I am lucky enough to have had mentors who are considered giants in the field of endoscopy and endoscopic research. What I learned from them and experienced during my career has translated to guiding the current and next generation of researchers. I continue to strive to pass on the extraordinary mentorship I received to others. As most know, endoscopic research is a team effort. I consider this award and honor as recognition of the team effort at my institution. I am indebted to my teachers, my colleagues, my trainees and all the nurses and technicians for making endoscopic research possible. This award should be given to the entire endoscopic team at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University. I humbly accept this award on their behalf.
Although Dr. Isenberg was born in Chicago, he grew up all over the world – from the Philippines to Israel. His family settled in Southern California, where he went to high school, and although he sometimes considers himself a Californian, he is actually a Clevelander. He graduated from Cornell University with dual degrees in biologic sciences and English. He then obtained his MD at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. From there, he traveled to the UCSD Medical Center for an internal medicine residency – where he met his wife (Dr. Jennifer Kidd) on the very romantic San Diego VAMC wards. He then moved to Cleveland for a general GI fellowship and advanced therapeutic endoscopy fellowship under Dr. Michael V. Sivak, Jr. with the ASGE American Digestive Health Foundation Olympus Advanced Endoscopy Training Scholarship Award, and he has been a Clevelander since then.
Dr. Isenberg is a professor of medicine at Case Western Reserve University and the chief medical quality officer at University Hospitals Digestive Health Institute. He also serves as associate chief and director of clinical operations for the Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center. His research interests have ranged between endoscopic imaging technology (endoscopic ultrasound, optical coherence tomography, small bowel capsule and artificial intelligence) to quality assessment and metrics. His research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, ASGE, Case Western Reserve University, and multiple private and society foundations. He is a passionate educator; he received the University Hospitals Master Clinician Award in 2020. Dr. Isenberg is an ASGE lifer. He has been an active member of the ASGE for 30 years, serving in various roles, including being the chair of the Education Products, Video Plenary and World Cup committees, faculty in numerous endoscopy courses, contributor to GESAP and Video Tips, and supporting the ASGE Foundation. He is most proud of his family, his wife of 30 years, and their three sons, as well as his work family, including his colleagues with whom he shared his entire career, and trainees who have blossomed into outstanding, talented physicians and endoscopists. They keep reminding him of the commitment to excellence they embody.