Marvin Nieman, PhD

I am pleased to announce that Marvin Nieman, PhD, has been appointed as the first Vice Dean for Graduate Education for the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

Elevating oversight of graduate programs has been a priority, given the number of students, the breadth of programs and the opportunity of the school to be at the cutting edge of graduate training and career development in biomedicine. I am delighted Dr. Nieman will assume this responsibility.

As Vice Dean for Graduate Education, he will focus on mentor training, inclusive excellence, developing career oriented programs and continual assessment of graduate programs. 

“Graduate education across the country is at the cusp of major changes,” Nieman said. “I am excited to work with my colleagues at the School of Medicine to position the university at the forefront as a national model in educational practices that trains graduates with the skills and competencies required for careers in the 21st century.” 

Dr. Nieman oversees all degree granting master's and PhD programs for the school across all departments, outreach and recruitment efforts, and enhancing career opportunities for our graduates. He is initiating a new Dean’s Scholars program focused on assisting underrepresented students pursue post doctoral experiences leading to faculty appointments at the school.

Marvin is associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology, a member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center and most recently served as graduate program director in the Department of Pharmacology where he led the implementation of a competency-based curriculum for the PhD program. In addition to his robust research program in hematology, he is a national leader in graduate education recognized for training and mentoring the next generation of scientists.

Since joining the faculty at the School of Medicine in 2006, Dr. Nieman has mentored scientists at all levels (high school, undergraduate, graduate students, and postdocs) in his laboratory and is currently mentoring faculty at CWRU and other institutions. His students have won several awards at national and international conferences and faculty mentees have received NIH funding for their independent laboratories.

Dr. Nieman’s research program focuses on signaling mechanisms in platelets during blood clotting and cancer biology. He will receive the Special Recognition in Thrombosis Research from the American Heart Association in November and his most recent work identified a genetic polymorphism in a PAR4 that dramatically impairs receptor function and is associated with a reduced risk for venous thrombosis. 

In 2018, Marvin was elected as a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) and was honored with CWRU’s Think Big Seed Sprint Award for competency-based PhD training from the Office of the Provost.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Marvin Nieman on this appointment.

Thank you,




Stan Gerson, MD
Dean and Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs
School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University
Director, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (acting)
Director, National Center for Regenerative Medicine