Francesca Joseph

Francesca Joseph is a physician, educator and leader at the intersection of medicine, technology and healthcare innovation. She is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and an adjunct professor of management at the George Washington University School of Business.

Her career began as a Commissioner’s Fellow and Medical Officer at the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, where she gained firsthand experience in medical device regulation. She also expanded initial agency efforts to stimulate the development of new devices designed for pediatric patients, and for devices used off-label to be studied and appropriately labeled for use in children. Since then, she has dedicated her work to translating medical device innovations into clinical practice, particularly for the underserved pediatric population.  She has led initiatives in pediatric medical device regulatory strategy, clinical research infrastructure and clinical trial design, and has served as an investigator on several pediatric device trials.  She is a contributor to two federally funded accelerator programs helping early-stage companies and academics navigate the Total Product Lifecycle for medical devices, and guiding them along regulatory, clinical, reimbursement and commercialization pathways.

Her multifaceted expertise has earned her advisory board positions and a seat on the executive committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Section on Advances in Therapeutics and Technology, where she serves as Educational Program Chair. She continues to practice clinically, caring for patients in an academic pediatric practice, and is frequently invited to judge Medtech business pitch competitions.

Driven by a passion for innovation, Dr. Joseph is dedicated to transforming ideas and early discoveries into real-world solutions that improve patient care and health outcomes. At the GW School of Business, she has taught Creativity and Innovation. Dr. Joseph earned her undergraduate degree in Biology from Bucknell University, her MD from Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and her MBA from the George Washington University.