Lincoln Memorial University-College of Dental Medicine (LMU-CDM) Assistant Professor of Specialty Dental Medicine and Oral Surgeon Nicole Case Eisenberg, DDS, has been awarded the American College of Surgeons (FACS) Fellowship.
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) was founded in 1910 to improve the care of surgical patients and safeguard the standards of care in an optimal and ethical practice environment. The letters F.A.C.S. after a surgeon’s name mean that the surgeon’s education and training, professional qualifications, surgical competence, and ethical conduct have passed a rigorous evaluation, and have been found to be consistent with the high standards established and demanded by the College.
In 2016 the American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) and ACS established a new pathway that allows single-degree Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons to apply for ACS Fellowship. The American College of Surgeons agreed to waive the dual-degree requirement for single-degree Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons, provided all other requirements for Fellowship have been met. These requirements are Diplomat status with the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (ABOMS), proof of DDS or DMD degree, proof of full and unrestricted Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery license in your state of practice, three letters of recommendation from Fellows of the American College of Surgeons, current appointment on the surgical staff of a hospital with privileges, a consecutive 12 month surgical log with a minimum of 50 major cases that excludes dentoalveolar procedures such as extractions and dental implants.
Currently, there are 275 ACS Fellows of the over 9,000 members of AAOMS. Only three percent of oral and maxillofacial surgeons have obtained the FACS status. ACS Fellowship as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon is an acknowledgment of dedication to the specialty, an expert in the field, and a perseverance to meet a higher standard.
Eisenberg grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of science degree from Samford University in 1999. She received her Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center College of Dentistry with honors under a four-year U.S. Navy Health Professionals Scholarship in 2003. Immediately after dental school, she completed a four-year residency in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at Yale New Haven Hospital-Saint Raphael Campus.
After Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery residency, Eisenberg entered the US Navy as a Lieutenant and completed her nine years of service as a Commander in July 2016. During her time in the US Navy, she gained experience in a wide variety of roles in hospitals and clinics around the world. Her time included work as an Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon at Naval Hospital Portsmouth, Virginia for two years, including time on the U.S.S. George Washington and the U.S. Naval Hospital Naples, Italy. She then served as a Staff Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon for the residency at Naval Medical Center Balboa in San Diego, California where her boy/girl twins were born.
In July 2012, Eisenberg moved to Okinawa, Japan where she took on the role of Dental Department Head and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon at Naval Hospital Okinawa. In her last tour, she served at Branch Health Clinic, Washington Navy Yard as the Dental Department Head, and then the Officer in Charge of the 150-person medical clinic. During this time, she also worked at Guantanamo Bay Naval Hospital.
In July 2016, she and her family moved to Knoxville, Tennessee where she began work in private practice Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. She obtained hospital privileges at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital (ETCH) and University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC) where she also takes call for patients with oral & maxillofacial needs such as deep space infections, dog bites, jaw fractures, and other trauma to the head and face. At UTMC she works with the Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Residency and serves on the Medical Executive Board. In November 2022, she joined the LMU College of Dental Medicine as assistant professor and department head of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery.
Lincoln Memorial University is a values-based learning community dedicated to providing educational experiences in the liberal arts and professional studies. Lincoln Memorial University-College of Dental Medicine (LMU-CDM) is home to the Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD) and Dental Hygiene (DH) programs. It is located in Knoxville at the newly renovated LMU Tower. For more information about LMU-CDM programs contact, CollegeofDentalMedicine@LMUnet.edu.
