CWRU faculty members retire after 25+ years on campus
Making the decision to retire is a significant milestone. For those who have worked in one place for the majority of their careers, it’s even more meaningful. This summer, a number of Case Western Reserve University faculty members are taking that step after more than 25 years of service to the institution.
In honor of the impactful contributions they’ve made to their fields, CWRU’s campus and students throughout the years, we’re highlighting their achievements.
Note: This is not a complete list of those retiring with 25+ years at CWRU. Those in this article identified themselves through calls in The Daily or were otherwise nominated for inclusion.
College of Arts and Sciences
Elizabeth J Short, PhD
Professor
Director, Developmental Masters and Early Intervention Program
Department of Psychological Sciences
Elizabeth Short, PhD, has spent her career focused at two distinct stages of the educational spectrum: the youngest students and those seeking advanced degrees at the graduate level. As principal investigator of the ALERT Lab (Attention, Learning, and Emotion Regulation Team), Short’s research is on the development of preschool and school-aged children, with an emphasis on individual learning differences.
Short has worked toward demonstrating the impact of early diagnosis and treatment of learning differences, such as attention deficit disorder, language disabilities and autism. More recently, her lab has expanded its work to understand learning differences in children with medical conditions such as asthma, sleep problems and gastrointestinal issues.
Here at CWRU, she created the Developmental Masters and Early Intervention Program. She holds her work with students in high regard, saying that launching the program and “inspiring students to be the best version of themselves” are among her proudest achievements.
Read more about Short’s background and career milestones.
School of Dental Medicine
Tim S. Whittingham, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
A member of the School of Dental Medicine’s faculty since 1983, Tim S. Whittingham, PhD, has seen the school’s evolution over 43 years. After a challenging time in the 1980s and 90s, the school has gone on to excel, which Whittingham credits with the camaraderie of faculty, staff and students, alike. For Whittingham, working at the school was akin to working with friends.
During his tenure, Whittingham’s research has been on brain-slice metabolism; the relationship among adenosine triphosphate, phosphocreatine and synaptic transmission; and curricular design and teaching.
“It has been a privilege to be at CWRU for 43 years, and the time has passed much too quickly. I appreciate all the opportunities I’ve had to pursue my interests in education,” Whittingham said.
School of Medicine
Bill Merrick, PhD
Professor
Department of Biochemistry
Among the School of Medicine’s longest-serving faculty members, Bill Merrick, PhD, is retiring after nearly 48 years and more than 200 publications.
Through his research, Merrick has focused on protein translation, with a particular interest in identifying all eukaryotic translation initiation factors to determine their sequential utilization, characterize how the initiation pathway is regulated and understanding the potential impact of different points of regulation.
Collaboration is a critical piece of Merrick’s research and he credits his career success to those who have trained in his lab: "They made my career successful—not the other way around.”
Read more about his reflections on his 47 years at CWRU.
Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences
Victor Groza, PhD
Grace F. Brody Professor of Parent-Child Studies
Associate Dean for Doctoral Education
Since 1993, Victor Groza, PhD, has been a fixture at the Mandel School, especially for doctoral students. Shortly after arriving at CWRU, Groza assumed his first administrative role as associate dean of academic affairs. In the years since, he’s held several leadership positions, most recently as associate dean for doctoral education.
Groza’s research is centered on child welfare, including trauma inflicted through institutional care, adoption and the child welfare workforce. In recognition of his work in these areas, he was named the Grace F. Brody Professor in Parent-Child Studies in 2007 and director of the Mandel School’s Child Welfare Fellows program in 2008.
His work has had an international impact. At CWRU, he established the Erasmus+ faculty exchange with the West University of Timisoara in Romania. He’s also conducted research projects and training programs in Romania, India, Ukraine, Guatemala and Ethiopia.
Groza also is a licensed independent social work supervisor and is a fellow of the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare.
Sharon Milligan, PhD
Grace Longwell Coyle Associate Professor in Social Work
Vice Dean of Academic Affairs and Student Services
Sharon Milligan, PhD, has been a leader at the Mandel School for nearly 45 years, first arriving on campus in 1982 as an assistant professor of social work. Throughout her tenure, she’s held several key roles, inducing chair of the Master of Social Work program and a stint as interim dean of the Mandel School prior to the arrival of Dean Dexter R. Voisin, PhD.
With graduate degrees in social work, public health and community development, Milligan’s research is interdisciplinary in nature. Her research has explored the impact of COVID-19 on social workers, the experiences of women, minorities and elders with chronic illnesses, conditions in low-income Black communities and engagement of African Americans in clinical trials and research.
She has played an active role in both formal and informal courses in Kenya, Ghana, Cuba and Jamaica.
Milligan’s international reach includes her work as a past board chair for International Partners in Mission, an organization that promotes human dignity on a global scale.
Mark Singer, PhD
Leonard W. Mayo Professor in Family and Child Welfare
Professor of Psychiatry, School of Medicine
Deputy Director, Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education
Mark Singer’s expertise in violence prevention and mental health crises makes him a nationally sought-after figure in social work, psychiatry and public safety. He has served as a consultant or advisor to the U.S. Department of Defense, the American Medical Association and the National Mental Health Association. He also is a former trustee of the Cuyahoga County Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board.
Singer is a double-alumnus of CWRU, having earned both a Master of Social Science Administration and his PhD from the institution. He joined the School of Medicine faculty as a senior instructor in pediatrics in 1984 and the Mandel School faculty in 1987 as an associate professor. He maintains a secondary appointment as a professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine. He also teaches at the Cleveland Police Academy to promote links between police officers and social services.
As a member of the Cuyahoga County Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department, Singer has joined officers on patrol.
Zoë Breen Wood, PhD
Associate Professor
Director, Office of Educational Outcome Assessment
Social work graduates from the Mandel School are well-equipped to join the workforce, in part due to the efforts of Zoë Breen Wood, PhD. Wood’s teaching emphasizes competency-based education, direct practice methods and trauma-informed practice.
She’s brought that perspective to different administrative roles she’s held over the course of more than 30 years with the school, including director of field education and director of educational outcome assessment—roles through which she’s strengthened the school’s curriculum and accreditation.
Wood’s impact on students is notable. She received two Mandel School Outstanding Teacher of the Year awards and a Council on Social Work Education Mentorship Award. With a dedication to innovation in teaching, Wood completed University Center for Innovation in Teaching and Education fellowships.
Her research also has centered on child welfare, having consulted on this topic in Guatemala, Romania, Ethiopia, Zambia and Belize. Wood’s work also has focused on promoting positive outcomes for children who are adopted through the child welfare system.
