Research Information
Research Interests
Translational Research, Medical Devices, Orthopaedic Biomechanics
Dr. Fening is an Associate Vice President for Research at Case Western Reserve University, a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and the Managing Director of the Case-Coulter Translational Research Partnership. He also has appointments at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute and the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center. In these roles, Steve drives innovation and research growth to move technologies to the market, where they can improve society. He received undergraduate and masters degrees in mechanical engineering, an interdisciplinary Ph.D. degree in biomedical engineering, and a postdoctoral fellowship in orthopaedic biomechanics. His career goal is to make broad and substantial improvements to patient care through translational research and commercialization.
Dr. Fening has overseen more than $10M in translational research programs and supported more than 60 translational projects over the last decade. He co-leads the I-Corps@NCATS Cleveland site and the Case Translational Fellows Program. Dr. Fening is a co-founder of two companies including as Chief Technology Officer of Apto Orthopaedics Corporation, an early-stage company focusing on non-invasive methods to adjust orthopaedic implants. He also serves or has served on the board of directors for several for- and not-for-profits, including the Ohio Life Sciences Association and Jumpstart.
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.
Publications
Childers, E., Dreger, N., Ellenberger, A., Wandel, M., Domino, K., Xu, W., ... Becker, M. (2018). Enhanced Rotator-Cuff Repair Using Platelet-Rich Plasma Adsorbed on Branched Poly(ester urea)s.. Biomacromolecules, 19 (7), 3129-3139.
Childers, E., Dreger, N., Ellenberger, A., Wandel, M., Domino, K., Xu, W., ... Becker, M. (2018). Enhanced Rotator-Cuff Repair Using Platelet-Rich Plasma Adsorbed on Branched Poly(ester urea)s.. Biomacromolecules, 19 (7), 3129-3139.
Patel, A., Walia, P., Gottschalk, L., Kuklis, M., Jones, M., Fening, PhD, S., ... Miniaci, A. (2016). The Effects of Latarjet Reconstruction on Glenohumeral Kinematics in the Presence of Combined Bony Defects: A Cadaveric Model.. The American journal of sports medicine, 44 (7), 1818-24.
Gottschalk, 4th, L., Walia, P., Patel, A., Kuklis, M., Jones, M., Fening, PhD, S., ... Miniaci, A. (2016). Stability of the Glenohumeral Joint With Combined Humeral Head and Glenoid Defects: A Cadaveric Study.. The American journal of sports medicine, 44 (4), 933-40.
Walia, P., Patel, A., Gottschalk, L., Kuklis, M., Jones, M., Fening, PhD, S., ... Miniaci, A. (2016). The Reduction in Stability From Combined Humeral Head and Glenoid Bony Defects Is Influenced by Arm Position.. The American journal of sports medicine, 44 (3), 715-22.
Amini, N., Ryan, J., Fening, PhD, S., Soloff, L., Schickendantz, M., & Jones, M. (2015). The Relationship Between Glenohumeral Internal Rotational Deficits, Total Range of Motion, and Shoulder Strength in Professional Baseball Pitchers.. The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, 23 (12), 789-96.
Walia, P., Miniaci, A., Jones, M., & Fening, PhD, S. (2015). Influence of Combined Hill-Sachs and Bony Bankart Defects on Range of Motion in Anterior Instability of the Shoulder in a Finite Element Model.. Arthroscopy : the journal of arthroscopic & related surgery : official publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association, 31 (11), 2119-27.
Pfefferle, K., Dilisio, M., Patti, B., Fening, PhD, S., & Junko, J. (2015). Transparency to Reduce Surgical Implant Waste.. Clinics in orthopedic surgery, 7 (2), 207-10.
Pfefferle, K., Pangilinan, K., Fening, PhD, S., & Dilisio, M. (2014). Validation study of a pooled electronic healthcare database: the effect of obesity on the revision rate of total knee arthroplasty.. European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie, 24 (8), 1625-8.
Pfefferle, K., Shemory, S., Dilisio, M., Fening, PhD, S., & Gradisar, I. (2014). Risk factors for manipulation after total knee arthroplasty: a pooled electronic health record database study.. The Journal of arthroplasty, 29 (10), 2036-8.
Gebhart, J., Miniaci, A., & Fening, PhD, S. (2013). Predictive anthropometric measurements for humeral head curvature.. Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery, 22 (6), 842-7.
Walia, P., Miniaci, A., Jones, M., & Fening, PhD, S. (2013). Theoretical model of the effect of combined glenohumeral bone defects on anterior shoulder instability: a finite element approach.. Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society, 31 (4), 601-7.
LaFramboise, T., Fening, PhD, S., Polster, J., Jones, M., & Miniaci, A. (2012). Quantifying glenoid bone loss in anterior shoulder instability: reliability and accuracy of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional computed tomography measurement techniques.. The American journal of sports medicine, 40 (11), 2569-77.
Kodali, P., Jones, M., Polster, J., Miniaci, A., & Fening, PhD, S. (2011). Accuracy of measurement of Hill-Sachs lesions with computed tomography.. Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery, 20 (8), 1328-34.
Fening, PhD, S., Mihnovets, J., Jones, M., Midura, R., & Miniaci, A. (2011). The effect of storage medium tonicity on osteochondral autograft plug diameter.. Arthroscopy : the journal of arthroscopic & related surgery : official publication of the Arthroscopy Association of North America and the International Arthroscopy Association, 27 (2), 188-93.
Martineau, P., Fening, PhD, S., & Miniaci, A. (2010). Anterior opening wedge high tibial osteotomy: the effect of increasing posterior tibial slope on ligament strain.. Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie, 53 (4), 261-7.
Fening, PhD, S., Jones, M., Moutzouros, V., Downs, B., & Miniaci, A. (2010). Method for Delivering a Controlled Impact to Articular Cartilage in the Rabbit Knee.. Cartilage, 1 (3), 211-6.
Kaar, S., Fening, PhD, S., Jones, M., Colbrunn, R., & Miniaci, A. (2010). Effect of humeral head defect size on glenohumeral stability: a cadaveric study of simulated Hill-Sachs defects.. The American journal of sports medicine, 38 (3), 594-9.
Fening, PhD, S., Kovacic, J., Kambic, H., McLean, S., Scott, J., & Miniaci, A. (2008). The effects of modified posterior tibial slope on anterior cruciate ligament strain and knee kinematics: a human cadaveric study.. The journal of knee surgery, 21 (3), 205-11.