Joel Fein

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Joel Fein, MD, MPH

Co-Director, Center for Violence Prevention; Co-Leader, Health and Behavior Research Affinity Group

Dr. Fein conducts youth violence prevention research and has been the principal investigator (PI) or co-investigator of numerous federally funded projects addressing the youth violence epidemic through mixed-methods research, particularly community-based, participatory research (CBPR). His most recent NIH study showed the impact of an early prevention program on reducing post-traumatic stress symptoms in assault-injured youth.

Center for Violence Prevention

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Bio

Joel Fein MD, MPH is a Professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania and an attending physician and Senior Advisor for Advocacy and Health Equity for the Division of Emergency Medicine at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). He is Co-Director of the Center for Violence Prevention at CHOP and founded the CHOP Violence Intervention Program, one of the first pediatric Hospital-based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs) in the nation. In addition, he works with the STOP IPV team to develop and test innovative methods within the pediatric care setting to screen families for IPV and promotes safe gun storage using educational materials and safety devices provided to CHOP families. Dr. Fein, with colleagues at CHOP and Drexel University, also developed a computerized screening process for adolescents to sensitively endorse depression, suicide and other behavioral health concerns.

Nationally, Dr. Fein is an Advisory Board member of the Health Alliance for Violence Prevention (the HAVI), where he also co-leads the Research and Evaluation Workgroup. Locally, Dr. Fein is a member of the Philadelphia College of Physicians, is on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Anti-drug Anti-Violence Network (PAAN) and has led or served on a number of citywide committees related to violence prevention. Dr. Fein has received funding from the NIH, CDC and Department of Health and Human Services and has published more than 120 peer reviewed research papers on topics including violence prevention, pain management, and mental health in the emergency setting.

Notable career achievements include:

Founding and directing the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Center for Violence Prevention
Serving as a national leader in applying trauma-informed care to pediatric medical settings
Pioneering hospital-based violence prevention research
Applying research to create sustainable, fully implemented psychosocial interventions for vulnerable youth and families

Education and Training

BA, Wesleyan University (Biology and Psychology), 1984

MD, New York University School of Medicine, 1988

Residency, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Pediatrics), 1991

Fellowship, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Emergency Medicine), 1993

MPH, University of Pennsylvania, 2005

Titles and Academic Titles

Co-Leader, Health and Behavior Research Affinity Group

Co-director, Center for Violence Prevention

Senior advisor for Advocacy and Health Equity, Division of Emergency Medicine

Professor of Pediatrics

Professional Memberships

The American Academy of Pediatrics, Emergency Medicine Section, Member, 1991

The Academic Pediatric Association, Member, 1991

The American Academy of Pediatrics, Fellow, 1993

Society for Pediatric Research, Member, 2002

American Public Health Association, Member, 2002

American Pediatric Society, Member, 2012

Professional Awards

University of Pennsylvania Martin Luther King Community Involvement Award (The Philadelphia Collaborative Violence Prevention Center), 2010

Elected member, College of Physicians in Philadelphia, 2011

Elected member, The American Pediatric Society, 2012

Elected member, the Gold Humanism Honor Society. “In recognition of exemplary service, integrity, clinical excellence and compassion.”, 2014

Scott Mackler Award for Excellence in Substance Abuse Teaching, Perelman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania, 2019

Male Ally, Women of Courage Award, Lutheran Settlement House: “To recognize the work of male-identified community partners in combatting Intimate Partner Violence.”, 2019

Keystone Courage Award, CeaseFire PA (for Center for Violence Prevention), 2023

Practitioner of the Year, Philadelphia County Medical Society, “Presented annually to a member physician who has “distinguished themselves by providing patient care and community service with compassion and dedication.” 2024