Alumni Profiles

Meet the Alumna: Dr. Anal LeonDr. Anal Leon, an alumna of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, came to Safed to study medicine after earning a degree in pharmacy and working as a pharmacist at Shamir Medical Center. Her desire to build a more personal and meaningful connection with patients led her to pursue medical studies and ultimately relocate with her family to the Upper Galilee.According to Leon, one of the greatest advantages of studying and completing her internship in northern Israel was the personal attention she received and the opportunity to take an active role in clinical practice from an early stage."I never felt like I was just another student in the system," she says.Today, Leon is a Family Medicine resident in Kiryat Shmona and lives with her family in Kibbutz Hulata. She sees her work as a mission, particularly in light of the challenges faced by communities across the Galilee in recent years. Alongside her medical career, she helped develop the academic program for Israel's first Medical Student Village, which recently opened at Kibbutz Amiad.Despite the challenges of building a medical career far from her extended family, she believes the Galilee offers a unique combination of quality of life, community, and meaningful impact.Her message to future medical students is clear: "Come, take a chance, and stay with us in the North."

‎Dr. Tal Benjamin, a doctoral graduate of Dr. Ronit Ilouz's laboratory at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, currently combines teaching, management, and innovation in her roles as a science lecturer, director of an Academic Center for Youth, and master's student in Business Administration. According to her, her doctoral studies gave her research, professional, and personal skills that continue to follow her beyond research. One of the most significant experiences for her was the discovery of a mechanism underlying a rare disease during her doctoral studies, research that led to the creation of connections among families, physicians, and researchers from around the world and continues to advance the scientific understanding of the disease. For ‎Dr. Benjamin, this is an expression of the power of research to connect science, medicine, and people, and to create a meaningful impact beyond the boundaries of the laboratory.

Dr. Hava Kurtz, a graduate of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine's doctoral program, combines clinical practice with research focused on patient engagement, healthy aging, and health equity. Now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Haifa and a partner in the European STAGE project, she explores how scientific knowledge and digital technologies can improve healthcare and patients' lives.

Dr. Orly Weisberg, a graduate of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, completed her doctoral studies in autism research and is currently an independent researcher at the Shamir Research Institute.Her work focuses on the potential of bioactive compounds to regulate immune responses and support the development of novel therapies for neurological and immunological disorders.In addition to her research, Dr. Weisberg founded a regional network for early-career researchers in northern Israel and actively promotes professional collaboration across disciplines.Reflecting on her journey, she highlights the importance of curiosity, critical thinking, and building professional connections throughout one's academic career.

Samer Ayoub, a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine, completed his Master’s and PhD degrees in Molecular Virology at the Faculty of Medicine of Bar‑Ilan University, under the supervision of Prof. Meital Gal‑Tanamy, and completed his doctorate in 2025. He is currently at the beginning of a postdoctoral position at Princeton University, where he studies viruses, in particular the hepatitis B virus, through the development of a new animal model to investigate the immune response and to advance the search for a cure. Samer emphasizes the contribution of his academic training to in‑depth scientific thinking, and aspires to return to Israel and integrate into an academic track in the field.Samer recently received a postdoctoral fellowship from Bar‑Ilan University for the 2026/27 academic year, based on his academic achievements.