Justin E. Bekelman, MD

Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology

Justin E. Bekelman, M.D., is associate professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology (Primary) and the Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy (Secondary) at the Perelman School of Medicine, Associate Scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, faculty in the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, and senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Bekelman leads research programs in cancer comparative effectiveness and delivery system and payment reform, integrating methods from the fields of epidemiology, clinical trials, health economics and public policy. In his current comparative effectiveness work, Dr. Bekelman leads the multi-institution Radiation Comparative Effectiveness Consortium (RADCOMP) pragmatic randomized clinical trial comparing proton to photon radiation therapy for breast cancer (the largest randomized trial of proton and photon delivery in the modern treatment era) and co-leads the PARTIQoL randomized clinical trial comparing proton to intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer. In his delivery system and payment reform work, Dr. Bekelman leads a series of quasi-experimental studies to evaluate the impact of narrow networks and reimbursement reforms on the use, costs, quality and outcomes of cancer treatments. Dr. Bekelman's research has appeared in scientific journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Journal of Clinical Oncology and has been featured in the mainstream media, including the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, and news outlets in Canada and Europe. He has received research funding from the National Cancer Institute, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the American Cancer Society, and philanthropic sources. 

Dr. Bekelman completed his undergraduate studies at Princeton University in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and his medical training at Yale University, Johns Hopkins, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Previously, he was a management consultant at the Kalchas Group, advising senior executives of health care and insurance clients on corporate strategy. Dr. Bekelman also served as Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense in the US Department of Defense. He is a board-certified radiation oncologist and practicing physician at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.