Incoming Resident Profile – Emily Eisenberg, MD

Hailing from Reno, Nevada, Emily Eisenberg, MD, grew up with Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada mountains as her backyard. Because her mother is from Austria, she also has dual citizenship and spent some summers in northern Austria.

From a young age, her paternal grandparents left an indelible mark on her life, encouraging her to be curious, receptive to learning new or foreign ideas and to advocate for what she believed in.

“As a medical physicist, my grandfather taught me Newton’s laws before I could walk,” Dr. Eisenberg said. “He encouraged me to question scientific truths through experimentation and to maintain an open-minded nature in all pursuits.”

Dr. Eisenberg also said her grandmother cherished the opportunity to embrace and learn from different cultures. She often accompanied her grandmother’s volunteer efforts at the Assistance League.

“Both of my grandparents were active champions of human rights and instilled the importance of patient advocacy through their many volunteer efforts,” Dr. Eisenberg said. “These core characteristics are foundational to who I am and were my inspiration in joining the field of family medicine.”

Dr. Eisenberg attended the University of Arizona in Tucson for a year in her undergraduate degree, but her time was cut short because of unforeseen events. Despite this, she always knew she wanted to return to the vibrant state of Arizona.

“I was drawn to the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Family Medicine program because of the excellent reputation of the program and the teaching style of Dr. Brown,” Dr. Eisenberg said. “I could not imagine a better place for my training.”

She attended medical school at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her now-husband, Dr. Matthew Eisenberg, attended medical school with her, and they couples-matched together in Phoenix.

In addition to her medical school preparing her for residency, she also worked with several volunteer organizations that allowed her to increase her skillset in community resource mobilization.

For several years, Dr. Eisenberg managed a local resource navigation program titled Bright by Text, which connected registered parents in underserved areas to local child health and wellness resources.

“I think it is incredibly important for a family physician to get to know their community’s specific health needs and to form connections with local resources,” Dr. Eisenberg said. “I look forward to expanding my knowledge of the Phoenix area during my residency training to succeed in this manner.”

Dr. Eisenberg and her husband couples-matched into their top choices in Phoenix, and she is excited to further learn about the human body and modern medicine.

“I look forward to continuing my education while making decisions and impacting patient care” Dr. Eisenberg said. Because her husband’s residency training is double the length of hers, they will be staying in Phoenix for the future. “My dream would be to continue as a faculty member at the program I do my training,” Dr. Eisenberg said. “It would be the greatest job in the world to be able to teach and learn alongside residents while improving patients’ lives every day.”