Goldberg’s hard work pays off
In the space of two months, the Civin family has triumphed, with two members obtaining a PhD and a medical degree in their respective fields.
Deciding to studying abroad became the common factor for both Damon Civin and Lisa Civin Goldberg.
Civin and Goldberg, who are now based in the United Kingdom and Arizona, respectively, have launched their careers with the support of their families.
Goldberg (44) received her medical doctor’s degree from the University of Arizona (U of A) in May.
This came after she studied for two years at the U of A and four years at the U of A College of Medicine.
Born and raised in Benoni with her brother, Benoni attorney Dave Civin, Goldberg attended Hillel School (now St Francis College) in Benoni, from nursery school until matric.
Medicine had always been a passion for Goldberg, although she started off by opening her own personal training business in Bedfordview.
After breaking the world record in stationary cycling at the Bedfordview Racquet Club, in November 2000, she moved to Wimbledon, in England, and then to Tuscon, Arizona, in September the following year.
”After moving to Tuscon, I worked as the director of personal training at the Tuscon Jewish Community Centre and started a personal training business,” said Goldberg.
This is where she met her husband, Jeffery Goldberg (39).
They were married in 2004 and had two sons, Aidan (9) and Simon (7), before she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of going to medical school to become a doctor.
”I spent two years studying at the U of A, volunteering in the community and raising a young family prior to applying to the U of A College of Medicine,” she said.
Sharing her family’s recent achievements, she mentioned how proud she was of her godson, Damon Civin, for receiving his PhD in mathematical work for his study entitled: “Stability of Charged Rotating Black Holes for Linear Scalar Perturbations”, in July.
”I couldn’t be more proud of him; 2015 is the year of Dr Civin and Dr Civin, who knows what 2016 will bring,” said Goldberg.
Goldberg is currently employed by the Department of Emergency Medicine at the U of A, in South Tuscon.
Based in Tuscon, she takes pride in being South African and says her roots and her heart are African and she instils the same principle in her children.
Goldberg says: ”I speak to my children in IsiZulu, we follow SA sport and comedy on TV and they know all the words to the Spiderman/Rabobi Setswana song.”
“For special treats, their ‘bobby’ (grandmother) sends them SA chocolate in the mail.”
