Joseph S. Gonnella, MD
Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Dean Emeritus

Contact
1015 Walnut Street
Curtis Building, Suite 320
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Joseph S. Gonnella, MD
Distinguished Professor of Medicine
Dean Emeritus
Research & Clinical Interests
Research interests have focused on the relationships between knowledge, capabilities and actual clinical performance. The results have led to instruments which have been used to evaluate educational programs, measure severity of illness (Disease Staging) and assess quality of care and costs.
Medical School
MD, Harvard Medical School - 1959
Most Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Extreme Longevity: Analysis of the Direct or Indirect Influence of Environmental Factors on Old, Nonagenarians, and Centenarians in Cilento, Italy
- The effect of Humanitude care methodology on improving empathy: a six-year longitudinal study of medical students in Japan
- Preparing for the MD: How Long, at What Cost, and with What Outcomes?
- Physician Empathy and Diabetes Outcomes
- Can communication skills training improve empathy? A six-year longitudinal study of medical students in Japan
Biography
Dr. Gonnella is Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Dean Emeritus of Jefferson Medical College, and founder and director of the Center. Dr. Gonnella received his B.A. from Dartmouth College (summa cum laude) and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He has been awarded the Commendatore dell’ordine della Stella della Solidarietà Italiana in 1978; the Grande Ufficiale in 1995 by the President of Italy; the Dongbaeg Medal by the President of Korea; the Presidential Medal by Dartmouth College; and the Presidential Citation by Thomas Jefferson University. He has received honorary degrees from the University of Chieti, Italy; SoonChunHyang University in Seoul, Korea, Widener University, the University of Minho in Portugal, and the International Medical University of Malaysia. He has also received an honorary professorship from Tianjin Medical College in Tianjin, China, and a Distinguished Fellowship from the International Medical University, Malaysia. In 1998 he received the Abraham Flexner Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Dr. Gonnella’s research has focused on the relationship between knowledge, capabilities, and clinical performance. He has developed a Disease Staging evaluation system that is used in the U.S. and internationally to assess the quality and costs of health care.