The Current: News from the CWRU campus
Appointments
Meet the nursing school’s new dean
Story by: Michelle Kolk
It wasn’t just four Case Western Reserve University degrees that made Ronald Hickman, PhD, RN, the ideal candidate to be the 14th dean of Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing.
His three decades of experience—including two as a critical care nurse and nurse practitioner—set him apart, as did his background leading federally funded studies.
In July, Hickman (CWRU ’00; NUR ’06, ’13; GRS ’08, nursing) succeeded Carol Musil, PhD, RN (NUR ’79; GRS ’91, psychiatric mental health nursing), who chose to return to the school’s faculty.
Hickman, who is also the Ruth M. Anderson Endowed Professor, said his priorities are centered on three principles.
First, the school must continue developing students to be system thinkers who are flexible and agile—something the healthcare world requires. “What differentiates our alumni is that they’re challenged to think differently and problem solve because of our faculty and the curriculum they drive.”
Second, the school must continue to propel nursing research. “We’ve been a consistent leader,” he said. “Advancing nursing science that benefits the public is part of our culture.”
Third, Hickman said he is eager to engage more community partners—including schools, nonprofits and local governments—to “move the needle on the health of people right here in our area.”
Campus
Exploring the big questions: Alumnus Bill Baker films scenes for his Wisdom Keepers on campus
Story by: Alaina Bartel
When alumnus Bill Baker, PhD (ADL ’66; GRS ’68, ’72, communication sciences; HON ’20), set out to explore life’s biggest questions in his new PBS series Wisdom Keepers, he knew where to start: Case Western Reserve University. Scenes filmed on campus—and interviews with CWRU faculty—bring a personal touch to the show’s global conversations and highlight the university’s lasting influence on his thinking.
“CWRU shaped my approach,” Baker said. It “encourages critical thinking and philosophical inquiry, and I wanted to bring that spirit into the project.”
The series is now streaming on PBS.org, inviting viewers to reflect on meaning, purpose and the ideas that connect us all.
Awards
An international spotlight for dental student’s research
Story by: Daniel Robison
It’s been quite a year for Case Western Reserve University student Alex Matthews, who won a national dental research award, a separate statewide honor—and later presented a project in Spain.
Matthews is earning a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree and a master’s in public health. In June, he spoke at an international dental conference in Barcelona about his research on dental-care access for children with special healthcare needs. “Where I grew up [in rural Tennessee], you drove hours to see a specialist,” Matthews said. “I wondered why access was so limited—and who gets left behind.”
Matthews won first place in a 2025 American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research student competition as well as a top award at the Ohio Public Health Conference.
“We treat people, not just teeth,” said Matthews, who plans to pursue pediatric dentistry. “And people are shaped by their community and the world around them.”
Community
New center spurs more programs, collaborations in Cleveland’s Midtown neighborhood
Story by: Lisa Danielpour
Earlier this year, members of Case Western Reserve University’s Institute of Population and Community Health moved about 2 miles west of main campus to the new Midtown Collaboration Center (MCC), bringing them closer to partners and residents they serve.
“One of our opportunities is to improve the quality and length of life right here,” said Darcy Freedman, PhD, who directs the School of Medicine’s Mary Ann Swetland Center for Environmental Health, which is part of the institute.
MCC is in Cleveland’s Hough neighborhood and the brainchild of the Cleveland Foundation, which previously built its headquarters across the street.
The center brings together arts, business, healthcare and community organizations, as well as CWRU campus members—including cancer-education counselors serving the neighborhood and public-health students who take classes there.
They can all share space, ideas and resources, and, along with community members, relax at an on-site music space, restaurant and brewery.
Photographs by Angelo Merendino (Hickman) and McKinley Wiley/The Dark Room Co. (Midtown Collaboration Center)