Investing in the Future of Patients and the Physicians that Teach Them
Training at Valleywise Health gives physicians and clinicians exposure to medical cases, levels of need, and complexities unlike those at any other hospital in the Valley. Future doctors, nurses and healthcare providers can get hands-on experience and learn an exceptional level of care, compassion and empathy on the job.
As Arizona’s only public teaching hospital and the community safety net health care system, the Valleywise mission of serving underserved populations is woven into everything and everyone, including Dr. Brenda Gentz. She is an anesthesiologist who serves as the District Medical Group (DMG) Valleywise Health Department Chair as well as the Creighton University School of Medicine Academic Chair.
From a very early age, Dr. Gentz knew she was destined to be a physician. When she was in second grade, she was thrown from a horse, which resulted in a significant facial injury that required many surgeries and left her with several scars. For years, she felt uncomfortable in her skin. When she was an adolescent, she met a plastic surgeon who changed the trajectory of her life.
“After my accident, every time I met someone, the first question they would ask me was, ‘What happened to your face?’ which was really difficult,” said Dr. Gentz. “As an adolescent, I became more self-conscious, so I found a plastic surgeon who helped reduce the appearance of my scarring. Plastic surgery changed my life in many ways – from being more comfortable with the way I looked to sparking my interest in medicine. That doctor made a short- and long-term difference in my life.”
Today, Dr. Gentz is most passionate about launching an anesthesiology residency program at Valleywise Health in 2026 to train the next generation of anesthesiologists and student nurse anesthetists.
According to Dr. Gentz, there is a health crisis regarding trained anesthesiologists in the United States. In the next decade, 30% of all anesthesiologists are set to retire, which is expected to result in a shortage of roughly 12,000 specially trained physicians. Phoenix is the country’s fifth largest metropolitan area, but less than 25 doctors specializing in anesthesiology graduate each year.
Dr. Gentz hopes that creating a world-class anesthesiology residency program will help fill the pipeline of physicians. She also hopes many will want to practice at Valleywise Health to give back to future healthcare providers who will receive the same excellent learning opportunity.
Valleywise Health is an academic training center that delivers care to patients and provides education and hands-on experiences for medical providers of the future.
“Being part of Valleywise means being part of something greater than yourself,” said Dr. Gentz. “For me, it means I am involved in training the residents in the future.”
“The department of anesthesiology is committed to academic training, taking care of our patients and giving them the best care possible. That is our mission. That is our vision and that is part of our value system,” she concluded.
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