Steven Joffe, MD, MPH
Art and Ilene Penn Professor of Medical Ethics & Health Policy
Member, Abramson Cancer Center
Member, Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics (ITMAT)
Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute
Director, Postdoctoral T32 Training Program in the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of Genetics and Genomics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
Senior Fellow, Penn Center for Precision Medicine
Interim Chair (2019-22) and Chair (2022- ), Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Perelman School of Medicine
Department: Medical Ethics and Health Policy
Contact information
423 Guardian Dr.
Blockley Hall 1413
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4884
Blockley Hall 1413
Philadelphia, PA 19104-4884
Office: 215-898-3055
Fax: 215-573-3036
Fax: 215-573-3036
Email:
joffes@upenn.edu
joffes@upenn.edu
Publications
Education:
A.B. (Fine Art)
Harvard College, 1988.
M.D. (Medicine)
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, 1992.
M.P.H. (Epidemiology)
University of California, Berkeley, 1996.
Permanent linkA.B. (Fine Art)
Harvard College, 1988.
M.D. (Medicine)
University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, 1992.
M.P.H. (Epidemiology)
University of California, Berkeley, 1996.
Selected Publications
Lynch HF, Ramachandran R, Sachs R, Joffe S, Zettler PJ: The Promise And Perils Of FDA’s New ‘Plausible Mechanism’ Pathway (Part 1). Health Affairs Forum January 2026 Notes: Available at https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/promise-and-perils-fda-s-new-plausible-mechanism-pathway-part-1. DOI 10.1377/forefront.20260120.557793.Lynch HF, Ramachandran R, Sachs R, Joffe S, Zettler PJ: The Promise And Perils Of FDA’s New ‘Plausible Mechanism’ Pathway (Part 2). Health Affairs Forum January 2026 Notes: Available at https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/promise-and-perils-fda-s-new-plausible-mechanism-pathway-part-2. DOI 10.1377/forefront.20260121.824818.
Joffe S: The ethics of heritable human genome editing. Fertil Steril 124, Nov 2025 Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2025.05.141.
Sarah Scollon S, Plon SE, Joffe S, Biegel JA, Kulkarni S, Miles G, Patton DR, Coffey B, Winter CL, Tsongalis GJ, Routbort MJ, Ramirez NC, Saguilig L, Piao J, Alonzo TA, Berg, SL, Fox E, Weigel B, Hawkins DS, Abrams JS, Mooney M, Takebe N, Tricoli JV, Janeway KA, Seibel NL, Parsons DW: Germline Cancer Predisposition Results from the NCI-COG Pediatric MATCH Trial. J Precision Oncol 9, Oct 2025 Notes: doi: 10.1200/PO-25-00742. Epub 2025 Oct 30.
Parikh RB, Ulloa-Perez E, Kurian M, Hubbard R, Joffe S, Fernandez Lynch H, Mamtani R: Prescribing changes after accelerated vs regular approval of oncology therapies. JAMA Netw Open 8(7): e2520726, July 2025 Notes: doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.20726.
McCoy MS, Gaines ME, Joffe S, Kanter GP, Largent EA, Lo B, Lynch HF, Whelan AM, Mello MM.: A Framework for Assessing the Permissibility of Academic Leaders' Outside Activities Milbank Q Jun 2025 Notes: Epub ahead of print.
Callahan KP, Mueller R, Joffe S, Skraban C, Spinner NB, Crew K, Clapp J, Munson D, Feudtner C.: Parents' perceptions of the utility of genetic testing in the NICU. Genet Med 27(6): 101393, June 2025 Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.gim.2025.101393. Epub ahead of print Feb 2025. Response to letter to the editor: Callahan KP, Mueller R, Joffe S, Skraban C, Spinner N, Crew K, Clapp J, Munson D, Feudtner C. Genetics in Medicine 28(1):101639, 2026.
Kurian M, Ferrell WJ, Ulloa Perez E, Hubbard R, Joffe S, Mamtani R, Parikh RB, Fernandez Lynch H: Specificity of Food and Drug Administration postmarketing requirements and associations with timely submissions and regulatory decisions for oncology accelerated approvals, 2011–2023: a cross-sectional analysis. BMJ Oncology 4(1), May 2025.
Zettler PJ, Sachs RE, Joffe S, Lynch HF: The Dangers of Decoupling Safety and Effectiveness in Drug Approval. JAMA Mar 2025 Notes: doi: 10.1001/jama.2025.2807. Epub ahead of print.
Lynch HF, Largent EA, McCoy MS, Joffe S.: Advancing Trust in Science: Institutional Obligations to Promote Research Integrity. Journal of Law Medicine and Ethics 53(1), 2025.