Richard Martin Eisenberg, age 83, of Minnetonka, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on August 3, 2025, surrounded by his beloved family.

Rich received his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from UCLA, and was a Mental Health Trainee in the Brain Research Institute before relocating to Rochester, NY where he was a post-doctoral fellow in Anatomy at the University of Rochester School of Medicine.  Following his postdoctoral studies, Rich moved to Duluth, Minnesota in 1971 as a founding member of the new University of Minnesota Medical School at Duluth.  Rich was promoted and in 1977 served as Acting Chair, and in 1980 became Chair of the Department of Pharmacology until his retirement in 2009.

Rich studied the effects of the opioids on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, with an emphasis on drug dependence and tolerance. During this time, Rich not only actively pursued NIH-funded research, but also established Minnesota Medical Edu-ware, and developed the first computerized medical education software including MacPharmacology, MacBrain Lesion and MacMedVirology.

Rich served as the President and Treasurer of the Association of Medical School Pharmacology Chairs, and for several years, co-edited Knowledge Objectives in Pharmacology. He was also Chair of the Electronics Committee of the College on Problems of Drug Dependence, was on the Executive Committee for the Division of Pharmacology Education and the Substance Abuse Committee of ASPET.

On a personal level, Rich was very active in his synagogue, built furniture for fun, and was a skilled photographer. He is survived by his wife Marsha, their 3 children (Marla, Aaron and Shana) and their spouses, and 7 grandchildren, and will be missed by many of us.

This obituary was written by former Lynn Weckler, PhD.