Steve Joffe

Steve Joffe

@stevejoffe.bsky.social

Professor @ UPenn. Research ethics, pediatric ethics, cancer ethics, genomethics, science policy. Grateful immigrant, he/him. Speak only for myself. Reposts do not imply endorsement. ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0667-7384

1.4K followers155 following409 posts

Steve Joffe
@stevejoffe.bsky.social

Endorsing Aaron's comments. Jim was a trusted and wise senior colleague to me. He was also a true mensch. May his memory be for a blessing.

Aaron Schwartz@aschwartz.bsky.social

Sad to learn of the death of Jim Sabin. In residency, Jim facilitated our invaluable small group sessions on the challenges of doctoring. A phenomenal listener, accomplished psychiatrist/ethicist, he also, as the obit notes, had truly world-class eyebrows. www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/b...

dignitymemorial.comJames Sabin Obituary - Brookline, MACelebrate the life of James Sabin, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information care of Levine Chapels.

Steve Joffe reposted

Penn LDI
@pennldi.bsky.social

🏆 Congratulations to LDI’s Scott Halpern and Paula Chatterjee on receiving awards from @acpimphysicians.bsky.social! Recognized for their contributions to behavioral medicine & internal medicine, their work advances research and policy to improve health care. Read more: https://bit.ly/4i79WEZ

ldi.upenn.eduScott Halpern and Paula Chatterjee Win American College of Physicians AwardsLDI Senior Fellows and Perelman School of Medicine physicians Scott Halpern, MD, PhD, and Paula Chatterjee, MD, MPH, have won 2026-27 American College of Physicians (ACP) awards

Steve Joffe reposted

Stacie Dusetzina
@dusetzinas.bsky.social

Very excited to get to be part of this conversation with friends at Penn Law and LDI!

Penn LDI@pennldi.bsky.social

How should FDA-accelerated approval balance access, evidence, and cost? Join us on Oct. 22 for a panel on reforms, confirmatory studies, and the future of the pathway, co-sponsored by LDI, @pennmehp.bsky.social & the Center for Technology, Innovation & Competition. ldi.upenn.edu/events/the-u...

ldi.upenn.eduThe Unfinished Business of Reforming the FDA’s Accelerated Approval PathwayIn this panel discussion, experts in medicine, economics, law, and ethics will discuss access, quality, cost, and other issues facing accelerated FDA approval.

Steve Joffe reposted

Penn LDI
@pennldi.bsky.social

Check out new research featuring LDI Fellow @aschwartz.bsky.social.⤵️

Aaron Schwartz@aschwartz.bsky.social

Our new paper on the physician fee schedule took more person-hours of research work than any other journal publication I've worked on. The study summarizes thousands of regressions we ran to provide some empirical and conceptual tools for fee schedule reforms. jamanetwork.com/journals/jam... 1/2

jamanetwork.comService-Level Utilization in Risk-Based Contracts and a Benchmarking Approach for Fee-Schedule ReformsThis cross-sectional study compares service-level utilization patterns between health care professional organizations in full-risk contracts and those in a traditional fee-for-service payment structur...
Steve Joffe
@stevejoffe.bsky.social

One of the best – both clearest and most engaging – science books I have ever read.

Carl Zimmer@carlzimmer.com

My book on heredity, "She Has Her Mother's Laugh," is on sale at Kindle for $1.99 through October 11. www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...

amazon.comShe Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of HeredityShe Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity - Kindle edition by Zimmer, Carl. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The Powers, Perversions, and Potential of Heredity.
Steve Joffe
@stevejoffe.bsky.social

If you find this interesting, join us tomorrow 10/6 at noon Eastern time for @ent3c.bsky.social's Bronstein Lecture about this topic. Registration (including for virtual participation) here: medicalethicshealthpolicy.med.upenn.edu/events/brons...

Philip Ball@philipcball.bsky.social

This new study of genes implicated in "intelligence" is... complicated. For a start, the first main para of that press release - I mean, really? It kind of launches off in media res, and gives few clues about what the takehome is. /1 www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/ex...

sanger.ac.ukExpanding understanding of link between genetics and cognitive abilityExperts build a broader picture of how our genes impact our cognition, after statistically guessing data from UK Biobank participants who did not take a problem-solving test.

Steve Joffe reposted

Kayte Spector-Bagdady
@kaytesb.bsky.social

Alas but not surprising. You can still find all of our (archived) materials here: library.georgetown.edu/collection/d... thanks @georgetownuni.bsky.social!

sitearchives.georgetown.eduAbout the Commission | Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues
Federal US domain bot@fed-us-domain-bot.bsky.social

❌ NOTICE Federal US website newly deleted. https://bioethics.gov Action taken by the nan (Department of Health and Human Services) at or around 2026-09-30 12:09:17.

bioethics.govbioethics.govFederal US website delisted. URL is not valid.

Steve Joffe reposted

Atheendar Venkataramani
@atheendar.bsky.social

Fascinating paper @hthirumurthy.bsky.social and team!!! The possibility of a bright future motivates. The possibility of a dim one does the opposite. Something I see all the time in the clinic and hospital.

Dean Yang@deanyang.bsky.social

Can a savings account reduce heavy drinking? In a randomized trial with 1,500 men in western Kenya, a savings program cut hazardous drinking by 26% and intimate partner violence by 15%. New NBER working paper 🧵

Steve Joffe
@stevejoffe.bsky.social

Jehovah's Witness congregations have historically opposed the transfusion of whole blood or its primary fractions (red cells, platelets, plasma, white cells). An important update now treats transfusion of fractions as a matter of individual conscience rather than doctrine. www.jw.org/en/library/s...

Steve Joffe reposted

Apoorva Mandavilli
@apoorvanyt.bsky.social

I’ve been reporting on the CDC for years, and have written about many of its troubles over the past year. I was still shocked by the extent of the staff losses and political interference I found when reporting this one. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/h...

nytimes.com‘Zombified’ C.D.C., Hobbled by Cuts, Struggles to Fulfill Scientific Mission (Gift Article)The agency has lost its independence and nearly a third of its staff, as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and associates have tightened control.
Steve Joffe
@stevejoffe.bsky.social

Thrilled to share that Penn Medical Ethics @pennmehp.bsky.social is inviting applications for our 3-year National Human Genome Research Institute-funded postdoctoral fellowship in the ethical, legal, & social implications (ELSI) of genomics. Info @ medicalethicshealthpolicy.med.upenn.edu/elsipostdoc

medicalethicshealthpolicy.med.upenn.eduPenn Medical Ethics and Health Policy | ELSI Genomics Postdoctoral Training ProgramAbout the Fellowship The mission of the 3-year Penn Postdoctoral Training Program in the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) of Genetics and Genomics, supported by a training grant from...

Steve Joffe reposted

Rachel Sachs
@rachelsachs.bsky.social

Thread. Always glad to work with @reshmagar.bsky.social, @pzettler.bsky.social, and @hollylynchez.bsky.social - our piece on FDA's new single pivotal trial approach is now out in @jamahealthforum.com: jamanetwork.com/journals/jam....

jamanetwork.comOpportunities and Risks of a Single-Trial Default for FDA Drug ApprovalThis Viewpoint describes potential concerns and opportunities with a single-trial default for US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drug approval.
Yale CRRIT@yalecrrit.bsky.social

While FDA has increasingly approved drugs supported by a single pivotal trial, CRRIT co-Director @reshmagar.bsky.social with @rachelsachs.bsky.social, Patti Zettler, and @hollylynchez.bsky.social argue in @jamahealthforum.com... (2/6)

Steve Joffe reposted

Margaret R. Eby
@margaretrutheby.bsky.social

Replying to @margaretrutheby.bsky.social

Fertility aside, the popularization of health-as-competition will have lasting effects on physical and mental health. Events like Sperm Racing and the Enhanced Games highlight how mainstream the gamification of augmentation has become.

Steve Joffe reposted

Margaret R. Eby
@margaretrutheby.bsky.social

Replying to @margaretrutheby.bsky.social

I gave a brief lecture on the science(?) behind looksmaxxing earlier this summer to a group of high school students exploring careers in STEM. When I asked how many of them knew someone using unregulated supplements, nearly three quarters raised their hands!

Steve Joffe reposted

Margaret R. Eby
@margaretrutheby.bsky.social

Wrote this short piece on the movements behind Sperm Racing and what they mean for young men's health, from peptides to phrenology. www.fertstert.org/news-do/inte...

fertstert.orgThe Intersection of Biotech and Ideology behind “Sperm Racing”Is male fertility in decline? Anxiety about worsening sperm quality has ramped up in recent years, with headlines warning of irreversible trends in reproductive capabilities. RFK notably took up the c...

Steve Joffe reposted

ProPublica
@propublica.org

NEW: Dr. Craig Towers was hailed as a hero for his research on detoxing pregnant opioid users. After he published a study that found naltrexone could help patients stay off drugs, addiction specialists started asking if his work was too good to be true.

propublica.orgHis Research on Pregnant Opioid Users Was Widely Celebrated. Auditors and Experts Found Major Flaws.Dr. Craig Towers was hailed as a hero for his research on detoxing pregnant opioid users. After he published a study that found naltrexone could help patients stay off drugs, addiction specialists sta...

Steve Joffe reposted

Jack Mirkinson
@jackmirkinson.bsky.social

Today in @thenation.com: a harrowing piece written from inside the Dilley ICE detention center by Maryam Tahmasebi, a green card holder who's been locked up along with her husband and son for months despite none of them committing any crime. www.thenation.com/article/soci...

thenation.comOne Woman’s Message From the Hell of ICE DetentionMy husband, son, and I have been locked up for months—despite being permanent residents with no criminal record. It is an unendurable, unending nightmare.

Steve Joffe reposted

Sarah Karlin-Smith
@sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social

Story is really important given pharma push to loosen U.S. Phase I trial regulations so U.S. can be more "competitive" with China.

elizabethcooney.bsky.social@elizabethcooney.bsky.social

Exclusive from Jason Mast and Brian Yang at @statnews.com who write "the disclosure raises concerns about the quality and transparency of China’s more lightly regulated pathway for drug trials." www.statnews.com/2026/08/05/c...

statnews.comOnce again, child dies in gene editing trial in China, rekindling debate on transparency and safetyWith a second delayed report of a child's death in China, criticism is rising of a looser form of clinical trial. One expert: what "bothers me is the lack of transparency.'

Steve Joffe reposted

Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics
@pennchibe.bsky.social

Congrats to Dr. Amol Navathe on becoming the new chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the independent congressional agency that advises lawmakers on Medicare payment policy. penntoday.upenn.edu/news/penn-he...

penntoday.upenn.eduPenn health economist on shaping Medicare’s future | Penn TodayAmol Navathe, professor of medical ethics and health policy at Penn Medicine and healthcare management at Wharton, is the new chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, the independent congres...
Steve Joffe
@stevejoffe.bsky.social

This is a superb short paper--both about environmental ethics specifically and about the value of and approaches to ethics education for scientists more generally. Highly recommend.

Tomas García Azcarate@tgazcarate.bsky.social

Why environmental scientists need ethics training more than ever before - Kristy M. Ferraro, Ann C. Thresher doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

doi.orgWhy environmental scientists need ethics training more than ever before | PNASWhy environmental scientists need ethics training more than ever before
Steve Joffe
@stevejoffe.bsky.social

So thrilled to see @hollylynchez.bsky.social receive this deserved & fitting recognition from @greenwallfdn.bsky.social!

Penn LDI@pennldi.bsky.social

🎉 Congratulations to LDI Fellow @hollylynchez.bsky.social on receiving the 2026 Bernard Lo Award in Bioethics from the @greenwallfdn.bsky.social! The award recognizes significant achievement in bioethics research, and in 2026 honors work that bridges divides through bioethics. bit.ly/4vvTz9A

ldi.upenn.eduHolly Fernandez Lynch Wins National Bioethics Research AwardLDI Senior Fellow Holly Fernandez Lynch, JD, MBE, has won the 2026 Greenwall Foundation Bernard Lo Award in Bioethics, a prestigious annual honor recognizing significant achievement in bioethics…

Steve Joffe reposted

Mark Peifer (He, him)
@peiferlabunc.bsky.social

Truly bizarre story of how two papers from the 1940s by physics pioneer Max Planck have been "retracted" from Naturwissenschaften, potentially by an algorithm, for anachronistic "plagiarism" issues, leaving the current editor baffled (but it is Springer Nature so.... www.science.org/content/arti...

science.orgWhy have papers by one of history’s most famous physicists been retracted?Springer Nature has removed two studies by Max Planck. A bot may be to blame

Steve Joffe reposted

Manasvini Singh
@vinisingh.bsky.social

It’s here, it’s finally hereeeee!!!! This paper is in the AER because of two people: my co-author @atheendar.bsky.social, and our copy-editor @sameyler.bsky.social.

AEA Journals@aeajournals.bsky.social

Forthcoming in the AER: "Rationing by Race" by Manasvini Singh and Atheendar Venkataramani.

aeaweb.orgRationing by Race(Forthcoming Article) - We document how deepening resource scarcity results in rationing on the basis of race in a highstakes setting: health care. Using detailed, time-stamped data on 107,000 inpatient admissions to a large health system, we find that in-hospital mortality increases for Black, but not White, patients as hospitals reach capacity. These findings are not explained by differential patient selection. We identify rationing by wait times as a mechanism, documenting that sicker Black patients wait longer for care than healthier White patients at almost all capacity levels. Text analysis of unstructured clinical notes reveals rationing of provider effort as another mechanism.