Justin Bekelman Appointed as Marietta and Howard Stoeckel Professor

Justin Bekelman, MD has been appointed as the inaugural Marietta and Howard Stoeckel Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Bekelman is the founding Director of the Penn Center for Cancer Care Innovation at the Abramson Cancer Center, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Medicine, and Medical Ethics and Health Policy at the Perelman School of Medicine, Faculty in the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics, and Senior Fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics.

The Marietta and Howard Stoeckel Professorship was established in 2022 through the generosity of Marietta and Howard Stoeckel. Marietta Stoeckel spent over thirty years in the medical field. She was employed by St. Mary’s Hospital located in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, until her retirement as a Medical Technologist. Marietta was licensed by the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP) and was a member of the National Environmental Health Association. Since Marietta’s retirement, she has earned certificates in Interior Design and Floral Design from Temple University.

Howard Stoeckel has been associated with Wawa, Inc. for 35 years. He serves on Wawa’s Board of Directors and previously served as Senior Vice President of Marketing and Vice President of Human Resources, President, and CEO from 2005 to 2013; and Vice Chairperson of the Wawa Board of Directors from 2013 to 2023. Howard has served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Rider University, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Riddle Memorial Hospital, member of the Board of Trustees of Mainline Health and member of the Board of Directors for AmeriGas Propane.

A long-standing visionary of community-focused engagement, Howard has employed a service-forward style of leadership throughout his career. In a 2014 interview with the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania entitled “Managing ‘The Wawa Way’,” Stoeckel shared insight into his leadership, stating, “We want to empower other people to achieve their objectives and to help the communities we serve.” Dr. Bekelman noted that “The Stoeckel family and Penn Medicine share similar values – lead with humanity in everything we do, develop people for great accomplishment, and uplift our community and our environment.”