On Feb. 11, Jonathan Epstein was appointed executive vice president of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System and dean of the Perelman School of Medicine after serving in the role in an interim capacity since December 2023.
The announcement, made Tuesday night by Interim Penn President Larry Jameson, highlighted Epstein’s extensive contributions to Penn Medicine’s growth in research, education, and patient care. His term is set to begin on March 1, pending approval from the University Board of Trustees.
“Dr. Epstein is an eminent physician-scientist, a visionary leader, and a dedicated institutional citizen who has played an integral role in shaping Penn Medicine’s excellence across research, education, and patient care,” Jameson wrote in the announcement.
In his new position, Epstein will oversee the entire Penn Medicine system, which includes six hospitals, an outpatient network, and the country’s oldest medical school. The health system — valued at $12 billion — employs over 50,000 faculty, clinicians, and staff.
Epstein will take on the role during a time of increased political and financial pressures on the system. Just this week, the National Institute of Health capped “indirect costs” that provide funding for overhead research costs — such as lab spaces and support staff. Such cuts could cost the University up to $240 million.
“Leading Penn Medicine at such a critical time in the evolution of medicine and health care is a profound privilege,” Epstein wrote in the announcement. “It is the honor of my life to take on this role and to work alongside our extraordinary faculty, students, trainees, and staff to advance Penn Medicine’s mission and to shape the future of health and medicine.”
Epstein was appointed dean of the Medical School and interim executive vice president of the Health System at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees on Dec. 12, 2023 following Jameson’s appointment as the University’s interim president.
Prior to that appointment, Epstein served as the executive vice dean and chief scientific officer of the Medical School and senior vice president of UPHS.
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.
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