Faculty News

With much enthusiasm, the opening seminar of the second cohort of the Ilanot Galil program was a success.

Thirty nine "cadets" representing all sectors of Israeli society, medical students who just started their academic year today (December 31, 2023) at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, chose to join the prestigious "Ilanot" honors program that will be building the future generation of medicine in the North. The Ilanot program has defined as its goal to work hard to push the students, to challenge them, and to instill in them knowledge, tools and values that will help them in this great task.

We would like to thank the members of the advisory committee and other partners who contributed, supported, developed, and accompanied the seminar:
Itzik Devash
Prof. Imad Abu Al Naj
Prof. Lior Lowenstein
Dr. Noam Yehudai
Dr. Ariela Ofran

Special thanks to the administrative staff who toiled day and night to make this all possible and are a great inspiration:
Einat Ben Nun
Alexei Belinsky
Rachel Brenner-Shelem
Naama Yona
Ayelet Greenbaum
Adi Ben Mordechai

In the words of a second-year cadet: "The two days together gave me a lot of motivation to start the year, I found real partners on the journey here, my understanding became clearer about how many opportunities exist here in the North, and I leave here optimistic and excited for the future."
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Congratulations to Wisal Sawaed, a graduate student supervised by Dr. Ron Piran, on receipt of a scholarship from the Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE and D cure Association. She was the only one to receive this award, which was presented at the National Diabetes Conference on December 27, 2023.

Wisal received the grant from Prof. Naim Shehadeh, Director of the Faculty's Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE and president of the Israeli Diabetes Association, and from Prof. Itamar Raz, head of the National Council of Diabetes.

Wisal is in the final stages of her doctorate and will be presenting her research in the coming weeks.

The week was full of important visits from the Bar-Ilan U Ramat Gan campus administration. After the "Triumvirate" Visit, Academic Secretariat delegates* headed by Dr. Orly Perl, visited on December 21, 2023.  The group met the Dean, Prof. Orly Avni and also (in no particular order) Prof. Meital Gal-Tanamy, Prof. Evan Elliott, Noam David Reshelbach, Sharon Mines, Dr. Rotem Kahlon, Prof. Moshe Dessau, Dr. Meir Shamay, Hadas Hasidim, Dr. Dorit Raviv Shay, and Sarit Azran Aharonovitz - during meetings regarding the disciplinary committee, scholarships, study programs, and postdoctoral studies.

We would be happy to host you and representatives from the campus in Ramat Gan, again.

* Shira Shaaben, office manager
  Oranit Hagbi, scholarships
  Tova Yosef, study programs
  Eveline Mor, disciplinary committee
  Dan Rotkovitch, postdoctoral studies

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine was honored to host a very important entourage from Bar-Ilan University yesterday, December 20, 2023 in Safed. The forum consisted of the President Prof. Arie Zaban, CEO Zohar Yinon, and Rector Prof. Amnon Albeck.

The group - including directors of the affiliated hospitals, the CEO of Clalit North District, and the mayor of Safed Mr. Shuki Ohana - was led by Prof. Orly Avni, Dean of the Faculty, and Noam David Reshelbach, administrative head.

Prof. Meital Gal Tanamy updated the guests on the latest developments at the Faculty, and Prof. Naim Shehada and Dr. Sivan Spitzer, on the Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE.

The Forum toured the laboratories of researchers (PIs) Dr. Nir Qvit, Dr. Ronit Ilouz, Dr. Ron Piran and Dr. David Anshel, led by Prof. Gal Tanamy.

As part of the visit, the BIU management awarded all the affiliated hospital directors, and the CEO of Clalit North District, POCUS devices as appreciation for their contribution to the war effort.

Towards the end of the day, a Forum meeting was held at the Faculty, attended by the Dean and Sharon Mines (Administrative Deputy to the Associate Dean of Medical Education) as well as the medical students in the first year of the three-year track.

Congratulations to Prof. Samer Srouji, Chief of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and head of the Galilee College of Dental Sciences at GMC, on his election as president of the IADR Dental Research Division in Israel.

IADR is an international non-profit association that promotes the health and well-being of the global community, and includes more than 10,000 leaders in dental, oral and craniofacial medicine research worldwide. Prof. Srouji was also elected to join the IADR Pan European Region European Dental Research Division (IADR PER) head council.

He serves as the head of the Bone Regeneration Lab at the Galilee Medical Center (an Azrieli Faculty of Medicine affiliate) and is director of the Department of Oral, Maxillofacial Surgery & Oral Medicine Institute and the head of the Galilee College of Dental Sciences, both at the Galilee Medical Center,

Prof. Srouji: "I am honored to be elected president of the dental research division in Israel. In collaboration with thousands of renowned researchers from all over the world, and under the umbrella of the international organization, I will work to promote dental research in Israel and globally. Moreover, I intend to strengthen dental research in the periphery of Israel and lead it to internationally recognized achievements".

Yesterday a joint meeting of the departments of Internal Medicine with the Faculty's educational management convened, in the presence of the Dean Prof. Orly Avni, This is the first of a series of similar meetings planned for the departments of surgery, pediatrics, and OB/GYN. Most of the department heads were in attendance.

The purpose of the gathering was to promote and improve clinical teaching at the Faculty.

Prof. Orly Avni, Prof. Lior Lowenstein, Prof. Raymond Farah, Dr. Nomy Dickman, Dr. Etty Kruzel, Dr. Tatiana Smolkin, Racheli Neve, Prof. Ido Birati, Prof. Danny Glikman were all invited to the podium.

Two programs for team development were presented at the meeting: an orientation day, and a workshop series for tutors - in addition to programs for joint research and faculty advancement. Guest lecturer, Shimon Sherzer, spoke about artificial intelligence.

The holiday of Hanuka symbolizes the victory of good over evil.

We gathered today at the Faculty - administrative and academic staff - to hold a symbolic candle lighting ceremony (in general, Hanuka candle lighting takes place at dusk, at home with one's family) and sing-along of Hanuka melodies.

Happy Hanuka!

We wish success to the 28 students in the three-year track who commenced their studies yesterday.

They will be taking two courses - Basic Clinical Principals to prepare them for their clinical rounds beginning at the end of March, and "HILA" that teaches doctor-patience communication and interpersonal relationship building.

The Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE has been very active since the outbreak of the "Swords of Iron" War on October 7, 2023. Below is a brief summary. You can learn more on their Facebook page, LinkedIn account, and YouTube channel.

Clinical consultation for family doctors regarding the best way to treat diabetes patients these trying days

Since the beginning of the war, SPHERE's diabetes experts, Prof. Naim Shehade, Dr. Afif Nachla and Prof. Julio Weinstein, have provided and continue to provide individual and immediate clinical advice to family doctors of the various HMOs operating in the Galilee regarding optimal patient care at this time.

Support program for diabetes, pre-diabetes and obesity patients in a state of war or under continuous states of stress

SPHERE has produced, with the Israeli Diabetes Association, a guide for managing diabetes in a state of war and continuous stress. In this guide, the mechanisms behind the harmful effect of the state of mental stress on our bodies are presented, and practical tools are offered from experts whose aim is to help prevent or reduce the negative impact on health. 

The guide was released in digital and printed versions, in Hebrew and Arabic, and so far over ten thousand copies have been distributed among diabetics in the Galilee region and demand continues, with additional copies printed and distributed. The guide consists of a combination of text and videos from professionals in the fields of nutrition, sleep, physical activity, and pharmacy.

A team of diabetes specialist doctors and diabetes nurses on behalf of SPHERE are offering telephone advice to evacuees in hotels in the north in addition to a hotline that is coordinated with the supervisors of the evacuees from the Ministry of Health. Glucometers were also sent to hotels in Haifa and Hadera.

Support for municipal health workers during an emergency

SPHERE began its journey two years ago, working with five local authorities: Safed, Nof HaGalil, Nazareth, Shafaram and Sahnin. About six months ago, SPHERE was chosen to lead, together with the Ministry of Health, a joint project to establish "health units" in 20 local authorities, as part of the government's decision to reduce disparities in Arab society.

Currently, a SPHERE team is in the field and is accompanying authorities who together provide answers to more than 600,000 people. The support includes: complex mapping processes; data cross-checking between the health system and official data; building a strategic plan adapted to each authority to deal with diabetes and obesity and accompanying directors in the field of health with the implementation.

With the outbreak of the war, SPHERE team members identified the challenges in the transition from routine health management to an emergency, and built an appropriate intervention plan.

Within a week, SPHERE created a digital platform that allows for the mapping of the field in terms of health. The mapping refers to the health services provided, the state of the health infrastructure in the shelters and the health needs of the population. SPHERE's team, together with medical students from the Faculty, helped the directors of health units to collect the essential information.
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Participation in international conferences in the field of diabetes

October

At the annual conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes EASD, which took place in early October in Germany and was attended by diabetes experts from all over the world, Prof. Naim Shehadeh, Director of SPHERE, presented the results of an international multicenter study in which 94 centers from 21 countries participated. In this study, the efficacy and safety of a drug from the SGLT2 family (Dapagliflozin) was proven in type 2 diabetes patients whose age ranges from 10-17 years.

This research is a medical breakthrough that will increase the medicinal arsenal intended for patients of this age and will improve treatment options, balance and prevention of disease complications for this age group.

November

At the Future of Precision Medicine Symposium attended by diabetes experts from around the world, in collaboration with the European Association for the Study of Diabetes and the Novo Nordisk Foundation in Denmark, Dr. Sivan Spitzer, deputy director of SPHERE, presented remotely her work dealing with the transition from identifying the gaps to creating a new platform For community-based personalized medicine, a link to the lecture can be found here.

International Diabetes Day

This year, in light of the war, the activities were not conducted as usual. On November 14, 2023, International Diabetes Day, SPHERE held a virtual conference in collaboration with the Israeli Diabetes Association, which was attended by about a thousand patients, about diabetes and its complications, treatments, innovations and dealing with emergencies. See here.

And now, for some encouraging news - for the SIXTH year in a row, Prof. Omry Koren has been chosen a Clarivate Highly Cited Researcher.

The notification letter reads:

Each year, Clarivate™ identifies the small fraction of the global research scientists and social scientists who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their field(s) of research. This select group contribute disproportionately to extending the frontiers of knowledge and gaining for society innovations that make the world healthier, more sustainable and more secure.

Each researcher selected has authored multiple Highly Cited Papers™ which rank in the top 1% by citations for their field(s) and publication year in the Web of Science over the past decade. However, citation activity is not the sole selection indicator. A preliminary list based on citation activity is then refined using qualitative analysis and expert judgement.

Good job, Prof. Koren!

An online workshop was held today (November 15, 2023), led by the Dean's Advisor for Innovative Teaching, Dr. Nomy Dickman, in collaboration with the Learning and Teaching Division of Bar-Ilan University and Dr. Yossi Ben Zion from the Department of Physics. The purpose of the meeting was to present practical ways to conduct active learning.

Over 50 pre-clinical and clinical teachers, as well as graduate degree lecturers, participated.

The Dean, Prof. Orly Avni, opened the meeting, by congratulating the initiative and stressing the importance of quality teaching and the challenges being faced these days.

Dr. Dickman presented tips for effective teaching, with a constructivist approach to learning.

Dr. Yossi Ben Zion spoke about frontal/distance/hybrid learning - insights and recommendations for strengthening involvement during learning with an emphasis on the use of electronic surveys.

Eli Markel from the Learning and Teaching Division spoke about the principles of active learning, skills, digital and formative-process assessment that is not based on multiple choice tests alone, and how the Division supports their integration into teaching. He also noted his acquaintance with Dr. Dickman and Dr. Yuri Perlitz from the Tzafon Medical Center (Poria), who won a grant for their research project focusing on teaching doctor/patient relationships through VR. Dr. Perlitz mentioned a unique application of the TBL method in combination with the VaKE method, which was implemented together with Dr. Dickman.

Ms. Anna Lipshitz-Agmon from the Division gave an overview of the new model system called "LAMDA."

Dr. Dickman summed up with words of appreciation for the lecturers and thanked the participants who found the time to learn about this important topic - teaching and assessment. She emphasized the importance of teaching, learning and assessment.

The atmosphere was pleasant and they were very grateful for the opportunity to participate in an educational conversation that included demonstrations, experiences and practical advice.

The management of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine visited the EMMS (Scottish) Hospital in Nazareth on November 7, 2023 and met with senior officials there in order to demonstrate confidence in the cooperation of the Faculty with the Faculty's affiliate hospitals in Nazareth. The Dean and the director of the hospital noted the importance of the unity of the Faculty both during quiet times and during war, in order to maintain quality medical education and the strengthening of medical services in the Galilee.

After a meeting of both managements, a Faculty of Medicine management meeting was held on premises. After this, a meeting was held with student groups from the Faculty, who will commence their studies next week at the hospital.

Pictured, the management of the Faculty of Medicine under the leadership of the Dean, Prof. Orly Avni, with the hospital management led by the director of the hospital, Prof. Fahad Hakim.

Following in the footsteps of our popular Teddy Bear Hospital, we are now proud to introduce the Teddy Bear Strength and Resilience Center. This creative event was inaugurated as a pilot on October 23, 2023 at the Faculty in Safed, and offered support to approximately 100 children ages 3-12, parents, and teddy bears alike. Activities - whose aim was to increase the children's sense of resilience and restore feelings of competence and control, through their teddy bears - were led by some 25 medical, psychology, and social work students. Dr. Nomy Dickman, Head of Unit, Evaluation and Advancement of Education, adds, "This is a very important and exciting project. It was encouraging to see so many people participate, and students in action. Children always bring joy!"

A few pictures by Emuna Jurno here.

Update: A second event took place at the main Bar-Ilan University Ramat Gan campus on October 26, 2023. Needless to say, this was also a sweeping success.

Another Update: A third, also in Ramat Gan, on November 1, 2023!

And yet another: The Teddy Bear Strength and Resilience Center was in Mitspeh Ramon on November 21, 2023, visiting some 70 children who were evacuated from Kibbutz Erez after the horrors of October 7. Some 24 student volunteers put in a very long day, manning surgery, orthopedics, emotions, and medical psychology stations.

And....in Yehud on November 30, 2023, for those evacuated from Ashkelon and Sherot and children whose parents serve in security forces!

Home Front Command English web page here.

Home Front Command English instructions here.

Full Home Front Command instructions in Hebrew, here.

Should you be at the main Bar-Ilan University Ramat Gan campus, please see here the list of campus shelters (in Hebrew, here).

For those in need of emotional or psychological support, our Support Hotline (03) 531-8811 will be open to the University community.

Bar-Ilan main website updates here.

Contact information for Faculty of Medicine graduate students: 072-2644947 or email here.

Once the decision has been made regarding when the 2023-24 academic year will open, we will post updates. As of now, November 5, 2023.

Azrieli Faculty of Medicine Safe Areas on Campus (in case of missile/rocket attack)

Building F (2500) rooms 101, 102, library

Building A (2000) student room 104 (2nd floor)

Building C (2200), B (2100) conference rooms 002 (first floor) and 102 (2nd floor)

Building D (2300), E (2400) offices 105 (2nd floor) and 004 (first floor)

The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine welcomed in the new Jewish Year on September 13, 2023 at a sing-along New Year's toast and award ceremony for employees of the year (Tova Hasidim, Dr. Yehuda Gubbay, Sondra Turjeman, Dr. Gal Levy Cohen).