ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—Dr. Lisa Wisotsky was born in Brooklyn but has undoubtedly made her mark in Englewood. Her work and volunteer service to the city are truly admirable.
After graduating from Yeshiva of Flatbush High School in 1982, Wisotsky knew that she wanted to be a doctor because she felt that it was a profession that had value and would allow her to make a difference. To that end, in high school, she volunteered at Coney Island Hospital and became a certified EMT and a volunteer on the Bensonhurst Volunteer Ambulance Service.
Following high school, Wisotsky attended Yale University, where she received a B.S. in Biology, graduating magna cum laude. She also attended Hebrew University for a semester abroad.
Wisotsky was married in 1986, and she and her husband Burton attended Albert Einstein College of Medicine. She did a residency in physiatry (rehabilitation medicine).
After completing medical school and her residency, she worked as an attending physician at the Detroit Medical Center in Michigan.
In 1995, Wisotsky moved to Englewood with her husband and their two daughters. She worked at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Center in Englewood for the next 22 years as a consulting physiatrist at facilities in New Jersey and New York, mostly assisting geriatric patients. She was also on-staff at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center (now Englewood Health). Her husband works as a retina specialist.
During those years, Wisotsky had three sons, and in 2004, she went back to school part-time. Three years later, she received a master’s degree in public health from Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health.
In January of 2007, Wisotsky was appointed to the Englewood Board of Health, where she is still a member and a past president. During her board tenure, Wisotsky championed legislation to make Englewood the first municipality in New Jersey to pass Tobacco 21 (in 2014), prompting other municipalities to follow. She also championed the legislation that made Englewood parks smoke-free.
One of Wisotsky’s greatest contributions to Englewood was her efforts to preserve and make the Mackay Ice Rink a community facility. In October 2013, after the City Council voted to repair the rink that was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy, Wisotsky formed a nonprofit organization, Friends of the John T. Wright Arena, composed of residents from all four of the city’s wards. Wisotsky was president of the organization from its inception in October 2013 through January 2018.
Friends of the John T. Wright Arena successfully helped transform the ice rink into a facility that brought the entire Englewood community together. Through soliciting grants and working with the New Jersey Devils and its Hockey in New Jersey Program, children in Englewood now have the opportunity to have free skating and hockey lessons and equipment.
Wisotsky has received many awards and recognitions. This year, she was honored by the Englewood Rotary Club for her work as founder and president of the Friends of the John T. Wright Arena. She has also received two State of New Jersey Joint Legislative Resolutions, a City of Englewood Resolution and a designation as a Hero for Tolerance at the Simon Wiesenthal Center 9/11 Commemoration in 2016.
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Hillary Viders: What motivated you to pursue a career in medicine?
Lisa Wisotsky: My mother always wanted to be a doctor, but she lacked the financial means, and at that time, it was a difficult career for women to pursue. Also, both my parents were volunteers in the Bensonhurst Volunteer Ambulance Corps. They were dedicated to the ethic of providing medical assistance to others, and they encouraged my career choice.
HV: How do you impart this ethic of helping others to your children?
LW: Both my husband and I lead by example. We are very involved in the community. I volunteer in numerous nonprofit organizations, and my husband, Burton, is a longtime volunteer baseball coach and basketball coach for travel teams composed of high school students from Englewood, Teaneck, and neighboring towns.
I am happy to say that all my children have undertaken charitable work. My oldest daughter, Shira, was a rape crisis counselor and worked for The Legal Aid Society before she went to law school. My daughter Rachel is also a lawyer, and devotes time to doing pro bono work. Seth was a swimming coach for the Special Olympics, and my son, Daniel, is an EMT with the Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
So, dedication to helping others really runs in my family. This is why I find physiatry so rewarding. When I was in college, I did a summer internship at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine at NYU, and I found the field very uplifting. I loved helping people who have impairments and disabilities reach their maximum functional potential.
I have also seen a huge amount of compassion here in Englewood. When the Mackay Ice Rink was badly damaged by Hurricane Sandy and there was a possibility that it would not re-open, I formed the Friends of the John T. Wright Arena and dozens of volunteers and sponsors came forward to help.
One of the most amazing things about Englewood is that we have a great infrastructure of non-profit organizations that are willing to help each other, particularly when a new one is starting up. I received support and advice on obtaining grants from several local non-profit organizations, such as the Community Chest, Bergen Family Center and Flat Rock Brook.
HV: In the years that you have served on the Englewood Board of Health, you have dealt with many critical health issues. Does the Board have a plan in place to address the effects of marijuana when it becomes legal in New Jersey?
LW: As of the Board of Health’s Jan. 9 meeting, we voted on a resolution recommending prohibition of the sale of recreational marijuana in Englewood. We will now send that resolution to the City Council.
We also introduced an ordinance requiring vendors of e-cigarettes, which the U.S. Surgeon General considers a youth vaping epidemic, to obtain a license from the Department of Health. This way we can ensure that they are not selling to underage children, that they are using child-proof containers and obeying other state laws.
HV: What do you feel is currently the most alarming health crisis in America?
LW: I am extremely disturbed by the opioid epidemic that we are experiencing throughout the country. To contend with this crisis, the Englewood Board of Health has partnered with a number of organizations, and we host numerous presentations to educate people of all ages about the dangers of opioid use and rescue measures for victims of opioid overdoses (NARCAN).
HV: You recently retired from your position as President of the Friends of the John T. Wright Arena. So, now what are you looking forward to doing?
LW: I am currently chair of the Deer Task Force. [Editor’s note: this task force was recently formed to address safety concerns related to the proliferation of deer around Englewood]. I am also involved with Age-Friendly Englewood and serve on the Boards of Flat Rock Nature Center, the Englewood Board of Health, and Congregation Ahavath Torah (to which my family has belonged for over 23 years). I am also vice president of the Englewood Rotary.
There are so many wonderful organizations and initiatives in Englewood. I will always be very busy here!