After Larry Jameson's appointment as Interim President of the University of Pennsylvania, Jonathan Epstein was named the dean of the Perelman School of Medicine (Photo from Perelman School of Medicine).
Jonathan Epstein was appointed dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and interim executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, following J. Larry Jameson’s appointment as the University’s interim president.
Epstein’s promotion was announced in an email from the Interim Chair of the University Board of Trustees Julie Beren Platt. Jameson, the executive vice president of UPHS and dean of the Medical School, was appointed as the University’s interim president during a virtual meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees on Tuesday afternoon.
Epstein previously served as the executive vice dean and chief scientific officer of the Medical School and senior vice president of UPHS.
In an email to the Penn Medicine community, Jameson praised Epstein’s past accolades and accomplishments.
“As Dr. Epstein assumes the role of Interim EVP/Dean, we anticipate a continuation of his outstanding leadership and a further elevation of our institution's academic and medical excellence,” Jameson wrote.
Epstein received his bachelor's in biochemistry from Harvard University in 1983 and an M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1988. Prior to joining Penn in 1996, he completed his residency and fellowship in medicine and cardiology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, as well as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute postdoctoral fellowship in genetics.
From 2006 to 2015, Epstein served as chairman of the department of cell and developmental biology and the scientific director of the Penn Cardiovascular Institute. He was also a founding co-director of the Penn Institute for Regenerative Medicine in 2007.
Epstein's research investigates the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular development and its implications on the understanding and treatment of human disease, with a recent focus on epigenetic regulation of stem cell biology, developmental biology, and cardiovascular medicine.
Epstein has received the Sir William Osler Young Investigator Award, the Outstanding Investigator Award from the American Federation for Medical Research, and the American College of Physicians Harriet P. Dustan Award for Science as Related to Medicine. He is also a member of the Philadelphia College of Physicians, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Association of American Physicians, and the National Academy of Medicine.
Penn Medicine did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the anticipated length of Epstein’s interim appointment.
All leaders of the Medical School were expected to meet Tuesday to discuss Jameson's appointment, according to a source familiar with the situation. Jameson’s appointment — which was announced in an email to the Penn community — will be effective until a permanent president is appointed.
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