Overview
Joseph J. Fins is The E. William Davis, Jr. M.D. Professor of Medical Ethics and Chief of the Division of Medical Ethics at Weill Cornell Medicine, where he is a Tenured Professor of Medicine, Professor of Medicine in Psychiatry, Professor of Medical Ethics in Neurology, Professor of Medical Ethics in Rehabilitation Medicine, and Professor of Health Care Policy and Research. He is the founding Chair of the Ethics Committee of New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center where he is an Attending Physician and Director of Medical Ethics. A member of the Adjunct Faculty of Rockefeller University and Senior Attending Physician at The Rockefeller University Hospital, he co-directs, the Consortium for the Advanced Study of Brain Injury (CASBI) at Weill Cornell Medicine and Rockefeller. In 2014, he served as the Dwight H. Terry Visiting Scholar in Bioethics and Visiting Professor in the History of Medicine at Yale. In 2015, he was appointed the Solomon Center Distinguished Scholar in Medicine, Bioethics and the Law at Yale Law School and directs CASBI@YLS. He is currently a Visiting Professor of Law at Yale Law School in addition to his appointment at Weill Cornell Medicine.
A developer of clinical pragmatism as a method of moral problem solving for medicine, Dr. Fins’ current scholarly interests include: ethical and policy issues in brain injury and disorders of consciousness; civil and disability rights for individuals with severe brain injury; palliative care; research ethics in neurology and psychiatry; medical education; methods of ethics case consultation; the history of medicine; medical humanities; bioethics in the Spanish-speaking world; and more broadly fostering a productive dialogue between the sciences and the humanities.
Highlights
- 1
- 2Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics : CQ : the international journal of healthcare ethics committees · 2023
- 3The Hastings Center report · 2024
Publications
Funding
Active
4 grants- Sub-PIW81XWH15-9-001DSMB Research Subaward Agreement - Multi-Arm Multi-Stage (MAMS) Adaptive Platform Trial for Acute Treatment TBI (TRACK-NET)U.S. Department of Defense · 2024–2029 · via The Regents of the University of California, San Francisco
- Co-IUL1TR002384-06Clinical and Translational Science Center - UL1National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences · 2017–2027· 2 renewals
- Sub-PIR01MH133657-03Post-trial Access, Clinical Care, Psychosocial Support, and Scientific Progress in Experimental Deep Brain Stimulation ResearchNational Institute of Mental Health · 2023–2027 · via The General Hospital Corporation (dba Massachusetts General Hospital)· 2 renewals
- Sub-PIMGH 241214-02Neurotech Justice Accelerator at MGH - A Dana Center for Neuroscience and SocietyCharles A. Dana Foundation (The) · 2024–2026 · via The General Hospital Corporation (dba Massachusetts General Hospital)
Completed grants (6)
- Sub-PIDP2HD101400-01A Connectome-Based Clinical Trial Platform to Promote Early Recovery of Consciousness after Traumatic ComaEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · 2020–2024 · via The General Hospital Corporation (dba Massachusetts General Hospital)
- KPUH3NS095554-05Central Thalamic Stimulation for Traumatic Brain InjuryNational Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke · 2015–2024· 3 renewals
- PIRF1MH121378-01Cognitive Restoration: Neuroethics and Disability RightsNational Institute of Mental Health · 2019–2024
- MPICTSC Internal Funding UL1Clinical and Translational Science Center- Institutional CTSC Internal Funding UL1CTSC Cost Share · 2017–2022
- PITGF 181974-01When Neuroscience Meets Disability Rights Law: An Ethical Mandate to Address the Clinical Needs of Patients with Disorders of ConsciousnessGreenwall Foundation, The · 2018–2019
- KPR01HD051912-05EWOMechanisms of Recovery Following Severe Brain InjuryEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · 2008–2014
Honors & distinctions
- Member · Association of American Physicians · 2022
- Fellow · American Academy of Arts and Sciences · 2012
- Member · National Academy of Medicine · 2010
Clinical research
Completed & closed trials (1)
- PIAssistive Technology in Pediatric Brain Injury following Inpatient Rehabilitation: Access, Barriers and Burdens on Patients and FamiliesClinical Translational Science Center (Weill Cornell) · IRB STUDY CLOSURE (as of 2025)
News mentions
- Faculty Members Honored with Distinguished AwardsMay 16, 2024
Weill Cornell Medicine faculty members and alumni were honored with awards for their exemplary achievements in research, education and patient care during the institution’s commencement activities on May 15 and 16.
- Awards and Honors – May 31, 2022May 31, 2022
Awards, honors, prizes and achievements for the month of May.
- Three Weill Cornell Medicine Faculty Inducted into Association of American PhysiciansApril 11, 2022
Three distinguished Weill Cornell Medicine physician-scientists, Dr. Joseph J. Fins, Dr. Rainu Kaushal and Dr. Shahin Rafii, have been elected to the esteemed Association of American Physicians (AAP).
- Awards and Honors Across Weill Cornell Medicine: November 30, 2021November 30, 2021
Awards, honors, prizes and achievements for the month of November.
- Online Matriculation Ceremony Marks a Unique Start to Medical School for Class of 2024August 20, 2020
On Aug. 18, the Weill Cornell Medical College Class of 2024 gathered virtually for an online matriculation ceremony that welcomed them to the start of their medical training at the institution.
Show 2 more mentions
- Dr. Joseph J. Fins Speaks on Neuroethics at Vatican Workshop on Personalized MedicineJune 13, 2019
Dr. Joseph J. Fins, chief of the Division of Medical Ethics and the E. William Davis, Jr., M.D. Professor of Medical Ethics and professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine, was among an elite group of scholars invited to attend the Pontifical Academy of Sciences’ workshop on personalized medicine on April 8 and 9 in Vatican City.
- Dr. Joseph J. Fins Wins Award from the American College of PhysiciansJanuary 31, 2019
Dr. Joseph J. Fins, chief of the Division of Medical Ethics at Weill Cornell Medicine, has been awarded the Nicholas E. Davies Memorial Scholar Award from the American College of Physicians, a national organization of internists.
Media highlights
- Podcast: Should We Put AI-Enabled Tech In Our Brains?UNDARK · September 25, 2026Also in The Good Men Project
Mentoring
- ABAaron BlochMD mentee · Class of 2020
External relationships
Leadership Roles
Hastings Center, Inc. · Wesleyan University
Ownership
ReEmergeDBS INC
Advisory/Scientific Board Member
ReEmergeDBS INC