The Art and Ilene Penn Professorship of Medical Ethics & Health Policy
As alumni and longtime supporters of the University of Pennsylvania, Art and Ilene Penn established this Chair in 2018 in order to advance excellence in bioethics at Penn.
Arthur Penn holds a BS and an MBA from Wharton; Ilene D. Penn received a BA in economics from the University of Pennsylvania. She went on to earn her JD from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review. She received an MS in Bioethics from Columbia University. Currently, she is an Adjunct Instructor in the Bioethics Department at Clarkson University/Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. She is also a member of the Mount Sinai Hospital Ethics Committee.
The Penns have both had distinguished professional careers. After more than 30 years in investment banking, Arthur Penn is currently the Founder and Managing Partner at PennantPark Investment Advisers. He has played leadership roles at Apollo Investment Management, UBS Warburg LLC (now UBS Investment Bank), BT Alex. Brown Incorporated, and Lehman Brothers.
Ilene Penn is a member of the New York City Bar Association’s Bioethical Issues Committee, as well as a member on the Board of YRF Darca, a non-profit entity dedicated to improving education for children in Israel.
The Penns have generously contributed their time and financial support to the University. Both have participated in the Alumni Interview Program and served on their class Gift and Reunion Committees. They held leadership positions in the Making History and Power of Penn campaigns. Since 2015, Mrs. Penn has been an active member of the Trustees' Council of Penn Women.
Mrs. Penn has been a member of the Penn Medicine Board since 2018. She also currently serves as Chair of the External Advisory Board of the University of Pennsylvania Medical Ethics and Health Policy Department, of which she has been a member since 2012. Mr. Penn joined this Board in 2013, and the couple sponsored the Art & Ilene Penn Medical Ethics Grand Rounds program as part of their work to support progress in bioethics at Penn.
Current Chairholder