Joanna Hart

Joanna Hart serves as an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics & Health Policy at the University of Pennsylvania and is a Staff Physician at the Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center. She is affiliated with the Palliative and Advanced Illness Research Center (PAIR), the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics (CHIBE), and the Leonard Davis Institute (LDI).

Her educational qualifications are:

• MSHP, University of Pennsylvania, 2014
• MD, University of Virginia School of Medicine, 2008
• BA in Sociology, Northwestern University, 2003

Dr. Hart's research focuses on medical decision making under uncertainty for seriously ill patients, investigating mechanisms behind undesirable outcomes like high end-of-life care costs, poor quality of life, and unexplained care variations. She employs decision science, behavioral economics, and mixed-methods approaches to align care with patient goals, with specific expertise in qualitative research designs. Her work bridges empirical bioethics and health services research to address systemic healthcare challenges.

She serves as physician lead for community engagement at the PAIR Center while maintaining clinical roles in critical care at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and pulmonary medicine at the VA Medical Center. Her research agenda emphasizes family-centered critical care and reducing healthcare disparities through behavioral interventions.