Joel Kupersmith

Joel Kupersmith, M.D., an American physician, is the former dean of the Texas Tech University School of Medicine, and head of the Office of Research and Development of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He is now the Director, Veterans Initiatives and Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University.

Kupersmith was born in New York City and graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, Union College in Schenectady, New York, New York Medical College. After serving as a lieutenant (MC) in the U.S. Navy, and residency in internal medicine at New York Medical College he completed his cardiology fellowship at Beth Israel Medical Center/Harvard Medical School.

Kupersmith's research interests, which began when he was a research associate in pharmacology at Columbia University's College of Physician Surgeons have included basic and clinical electrophysiology and heart rhythm abnormalities. They focused on the unique effects of antiarrhythmic drugs in ischemic tissue, ion sensitive electrodes to understand the heart's electrical activity, and cost-effectiveness in heart disease.

Kupersmith joined the faculty of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in 1974, where he rose to the rank of professor and initiated one of the early clinical cardiac electrophysiology sections and a clinical pharmacology section.

Kupersmith then became chief of cardiology and Cooke Professor of Medicine at the University of Louisville, and professor and chairperson of the department of medicine at Michigan State University. In 1997, he was appointed dean of the School of Medicine at Texas Tech University and of its Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Vice President for clinical affairs, and CEO of its faculty practice. He was involved in the initial efforts to establish what is now the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine in El Paso and initiated a 4/year MD/MBA program, the second in the U.S.

Kupersmith has served as a site visit chair for the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), was a member of the AAMC Task Force on Fraud and Abuse, and was elected to the Governing Council, Medical School Section, of the American Medical Association.

Following his tenure at Texas Tech, Kupersmith was a scholar-in-residence at the Institute of Medicine and Petersdorf scholar at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).

In 2005, Kupersmith was appointed CRADO, Office of Research and Development (ORD) within the Veterans Health Administration beginning an 8-year tenure.

• Kupersmith, J, Deedwania P (eds), The Pharmacologic Management of Heart Disease, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, 1997.
• Singer I, Kupersmith J (eds), Clinical Manual of Electrophysiology, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, 1993.