Member of the Week: Dr. Jennifer Leiser

Practice: I am currently the Division Chief for Family Medicine at the University of Utah, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. Although I have a lot of administrative responsibilities, I still practice part-time at the Sugarhouse Health Center in Salt Lake City. I also supervise family medicine residents and health sciences students during their training.

Residency: University of Minnesota

Any additional training or fellowships? I did a bit of business training along the way to help me in my administrative role.

A bit about Dr. Leiser: I grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. My husband and I have been married for 44 years. We have four grown children. We now have a collection of dogs and cats instead of little kids. I love hiking the Wasatch or just about anywhere. I love gardening. Gardening connects me in a multilayered way to many things I think are important: nutrition and wellness, living in harmony with the natural world, caring for the earth, food security, addressing disparities by empowering others to grow their own food.

What keeps you passionate about family medicine?  Every day is a new day with patients. I can take care of a newborn and a grandma the same day. Being in the same practice for over 20 years I have seen the babies grow up to be adults and the grandmas age and die, and care for all their family and loved ones in between. It is such a privilege to do the work we do.

What do you wish you’d known when you graduated from medical school? I wish someone had taught me more about running a business.

Where will we find you on your day off? Hiking the Wasatch or digging in the dirt in my back yard.

What are you…
reading right now: The Nickle Boys by Colson Whitehead
watching right now: Only Murders in the Building
listening to right now: New album by my cool nephew Casper Jones