Benjamin Abella, MD, MPhil
PHILADELPHIA – Benjamin Abella, MD, MPhil, a professor of Emergency Medicine and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Emergency Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has been appointed to serve on the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine. Abella was nominated by Gov. Josh Shapiro and unanimously confirmed by the PA Senate on June 29, 2023. His first meeting as part of the Board will be on September 12, 2023.
Abella studies sudden cardiac arrest, a leading cause of death that claims over 350,000 lives each year in the United States. He and his team have led projects to evaluate and improve CPR and resuscitation performance, tested new methods to teach CPR in the community, define prognostication approaches for neurologic outcomes after cardiac arrest, and devise new methods to improve post-arrest care and outcomes. He is the Director of Penn’s Center for Resuscitation Science, and is also the developer and Medical Director of a novel training course for post-arrest care and targeted temperature management (TTM), the Penn TTM Academy, which has provided training in this lifesaving technique to more than 2,000 healthcare professionals from across the world.
“Dr. Abella is an incredibly dedicated and passionate physician-scientist. I was pleased to support his confirmation to serve on the state Board of Medicine,” said Pennsylvania State Senator Amanda Cappelletti (D-17). “Dr. Abella has demonstrated outstanding leadership throughout his career, most notably in his efforts to educate the public about cardiac arrest and CPR. I look forward to seeing his accomplishments in this new role.”
The State Board of Medicine regulates the practice of medicine through the licensure, registration and certification of members of the medical profession in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Board regulates medical doctors, physician assistants, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, nurse-midwives, acupuncturists, practitioners of oriental medicine, perfusionists, behavioral specialists, and athletic trainers.
The Board also reviews the facilities and qualifications of medical colleges and other medical facilities outside the Commonwealth whose trainees or graduates desire to obtain licensure, certification or graduate medical training in the Commonwealth.
Abella has published over 250 scholarly works, reviews and monographs in numerous professional journals including NEJM, JAMA and Circulation, as well as textbook chapters on cardiac arrest and resuscitation. He has served as Co-Chair of the global Resuscitation Science Symposium and has participated in developing international CPR guidelines. He has won numerous honors for his research, clinical care in the Emergency Department and his teaching of residents and medical students, and has lectured widely on the topics of cardiac arrest and post-arrest treatment. His research is supported by funding from the NIH and DOD, as well as industry sources.
Abella joined the University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) in 2006. He received his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis, and attended the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and Emergency Medicine, as well as fellowship training in Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine, at the University of Chicago Hospitals. Abella chaired the Council on Cardiopulmonary, Critical Care and Resuscitation for the American Heart Association, and served as the Co-Chair of the American Heart Association Resuscitation Science Symposium.
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.