Howard J. Eisenson, MD

Program Director, Duke Diet & Fitness Center
Assistant Professor, Department of Community and Family Medicine
eisen004@mc.duke.edu

Since 1999, Dr. Howard Eisenson has been Program Director of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center (DFC), an internationally recognized center of excellence for the intensive, multidisciplinary treatment of excess weight, physical inactivity, and related health concerns.  He is also Assistant Professor and chief of the Obesity Treatment Division in Duke’s Department of Community and Family Medicine.

A native of New York State, Eisenson attended Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. He moved to Durham, North Carolina in 1975 to attend Duke Medical School.  Following residency training in Family Medicine at Duke, he joined the faculty at the Duke Family Medicine Center where he served a broad range of patients with an emphasis on adolescents, geriatric care, and psychosocial concerns. In the mid-1980s he was appointed Director of the Duke University Student Health Program, a post he held for seven years. 

During the early 1990’s Eisenson explored and deepened his interest in doctor-patient communication by participating, with doctoral psychology interns, in a year-long training in family therapy.  He also served as a member of the Duke Hospital Ethics Committee, and greatly enjoyed the opportunity for thoughtful and collaborative interaction among health professionals addressing complex issues which are otherwise often dealt with in an environment of isolation and uncertainty. 

In 1994 Eisenson became coordinator of the Jared Haft Goldstein Memorial Lectures on Ethics and Values in the Practice of Medicine, an activity which he continues to this day.  In 1995 he delivered the Goldstein Lecture in Asheboro, NC (this was published, as an article, “Patient-Centered Care, A Collaborative Approach” in the January/February 1997 issue of the North Carolina Medical Journal).  Over the years the Goldstein Fund has sponsored guest lectures, faculty-student discussion groups, and most recently, an advanced communications exercise for fourth year medical students during their Capstone course.

While the major focus of Eisenson’s current professional work relates to collaborative, interdisciplinary care of patients suffering from obesity, inactivity, and associated chronic diseases, he maintains a keen interest in the “humanistic” aspects of medical practice generally.  At reunions of the Duke Family Medicine Residency Program he has delivered popular presentations on “Family Values: What are They? Are We Teaching Them?”  He has also developed lectures on “Professionalism and Professional Boundaries” which he has presented to diverse groups at Duke including students and faculty.  He is a member of the Duke School of Medicine Curriculum committee, and participates in subcommittees on professionalism and on teaching physical exam skills.

Dr. Eisenson is Vice-President of the Durham-Orange chapter of the North Carolina Medical Society, and an active participant on Durham’s Task Force on Access to Care for the Uninsured.  For several years he has served as a regular volunteer in the medical clinic at the TROSA (Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers) program in Durham.