Ezekiel Emanuel chairs the department of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania. He started the bioethics department at the National Institutes of Health, helped shape U.S. health-care policy as a senior aide in the Obama administration, served on President Joe Biden's COVID-19 task force, and advocates for plans to extend medical care for more Americans.
It doesn't say so in his Penn resume, but Emanuel is also a venture capitalist, betting on health-care technology start-ups as a venture partner at Oak HC/FT (Health Care/Financial Technology), based in Connecticut. Oak invests for clients including the Pennsylvania teachers' pension fund, PSERS.
The Inquirer asked Emanuel how he seeks to balance public and private interests. His responses are edited for clarity and length:
