March 11, 2002, Issue No. 47
Sad News About AHRQ Director John M. Eisenberg, M.D., M.B.A.
AHRQ lost a leader, colleague, and friend on Sunday, March 10, 2002, with the passing of Director John M. Eisenberg, M.D., M.B.A. He died peacefully at his home after a yearlong illness caused by a brain tumor. He was 55.
A highly respected national leader in health care, Dr. Eisenberg dedicated his career to ensuring that health care is based on a strong foundation of research and that the services provided reflect the needs and perspectives of patients. As director of AHRQ since 1997, Dr. Eisenberg spearheaded the efforts of the Federal government to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety in American health care.
Dr. Eisenberg also worked to increase research in areas that have been relatively neglected in the past, especially improving health care quality, health care disparities, and translating evidence-based medicine into improved health care.
Prior to his appointment at AHRQ, Dr. Eisenberg was Chairman of the Department of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief at Georgetown University. Previously, he was Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. From 1986 through 1995, Dr. Eisenberg was a founding Commissioner of the Congressional Physician Payment Review Commission, serving as its Chairman from 1993-95. Dr. Eisenberg also was a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.
He was a magna cum laude graduate of Princeton University (1968) and the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (1972). After his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, he was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar and earned a Master of Business Administration degree with distinction at the Wharton School.
Survivors include his wife of 32 years, DD Rudner Eisenberg, originally from Memphis, TN; his mother Roslyn Eisenberg Karesh of Charleston, SC; his sons William Rudner Eisenberg of Philadelphia, PA and Michael Rudner Eisenberg of Potomac, MD; three brothers, Richard Melvin Eisenberg of Arlington, IL; William Charles Eisenberg of Memphis, TN; and Jeff David Eisenberg of Bedford, NH.
A memorial service for Dr. Eisenberg will be held on Sunday, March 17, at 2:30 p.m. at Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20016.
Current as of March 2002
Internet Citation:
AHRQ Electronic Newsletter. March 11, 2002, Issue No. 47. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/enews/enews47.htm
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