Dr. Epstein is the Dean of the Perelman School of Medicine and Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for the Health System, where he holds the Robert G. Dunlop Professorship in Medicine. He received his BA and MD degrees from Harvard University and completed his internship and residency and cardiology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. His work has focused on the genetics and developmental biology of the cardiovascular system, including the genetics of congenital heart disease and the use of stem cells for cardiovascular repair. In particular, his lab has elucidated the role of neural crest cells, and the molecular pathways that regulate their migration and differentiation, during vascular formation. These studies have led to the identification of novel pathways regulating angiogenesis and cardiac hypertrophy, demonstrating the implications of developmental studies to the understanding of adult disease. Most recently, his work has focused on the use of mRNA and lipid nanoparticles to generate CAR T cells in vivo for the treatment of cardiac fibrosis.  He has been a strong advocate for the physician-scientist and he directed the Clinical Investigator Pathway within the medicine residency program at Penn for many years.