Ezekiel J. Emanuel

Ezekiel J. Emanuel is Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and the Diane v.S. Levy and Robert M. Levy University Professor, Professor of Health Care Management, and Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy. With appointments in the Wharton School and the Perelman School of Medicine, where he chairs of the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Emanuel works at the intersection of bioethics, health policy, health care management, and political philosophy.

Medical Ethics + Health Care Management

zeke emanuel

As an influential scholar and policy expert, Ezekiel Emanuel works nimbly across disciplines and continents on globally significant issues. A breast oncologist by training, his accomplishments range from revolutionizing end-of-life care to redefining medical ethics in clinical research to crafting systemic change in health care policy, which culminated in the landmark Affordable Care Act.

At Penn, Emanuel’s leadership guides the unparalleled vision of global understanding, engagement and impact. He strategically marshals a portfolio of global programs and infrastructure to elevate Penn’s stature as a global agenda setter. On campus, he shepherded the design of Perry World House, which engages faculty and students from all 12 schools as well as eminent international scholars and policymakers. Off campus, Emanuel is spearheading Penn’s global reach with hubs in China, East Asia, India and Africa.

Emanuel is known for his foresight, audaciousness and breakthrough contributions to research, policies and practices. In 1989 he created the Medical Directive, a comprehensive living will, which earned endorsements from Consumer Reports on Health, Harvard Health Letter, and the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. At the time, about 75 percent of Americans with cancer died in hospitals; thanks to palliative care, that statistic has plummeted to less than 25 percent. In 2007, Emanuel edited the first comprehensive and systematic textbook on clinical research ethics, still a definitive work with a notable global perspective. He also advised both the Clinton and Obama administrations on health care reform, and helped conceptualize President Obama’s Global Health Initiative that focuses on the health of women and children.

Education
  • B.S., Amherst College (Chemistry)
  • M.Sc., Oxford University (Biochemistry)
  • M.D., Harvard Medical School (Oncology)
  • Ph.D., Harvard University (Political Philosophy)

View CV

Administrative Post
  • Penn Global, vice provost
University Service
  • ​Medical Ethics and Health Policy, department chair
  • Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics, senior fellow
Professional Positions & Associations
  • Institute of Medicine, elected member
  • Center for American Progress, senior fellow
Additional Penn Profiles
Contact

Office of the Vice Provost for Global Initiatives
122 College Hall 
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3319
215.898.7226 (O)
vp-global@upenn.edu

Perelman School of Medicine
3401 Market Street ,Suite 320
Philadelphia, PA 19104
215.898.7136 (O)
MEHPchair@upenn.edu