Eric Esrailian


Eric Esrailian is an American gastroenterologist who serves on the full-time faculty of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. He has been an appointed member of the Medical Board of California. He is also an Emmy-nominated film producer and is active in charity and community service activities in Los Angeles.

Early life and education

He completed his undergraduate education at University of California, Berkeley. He then graduated from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine. He completed a residency in internal medicine at the University of Southern California. He completed his gastroenterology fellowship at UCLA, where he also obtained a Masters of Public Health degree. He is also a graduate of the Executive Program in Management from the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Career

Esrailian is a full-time faculty member at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is described as having patient care, teaching, and administrative positions. He has often been quoted in media reports about patient education topics. He was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the Medical Board of California and served from 2010-2011. In 2017, UCLA designated Esrailian as one of its UCLA Optimists and notable alumni, leading faculty, visionary partners, and advanced scholars.

Philanthropy and community service

Besides being involved in philanthropic projects for UCLA itself, Esrailian is on the Board of Directors of a college access organization called the Fulfillment Fund. He is listed as having involvement with organizing multiple charity events, such as "Stars," for the organization to raise money for educational support for disadvantaged students in Los Angeles. In 2009, he started the "Dream" benefit concert series together with friends in the entertainment industry. He joined the Board of Directors of the Hammer Museum in 2012. Esrailian is also on the Board of Directors of the X Prize Foundation which is a non-profit organization that designs and manages public competitions intended to encourage technological development that could benefit mankind. Esrailian is on the Motion Picture & Television Fund Foundation Board of Governors and the central board of the Armenian General Benevolent Union.
In April 2017, Eric Esrailian spearheaded the effort to establish The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law. The Institute is supported by proceeds from the feature film The Promise, which Esrailian produced in 2016. With Esrailian's help, UCLA unveiled The Promise Armenian Institute in 2019 which was established with a $20 million gift from the estate of philanthropist and entrepreneur Kirk Kerkorian, a close friend of Esrailian.

Miscellaneous

In 2013 Esrailian was co-founder of the company DEARhealth, a healthcare spin-out from the UCLA.
Esrailian will be featured in the upcoming book by Quinton Van Der Burgh, “100 Making a Difference.” The book highlights some of the most influential social champions in the world, from activists, advocates and celebrities.

Producer

In 2015, Esrailian was announced as a manager and producer for Kirk Kerkorian's production company which was set up to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide—Survival Pictures. He produced The Promise with Mike Medavoy. The epic film stars Golden Globe Award nominee Oscar Isaac and Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winner Christian Bale. In 2017, he produced Intent To Destroy with Joe Berlinger and Chip Rosenbloom. In 2019, Intent To Destroy was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Historical Documentary by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
In 2019, Esrailian and his partners at Forgotten Man Films launched SOMM TV, streaming service with original series, films, and master classes dedicated to food and wine.

Footnotes