are eight Nobel laureates, two members of the National Academy of Sciences, two U.S. Surgeon Generals and the first woman director of the Center for Disease Control, and six members of the Institute of Medicine, including the school's current dean, Pamela B. Davis, MD, PhD.

11/18/2025

DNA isn’t just a long string of genetic code, but an intricate 3D structure folded inside each cell. That means the tools used to study DNA need to ...

Last week, School of Medicine faculty, staff and students joined other CWRU community members from across the university...
11/12/2025

Last week, School of Medicine faculty, staff and students joined other CWRU community members from across the university to learn, network, recruit, present and represent CWRU at the NDiSTEM conference in Columbus 🧬🩺

Campus became a snowglobe this week 🍁❄️
11/11/2025

Campus became a snowglobe this week 🍁❄️

After more than 20 years in uniform, Christopher Bala began a new mission at CWRU School of Medicine. The Army taught hi...
11/11/2025

After more than 20 years in uniform, Christopher Bala began a new mission at CWRU School of Medicine. The Army taught him endurance, teamwork, and the importance of relationships—lessons he believes are central to medicine as well.

“After seeing the impact that doctors can make in someone's life on missions in Iraq, I recognized the outsized value physicians bring to the table,” Bala said. “I have also had multiple interactions with the medical system and arrived at the understanding that everyone eventually crosses paths with it. I felt that I can do a lot of good in the world by contributing to this field.”

For Veterans Day, learn how Bala's military experience shapes how he studies and how he hopes to practice medicine:

Editor’s note: Lien Tran, the author of this story, is a student employee in the University Marketing and Communications department. She is a fourt...

ICYMI: From smarter diagnostics to AI-assisted conversations in the exam room, CWRU experts are exploring how technology...
11/06/2025

ICYMI: From smarter diagnostics to AI-assisted conversations in the exam room, CWRU experts are exploring how technology will reshape the future of care. Our researchers reflected on the promise and responsibility that come with an AI-powered medical world. Read more:

The origin of medical ethics often boils down to the now-common expression “do no harm.” While an updated version of the Hippocratic Oath is still...

CWRU School of Medicine’s J. Alan Diehl received the Case Medal for Excellence in Health Science Innovation. Under Diehl...
11/05/2025

CWRU School of Medicine’s J. Alan Diehl received the Case Medal for Excellence in Health Science Innovation. Under Diehl’s leadership as chair of the Department of Biochemistry, 13 new undergraduate courses have launched, a major research center has been integrated, the department has risen to No. 12 nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, and enrollment in the undergraduate major has grown by 130%.

“My priority is the success of the young people we bring to CWRU—our junior faculty and our students,” Diehl said. “If they succeed, ultimately, patients benefit.”

Learn more about Diehl’s achievements and leadership at CWRU.

When J. Alan Diehl arrived at Case Western Reserve University in 2019, the Department of Biochemistry in the School of Medicine was at a crossroads—...

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine's Paul Tesar, professor and director of the Institute for Glial Scien...
11/04/2025

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine's Paul Tesar, professor and director of the Institute for Glial Sciences, partnered with inventor and philanthropist Thomas Peterson on a mission to conquer multiple sclerosis (MS). Their shared vision is accelerating with a $2.5 million commitment from the Thomas F. Peterson Jr. Charitable Trust to support pioneering research into neurological diseases.

"Tom Peterson was a mentor who inspired me to pursue so much uncharted territory in neurological disease research," said Tesar. "I am so grateful for this extraordinary gift that will continue to fuel out-of-the-box discoveries and add to his incredible legacy of scientific innovation."

Discover how Thomas F. Peterson Jr.’s legacy and Tesar’s research are driving breakthrough neurological discoveries that could transform the future of MS treatment.

A shared passion for conquering multiple sclerosis (MS) brought together a visionary inventor and a leading neurological scientist at Case Western Res...

11/01/2025

Join us for the inaugural Translational Glial Sciences Conference hosted by the Institute for Glial Sciences (IGS) on Nov. 4, 2025, from 12–6 p.m. at CWRU’s Health Education Campus. The conference marks the official launch of IGS, CWRU’s newest institute dedicated to revealing the role of glia in disease and advancing glial medicines.

Register now:

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Calling all students, faculty and staff to share their best fall photos from around campus for a chance to win exclusive...
10/28/2025

Calling all students, faculty and staff to share their best fall photos from around campus for a chance to win exclusive CWRU swag items 👀🍁📸 Learn more and make your submission to the 2025 Fall at CWRU photo contest by midnight Thursday, Oct. 30. https://brnw.ch/21wX0Bh

Congratulations to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine's Tony Wynshaw-Boris for being elected to the Nati...
10/27/2025

Congratulations to Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine's Tony Wynshaw-Boris for being elected to the National Academy of Medicine!

Each year, up to 90 distinguished professionals in health and medicine from the U.S. are recognized for their contributions to the field by being elec...

10/23/2025

When Eileen Anderson, director of education for Case Western Reserve University’s bioethics and medical humanities programs, first encountered the c...

We celebrated in style at the Dean’s Welcome Back Reunion Soiree. Students and alumni from the CWRU School of Medicine...
10/14/2025

We celebrated in style at the Dean’s Welcome Back Reunion Soiree. Students and alumni from the CWRU School of Medicine joined Dean Stan Gerson in honoring the 2025 Medical Alumni Award recipients 🏆💙

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10900 Euclid Avenue
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