Faculty News

Excellent news for affiliate hospital Galilee Medical Center in Naharia: The Israeli Ministers of Health and Finance have approved the operating license of the Da Vinci Robot in GMC.

Prof. Johnny Younis, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine Vice Dean for Clinical Education, explains: "The purchase of this device represents a significant step for the field of robotic surgery, and is very noteworthy. This also shows that there are leading physicians at GMC who are proficient in this technology and are interested in promoting its use within the institution. The main departments that will be making use of the device are surgery, gynecology, and possibly even urology. Students who will be exposed to the device will get to know and learn about the technology."

Link to Israel Hayom Hebrew article here.

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine was honored to host Rabbanit Devorah Evron, Bar-Ilan University Campus Spiritual Advisor, on December 1, 2021.

Rabbanit Evron, pictured here with Dr. Yair Blumberg in front of the Anatomage (Virtual Anatomy Teaching), also met with
Dr. Yaakov (Kobi) Maman, Dr. Miri Bentwich, and of course the Dean, Prof. Karl Skorecki, and Associate Dean for Research, Prof. Chaim Putterman.

The Rabbanit was then invited to share a dvar Torah (short speech on relevant Jewish topic) at the communal candle lighting ceremony that took place at the Faculty, led by the Dean.

Pictures from the festive gathering are below:

Timed to coincide with National Diabetes Month and the launch of The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE, on November 25, 2021, Prof. Karl Skorecki and Prof. Naim Shehadeh addressed an audience of over 150 Bar-Ilan U. graduates and interested participants on the topic of diabetes, via Zoom.

Naama Gat, BIU Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer, introduced the panelists and explained to the audience that this lecture is the tenth in a series of academic lectures offered to graduates of BIU - and timed perfectly with the launch of SPHERE.

Prof. Skorecki, Dean of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, opened with mentioning that insulin was discovered in Toronto 100 years ago by Banting and Best, and that he himself commenced his academic and medical studies exactly 50 years ago, in Toronto, also studying under Best. He posed the question, that if insulin was discovered 100 years ago, why is it now considered an epidemic.

With this background in mind, Skorecki then proceeded to present Prof. Shehadeh, President of the Israeli Diabetes Association who currently serves as Director of Diabetes Endocrinology and Metabolism at Rambam Medical Center and will be heading SPHERE, with questions regarding diabetes.

The two discussed physiology, prevention, treatments, education, and the promise that The SPHERE is offering, with its $75 million budget over the next ten years.

The evening culminated with an open Q&A session and as "desert" - a video clip from the November 16, 2021 launch.

If you missed it, the lecture can be viewed on the Bar-Ilan U. Facebook page, here.

On November 21, 2021, the Galilee Medical Center (an affiliate hospital of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine at Bar Ilan University) hosted more than 100 surgeons from all over the world as they gathered online to discuss hot topics in the performance of inguinal hernia surgery. The event was organized by Dr. Eli Kakiashvili (Chief of Surgery at Galilee Medical Center and clinical lecturer at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine) and Dr. Elliot Goodman (Vice-Chair of Surgical Quality at Mount Sinai Downtown in New York City, USA).

Galilee Medical Center surgeons (including Dr. Eli Kakiashvili and Dr. Assi Drobot) masterly performed two live operations, while answering questions from colleagues viewing from all over the world. The seminar also featured lectures from a panel of internationally renowned hernia experts from the USA, the UK, Belgium and India. The conversations among the panelists on chronic pain after inguinal hernia surgery and the role of robotic technology in the performance of these operations were particularly lively.

Approximately 35% of the attendees hailed from Israel and 24% from India. Other countries represented in the audience included the USA, the UK, Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey, Ireland, Egypt, Cambodia, Libya, Canada, Bangladesh, Oman and Lithuania.

The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE gala launch took place on November 16, 2021 at the Yigal Alon Cultural Center just a few blocks away from the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine campus in Safed.

The launch received much press coverage before the event, and after, some of which can be seen here and here.

The event, which was attended by hundreds of participants from nearby as well as those who travelled from afar to attend and thereby express their support, opened with a festive reception. The ceremony then moved to the auditorium, and was emceed by Dr. Sivan Spitzer, Deputy Director of SPHERE. In addition to speeches by Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz; MK Idit Silman; Angelica Berrie, President of The Russell Berrie Foundation; Bar-Ilan University President Prof. Arie Zaban; Prof. Naim Shehadeh who will be heading SPHERE; and of course, Azrieli Faculty of Medicine Dean Prof. Karl Skorecki - the audience enjoyed an artistic performance by Elmughrabia, The Andalusian Orchestra, Maalot Tarshiha (conducted by Orian Shukrun with lead soloist Tamar Shawki). The logistics of the event were organized by Roni Katz Frydman.

In addition to the press coverage mentioned above, to learn more about The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE, see here.

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine was honored to host Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, on November 17, 2021. Dr. Abuelaish grew up and raised a family in Gaza and was the first doctor from Gaza to work in an Israeli hospital. He is currently Associate Professor of Global Health at the University of Toronto. An author, he also published a memoir in 2011 entitled I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity.

Dr. Abulelaish visited the Azrieli Faculty to explore research collaboration possibilities with returning scholars who will be joining the Faculty in the near future. He met with the Dean Prof. Karl Skorecki and Bar-Ilan University supporters Karen and Marc Rivo, and lunched with Azrieli researchers.

We look forward to future cooperation.

[Pictured: Dr. Abuelaish with Karen and Marc Rivo]

Prof. Omry Koren of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, for the fourth year in a row, has been selected among an elite group recognized for his exceptional research influence, demonstrated by the production of multiple highly-cited papers that rank in the top 1% by citations for field and year in the Web of Science™.

Each year, Clarivate™ identifies the world’s most influential researchers ─ the select few who have been most frequently cited by their peers over the last decade. In 2021, fewer than 6,700, or about 0.1%, of the world's researchers, in 21 research fields and across multiple fields, have earned this exclusive distinction.

Congratulations!

Prof. Bornstein's appointment is the first such appointment from outside of the USA.

Prof. Chaim Putterman, Azrieli Associate Dean for Research, congratulated Prof. Bornstein, saying, "As a physician-scientist with a significant and steady contribution over the years to the study of genital diseases in women, being appointed as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal of an American scientific society, and especially for a non-American, is a significant achievement that reflects your international standing in this important field. I'm sure your contribution will be significant."

The Journal of Lower Genital Tract Disease is the official journal of the ASCCP.

Read more on the BIU website, here.

The Batsheva de Rothschild Symposium “Mathematics of the Skeleton: Post-Genome analysis for bone biology” took place on Oct.12-13, 2021 at the Faculty.

Given the success of the previous (virtual) meeting held in December  2020, this hybrid symposium included live as well as online presentations, discussions and innovative approaches, opportunities, and challenges from experts in the field of musculoskeletal (MSK) disease, to be addressed by Big Data, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and deep/machine learning.  

This workshop was held to provide a blueprint for the MSK research with an aim of translating discoveries from human studies into new diagnostic tools and therapies for patients with MSK diseases. Mathematicians, statisticians, and Big Data experts were brought together with clinically oriented researchers and skeletal biologists to discuss foundations and applications of experimental models in the MSK health and disease.  

Distinguished guest speakers included Dr. Solomon Owumi, Ibadan, Nigeria; Prof. David Rowe (Connecticut, USA); Prof. Kent Søe (Odense, Denmark), Kathleen Curran (Dublin, Ireland), and Dr. HW Deng’s associates from the Tulane University, USA.

Israeli speakers included Prof. Yankel Gabet and Prof. Tamir Tuller, from Tel Aviv University; Gil Goobes and Prof. Aharon Gedanken of Bar-Ilan University; Prof. Avi Schroeder, Technion; Ari Elson, Weizmann Institute of Science, and Prof. Noam Levaot (Ben Gurion U.).

The audience was truly international, with a preponderance of the European, Israeli, UK, Turkey and Azerbaijan, equally represented by the trainees, advanced scientists, and students, overwhelmingly from the academia.  

This symposium ran in parallel with the European COST Action workshop “ Histomorphometry and MicroCT standard analyses in fish and rodents,” thus cross-fertilizing among the AI and bone communities.

It was organized by Dr. Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern and Prof. David Karasik and funded by the Batsheva de Rothschild Foundation and the Dangoor Institute for Personalized Medicine. Special thanks to Dr. Gideon Baum and Violetta Belotzerkovsky (from the Frenkel-Morgenstern lab) and Mr. Dan Hinenzon (Azrieli IT manager) for their assistance in organizing and smoothly running the workshop virtually online. 

Congratulations to Dr. Limor Meoded Danon upon receipt of the Shimon Peres Prize on October 6, 2021. The Shimon Peres Prize is granted for innovative projects that promote diversity and multiculturalism.

One of the projects that Dr. Meoded Danon initiated during her postdoc at the Hebrew University, together with Prof. Katinka Schweizer, a German psychologist from the medical school in Hamburg, was the "Inter-Care and Awareness Project." A recipient of a DIZF (German-Israeli Future Forum - Deutch-Israelische Zukunftsforum) scholarship, it aims to create collaboration between psychologists and social workers from both countries, and to raise awareness regarding the psych-social issues in the lives of intersex people and their families in both countries. The participants developed projects and engaged in networking to promote awareness and better care in both countries.

The project was completed in 2019 and continues to make waves and have impact.

The prize ceremony took place at the Berlin City Hall, and was presented by the German Foreign Minister Mr. Heiko Maas, Prof. Zvia Valden (Shimon Peres's daughter), and Dr. Tamara Or, executive director of DIZF.

The first day of the 2021-22 academic year opened up yesterday, October 10, 2021. After almost two years of Covid-19 restrictions, it was a pleasure to again see, hear, and feel the presence of students on campus.

Orientation meetings were held for both the 151 new MD students (103 four-year track and 48 three-year track) as well as the 20 new MSc students and 13 new PhD students.

The graduate students heard encouraging words from Prof. Karl Skorecki, the Dean; Prof. Omry Koren, outgoing Chairperson of the Graduate Degree Committee; Prof. Meital Gal Tanamy, Chairperson of the Graduate Degree Committee; Prof. Michal Blank, Chairperson of the Graduate Teaching Committee; Chani Rubin, Graduate Degree Coordinator; Shlomit Nishri, Head Librarian; and Natalia Saleev of the Student Union.

The MD students were greeted by Prof. Skorecki; Prof. Eric Shinwell, Associate Dean, Medical Education; Prof. Daniel Glikman, Vice Dean, Pre-Clinical Studies; Dr. Ram Cohen, a graduate and Northern Stars resident; Sharon Mines, Administrative Deputy to the Associate Dean of Medical Education; Anna Sherman, Chairperson of the Student Union; Dr. Amitai Oberman, Chairperson of the Achievement Committee.

Classes started immediately after the orientation assembly.

We wish all students, and staff, success and health this academic year!

Pictured below: The new cafeteria on campus.

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