Faculty News

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine wishes the best of success to new and continuing students alike, as we open the new Academic Year.

Certificates of completion were presented today (August 25, 2021) to participants in the Family Medicine diploma course. 

The course aims to present physicians with the necessary skills and approach for family medicine, to offer primary care, treat complex cases, and provide relevant tools for enrichment and treatment. 

The two year course is given in collaboration with Clalit Health Services Northern District and is coordinated by Dr. Elias Srour.

[Photo credit: Dror Miller]

Congratulations to the following Azrieli Faculty of Medicine researchers upon receipt of prestigious Israel Science Foundation grant awards. Short research summaries are below.

Dr. David Enshell-Seijffers: The Hdac1/2-p53-beta-catenin triad in the mesenchymal niche of the hair follicle in regulating stem cell and progenitor activity during homeostasis and stress

Dr. Hava Gil-Henn: An integrative approach for elucidating the role of Pyk2 in cancer metastasis

Prof. Omry Koren: The role of the gut microbiota in food allergies

Dr. Meir Shamay: Investigating the role of transposable elements in Kaposi’s Sarcoma Associated herpesvirus latency

Enshell-Seijffers research summary:

The hair follicle is a powerful model system to study the interactions between stem cells and their niche during cyclic homeostasis and to dissect how these interactions are rewired during stress. The capacity of the hair follicle to periodically undergo cycles of growth, regression, rest and regeneration not only necessitates the cyclic redeployment of these interactions during the hair cycle but also enforces dramatic morphological transformations. In the current proposal, we hypothesize that the mesenchymal niche of the hair follicle constitutes a rheostatic molecular network that orchestrates the hair cycle during both homeostasis and stress and integrate environmental signals with the follicular intrinsic biological clock. By using genetic tools to manipulate this network specifically in the niche, we will dissect the specific and combined roles of its components in regulating both the physiologic and the genotoxic stress-adjusted hair cycle.

Gil-Henn research summary:

Metastatic dissemination of cancer cells from the primary tumor and their spread to distant sites in the body is the leading cause of mortality in breast cancer patients. Although cytotoxic drugs and hormone-blocking therapeutics are most often used to shrink the primary tumor or to prevent disease recurrence, no treatment to permanently eradicate metastatic breast cancer exists at present. A better understanding of the metastatic process and its regulation has the potential not only to identify new prognostic markers, but also to develop targeted therapeutic strategies.

We have recently identified the non-receptor tyrosine kinase Pyk2 as a central regulator of metastatic dissemination. Using an integrative approach, we aim to determine the cellular, molecular, and signaling mechanisms by which Pyk2 regulates in vivo tumor cell invasiveness and consequent metastatic dissemination. The information gained from these studies will be used for testing a strategy for inhibiting Pyk2-mediated signaling and consequent breast cancer metastasis. Our longer-term vision is to translate our findings from this research into using Pyk2 kinase inhibitors, alone or in combination with existing therapeutics, to prevent metastatic dissemination of primary breast tumors that are predicted to be highly metastatic at the time of diagnosis, and of secondary tumors that have already spread to other parts of the body.

Koren research summary:

The project entails an unprecedented study of the microbiota composition in patients with persistent food allergy (FA) undergoing Oral Immunotherapy (OIT). We will advance the understanding on the interplay between the gut microbiota and IgE-mediated allergies in the context of untreated and treated patients. The identification of particular microbial taxa associated with allergic or desensitized states will provide insight regarding the dietary contribution to microbiota composition, FA development, and the immunological mechanisms involved in FA desensitization. The results from this research will uncover potential therapeutic targets and identify predictive markers for allergy and OIT treatment. Furthermore, as the microbiota is modifiable, the study may lead to the discovery of potential therapeutic interventions, such as particular dietary components, prebiotics, postbiotics, and probiotics.

Shamay research summary:

Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV, HHV-8) is associated with several human malignancies. Transposable elements (TEs), as their name suggest, have the ability to transpose (jump) within their host genome. We found high expression of LINE-1 (L1) transposable element and high L1 encoded Reverse Transcriptase (RT)-activity in KSHV-infected cells. Interestingly, we found that inhibition of this L1 RT-activity suppressed KSHV-positive primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) cell growth. Do L1 retro-transpositions takes place in Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS)? We propose to perform L1 specific transposition-sequencing to identify novel retro-transposition events that arise in KSHV-infected cells and in KS samples. We will test the contribution of L1 RT to microRNA and gene expression in KSHV-infected cells. To investigate further RT inhibitors as a potential treatment for PEL, we propose to perform experiments in a clinically relevant xenograft murine model. Successful completion of these studies will reveal the contribution of L1 to gene expression in KSHV infected cells, reveal the mechanism that leads to L1 up-regulation, and reveal its potential as a better treatment for KSHV-associated malignancies.

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine was proud to hold commencement exercises on July 26, 2021 for 92 students who earned the coveted MD degree. The graduation ceremony was held outside, at the Safed campus, due to Covid-19 considerations.

This year, there were 62 graduates from the four-year track (fifth graduating class), and 30 graduates from the three-year track (sixth graduating class).

Offering warm words of greeting and blessing, were Prof. Eric Shinwell, Associate Dean of Medical Education, who read Maimonides's Prayer for the Doctor; Prof. Arie Zaban, President of Bar-Ilan University; Prof. Amnon Albeck, Rector of Bar-Ilan University; Prof. Karl Skorecki, Dean of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine; Shuki Ohana, Mayor of Safed; and Prof. Masad Barhoum, General Director of the Galilee Medical Center as well as proud parent of a graduate, Dr. Rana Barhoum.

As the warm sun set, a musical interlude by Gadi Altman and Asaf Frishman welcomed in the evening breeze.

Many words of thanks were offered to the students' families for their support, and some graduates even came to the podium to receive their diplomas with their little children in hand. We wish our new physicians the best of success.

In all, it was a beautiful, meaningful, and exciting summer evening.

To read the Bar-Ilan University press release, go here. To see the Facebook album, go here.

A selection of pictures can be seen here. 

Photo credit: Dror Miller

With much gratitude, representatives from the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine and Bar-Ilan University's Global Resources greeted and honored some dozen members of the Mann and Yovel families at a celebration attended by the scholarship recipients. The scholarship, granted to 25 medical students who have committed to community service, is the initiative of Meron and Tzipora Mann in memory of Tzipora's parents, Yaacov, a Holocaust survivor, and Rivka Yovel, and their son Dr. Israel (Roli) Yovel who passed away prematurely of cancer.

The second cohort of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine Northern Stars residents program was inaugurated on July 15, 2021, thanks to the support of Mifal Hapais.

Northern Stars is a unique program aimed at attracting the most outstanding residents to the Galilee, to specialize in Family Medicine. The first cohort, also thanks to the support of Mifal Hapais, was dedicated to internal medicine and surgery.

Noam David Reshelbach, Administrative Head of the Azrieli Faculty, opened up the ceremony by inviting Prof. Offer Amir, director of the program, to the podium.

Prof. Amir declared that the Faculty has "won the jackpot twice" (Mifal Hapais is the national lottery of Israel), in that this is the second cohort. He anticipates that by leading the attempt to attract the best physicians to the North, and making it possible for them to settle there long term, in the long run not only will the Galilee benefit but all peripheral regions in the country, and Israel as a whole.

Next to speak was Dr. Lilach Malatskey, Vice Dean for Community Education, and Chairman of the Israeli Society of Lifestyle Medicine, Israel Association of Family Physicians. She spoke of three dreams, with the hope that they are shared by the residents: To be a doctor, to specialize in Family Medicine, and to live in and build up the Galilee.

After a short film on the Azrieli Faculty, the Rector of Bar-Ilan University, Prof. Amnon Albeck, spoke, also about dreams, aspirations: ten years ago the dream was to establish a faculty of medicine at Bar-Ilan; now the  dream is to make sure the best medical care reaches the periphery - which is possible thanks to programs such as Northern Stars.

Erez Granit of Mifal Hapais spoke next, about bringing human capital to the periphery, a national priority. He noted that high-tech learned to function well remotely, due to Corona, but that with medicine the human touch is still so crucial.

Prof. Karl Skorecki, Dean of the Azrieli Faculty, thanked all those involved in the program, including Mifal Hapais, the hospitals and Kupat Holim heads who work with the Northern Stars residents, and all those involved in lifelong learning, one of the values stressed at Azrieli. He too mentioned that this is an investment with short as well as long term results.

Also expressing their support from the podium were Dr. Mordy Dayan, director of Clalit Northern Region; Chaim Shulman of the Authority for the Development of the Galilee; and Alexey Belinsky of the Ministry of Health.

Each of the six residents introduced themselves before being presented with a certificate, after which Dr. Dafna Willner, Director of Anesthesiology and Surgery at GMC spoke about plans for the next cohort - in anesthesiology and intensive care.

The group then shifted on to a light lunch with presentations by Prof. Chaim Putterman, Associate Dean for Research, and Dr. Sivan Spitzer-Shohat, Head of Population Health Education. They presented opportunities and research projects currently being carried out at the Faculty.

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine thanks Mifal Hapayis and the Authority for the Development of the Galilee for their support, and wishes the best of success to the new medical residents:

Dr. Shira Duamel
Dr. Liran Giladi
Dr. Ilia Halifin
Dr. Amit Katz
Dr. Naama Sitri
Dr. Miflach Tatur

Pictures can be seen here.

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine was honored to host Mr. Moti Sonnenfeld on July 14, 2021.

Mr. Sonnenfeld is the founder of the Danielle Foundation in memory of his daughter who was tragically killed in a car accident at the age of 20. Danielle had dreamed of studying medicine.

During the visit, Mr. Sonnenfeld met with the Dean, Prof. Karl Skorecki, representatives from the Global Resources Development Department, and ten medical school scholarship recipients who expressed their thanks to Mr. Sonnenfeld for his heartfelt generosity. He was also shown around the Faculty and met with Dr. Alon Barash the anatomy course director.

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine thanks Moti Sonnenfeld and the Danielle Foundation for their support.

[Pictured above: Dr. Sharon Goldman, VP for Global Resources; Mr. Moti Sonnenfeld; Dr. Alon Barash; Prof. Karl Skorecki]

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine was excited to host delegates from the Edmund de Rothschild Foundation as well as from the Azrieli Foundation, in honor of the agreement signing and unveiling of the building naming, seen above. Also in attendance were key Bar-Ilan University figureheads and architects as well as the Mayor of Safed, Shuki Ohana.

After a reception and festive lunch, the crowd reconvened in the Esther and Haim Carasso Auditorium for the signing ceremony, attended by academic faculty as well as administrative staff. The Foundation was also presented a "Founders Key" as a symbolic gift for their dedication and support. The crowd then shifted outside, to the facade of the main Faculty building, for the unveiling ceremony and toast to l'chaim. For "desert" the guests toured the lab of Dr. Shai Bel before dispersing.

The 180 million shekel donation from the Edmund de Rothschild Foundation will be used primarily for physical Faculty expansion.

Bar-Ilan University article can be seen here.

Pictures of the event can be seen here.

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine strongly believes that research and medical education go hand in hand. As such, you will see at the Safed campus, medical students interacting with and learning from leading researchers in the medical sciences. The faculty focuses on Translational Research – applying targeted research to specific issues that arise in hospitals and clinics.

This year, the Faculty was able to hold, in the Esther & Haim Carasso Auditorium, the tenth annual Translational Research Day, held on July 1, 2021. The conference opened with welcoming remarks by the Dean, Prof. Karl Skorecki, as well as the Vice Dean for Medical Research, Prof. Tzipora Falik-Zaccai. Specific details of the sessions can be found here.

Dr. Meital Gal-Tanamy (pictured with her students) can be especially proud - four of her students were award recipients - three for posters and one for a presentation.

Presentation award recipients: Adi Eshel (supervised by Prof. Omry Koren), Shahar Tel Paz (supervised by Dr. Shai Bel), and Tom Neimarkas (supervised by Dr. Meital Gal-anamy).

Poster recipients: Dana Binyamin (supervised by Prof. Omry Koren), Gal Reches (supervised by Dr. Ron Piran), Haneen Faris-Gadban (supervised by Dr. Meital Gal-Tanamy), Samer Ayoub (supervised by Dr. Meital Gal-Tanamy), Mahua Bhattacharya (supervised by Dr. Milana Morgenstern-Frenkel), Worood Sirhan (supervised by Dr. Ron Piran), Roba Dabour (supervised by Dr. Meital Gal-Tanamy), Nora Syade (supervised by Dr. Nir Qvit)

Special thanks for their hard work in making this all possible goes to Dr. Dorith Raviv Shay, Nurit Maor, Dr. Eyla Maoz, Yehiel Dahan and his dedicated staff, Zvi Tabachnik, Hadas Oren, Ilana Bar Sabag, Tal Nahmias, and Shlomit Yosef. 

Some pictures can be seen here.

The conference was made possible in part thanks to the support of the following sponsors:

The Rector's Prize for Scientific Innovation ceremony was held on June 23, 2021. Dr. Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern was a proud recipient. For more information see here.

[Pictured above the Rector Prof. Amnon Albeck, Dr. Frenkel-Morgenstern, BIU President Prof. Arie Zaban, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Karl Skorecki]]

Congratulations to the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine's nine recipients of the coveted doctoral degree. The conferment ceremony took place at the Bar-Ilan University Ramat Gan campus on June 22, 2021. Of 200 BIU recipients, nine studied at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine.

Congratulations to (advisor names in parentheses):

Dr. Adi Litmanovich* (Prof. Batya Kristal, Prof. Kamal Hassan)
Dr. Tomer Meirson* (Dr. Hava Gil-Henn, Dr. Abraham Samson)
Dr. Oron Oded (Dr. Evan Elliott, Dr. Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern)
Dr. Lubov Balin (Dr. Miriam Bentwich, Prof. Bella Gross)
Dr. Fadia Zagairy (Prof. Amnon Harel)
Dr. Amihai Lieberman (Dr. Abraham Samson)
Dr. Noa Maatuk (Dr. Abraham Samson)
Dr. Dafna Perry (Prof. David Karasik, Prof. Jamal Zidan)
Dr. Praveen Koganti (Dr. Michael Blank)

*Dr. Litmanovich and Dr. Meirson are pursuing the prestigious MD-PhD degree at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine

A video of the commencement exercises can be seen here. The segment with the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine begins at 2:14:14.

The online yearbook can be seen here. Pictures from the ceremony can be seen here.

A short lecture by Dr. Adi Litmanovich can be seen here.

Congratulations to the 18 masters degree students who received their diplomas in person, at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Esther & Haim Carasso Auditorium on June 21, 2021. This was the 5th such ceremony, with last year's being held via Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After a procession of the proud participants, Prof. Karl Skorecki, Dean; Prof. Tzipora C. Falik-Zaccai, Vice Dean, Medical Research; and Dr. Meital Gal-Tanamy spoke briefly, applauding the students' growth as scientists and researchers. The event included a musical interlude, a video on the positive influence the Faculty has had on the North of Israel, a short scientific presentation by Dr. Evan Elliott, and a few words by a student representative who will be continuing to doctoral studies. 

Following are the names of the hard-working students who were awarded Masters Degrees. Advisor names are in parentheses:

Elias Maria (Prof. Itay Onn)
Ashtamker Lital (Dr. Avi Peretz)
Benkovitz Elisheva* (Prof. Itay Onn)
Gani Samar (Dr. Nir Qvit)
Volodko Olga (Prof. Offer Amir)
Vasserman Nili (Prof. David Karasik)
Khoury Hiba (Prof. Shaul Atar)
Hanout Wessal (Dr. Nir Qvit)
Tarif Hala (Prof. Omry Koren)
Lerner Yana  (Dr. Nir Qvit)
Majdob Rawan (Prof. Andrei Braester)
Meary Diana* (Dr. Meir Shamay)
Moadi Lelyan* (Prof. Omry Koren)
Naseraldeen Naseba (Prof. Andrei Braester)
Naama Maria (Dr. Shai Bel)
Saleh Bisan (Dr. Abraham Samson, Dr. Hava Gil Henn)
Kirtadze Elena (Prof. Tzipora Falik-Zaccai)
Rubin Elad (Prof. Omry Koren)

* With honors

[Photo credit: Dror Miller]

At the Azrieli faculty of Medicine, we are making up for lost time! This year, unlike last, we were able to hold the esteemed White Coat ceremonies, marking the important transition for medical students, from pre-clinical to clinical studies in Galilee affiliated hospitals and HMOs.

The ceremony for 54 three-year track students, the 10th class, was held at the Faculty in Safed on June 17, 2021.

Noam David Reshelbach, Administrative Head of the Faculty, opened the event, welcoming the crowd of friends and family. He passed the baton to the master of ceremonies, the student Roni Michael. She invited to the podium to offer congratulatory and wise words of wisdom, Prof. Karl Skorecki, the Dean; Prof. Eric Shinwell, Associate Dean for Medical Education; Prof. Johnny Younis, Vice Dean for Clinical Education; and Prof. Kamal Hassan the Basic Clinical Principles course coordinator. A short movie prepared by the students followed, then Johena Hussein, a classmate, spoke.

The actual White Coat Ceremony was led by Prof. Skorecki, Prof. Hassan, Sharon Mines (the administrative coordinator of medical education), and Noam David Reshelbach.

Capping off the event, before the celebratory group picture, Adir Alper, a student, offered a few words in the name of the class.

Pictures can be seen here. [Photo credit: Dror Miller]

Prof. Masad Barhum, general director of the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, an affiliate of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, recently received two prestigious awards: the Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary International, and the Israel Political Science Association Award.

A ceremony was held at the Rambam Medical Center, where Prof. received the Paul Harris Fellow Award for 2021. The award is granted to leaders in the field who have contributed to Israeli society. It is considered the most prestigious Rotary International award. Rotary dignitaries were in attendance.

When asked why Prof. Barhoum was chosen for the accolade, emphasis was placed on Prof. Barhoum serving as the first Israeli Arab in the history of the State of Israel to be elected to run a government hospital. His professionalism stands out, as well as his commitment to innovation, growth, and accessibility to populations of all religions and socio-economic backgrounds.

It was also noted that 1,600 corona patients had been hospitalized at the medical center in the past year, and during this period Prof. Barhum was one of the most outspoken in the media regarding his support of a tight shut-down, as well as widespread vaccinations.

Prof. Barhum thanked his parents, wife, and three daughters, and noted, "I stand here on behalf of the 3,000 employees of the Galilee Medical Center." He concluded by reciting the poem "Sweat" by Noam Horev, and added, "I thank the people at my medical center for daring to sweat. Thanks to them, cracks of light were able to break the great darkness."

Previously, Prof. Barhum had received an award from the Israel Political Science Association for 2020, for being an outstanding public servant. The chairman of the award committee, Adi Eldar, said that Prof. Barhum was chosen for the prize as he transformed the medical center into a leading national hospital. GMC serves 600,000 residents from all religions and backgrounds, at the highest professional level. The chairman of the award committee also added that his leadership and sense of mission are what made Prof. Barhoum a director of one of the leading hospitals in the country.

[Photo credit Moshe Maoz, GMC]

Congratulations to Dr. Michal Carmiel Haggai upon receipt of the Bar-Ilan University Outstanding Teacher Award. The ceremony was held on June 10, 2021. Also at the ceremony, Prof. Karl Skorecki and Dr. Nomy Dikman accepted the Honorable Mention Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine.

[Photo credit: Shlomi Amsalem, BIU]