Rebecca German, Ph.D., appointed VP for Research

Rebecca Z. German, Ph.D., has been appointed vice president for research at NEOMED, effective Nov. 7, 2022. In this role, Dr. German will provide strategic advice and guidance to the president, the University and faculty to ensure research activities and initiatives continue in collaboration with members of NEOMED’s clinical and academic network which includes several of the nation’s top health care systems.

Dr. German is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01-funded researcher with more than 30 years of research and academic leadership experience. Over the last nine years, she has served as a professor of anatomy and neurobiology at NEOMED. Dr. German studies swallowing dysfunction (dysphagia) and the protection of respiratory airways in pre-term and other medically compromised infants. Her research with the youngest population has potential applications for older adults, who often develop swallowing problems along with neurological diseases such as Parkinson’s.

In August 2022, Dr. German was appointed interim vice president for research. Since then, she has led the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs to provide research and research development as well as support for technology transfer services. She also has provided oversight of compliance related to grants accounting, environmental health and safety, as well as the University’s Institutional Review Board. Recognizing the University’s growth trajectory in discovery and innovation resulting from its Strategic Plan, Dr. German quickly convened leaders throughout the University to create the University Research Council (URC). The URC will provide oversight of NEOMED’s discovery efforts related to high impact research that will improve health outcomes locally, nationally and globally. Dr. German has been instrumental to the success of the Strategic Plan’s Discovery Pillar, leading several initiatives with University Hospitals and Akron Children’s Hospital.

Throughout her career, Dr. German she has trained and mentored many students, published over 100 peer-reviewed papers, reviewed over a dozen journals and participated in multiple NIH study sections and National Science Foundation (NSF) Review Panels.

Dr. German earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from the University of Chicago, a Master of Science degree in geology from the University of Rochester and a doctoral degree in biology from Harvard University.