Faculty News

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).

A few days before Rosh Hashana, to wind up the Jewish year, the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine held its first ever two-day research retreat, on September 10-11, 2023. To be sure, high level, first-rate research conferences have of course been taking place at the Faculty for years, but this year students, researchers, faculty and other academics and professionals spent two full days including an overnight stay, at the Pastoral Hotel in Kfar Blum, enjoying science and camaraderie.

After welcoming remarks by the Dean, Prof. Orly Avni, who opened with the question "What is a good scientist?" Prof. Meital Gal Tanamy, Associate Dean Research, noted that the two days are dedicated to celebrating creativity and hard work, and are an excellent opportunity to make connections. Prof. Tzipora Falik-Zaccai, previous Vice Dean Medical Research, quoted from the weekly Torah portion "לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִיא" - that everything is possible, within reach. Prof. Falik Zaccai was presented with flowers for her years of dedication to the Faculty.

Plenary sessions over the two days were given by Prof. Eli Schwartz (Sheba Tel Hashomer) who spoke about travel medicine and globalization, Dr. Yael Gruenbaum-Cohen (aMoon) who spoke about what happens to an idea that leaves academia and goes to industry, and Dr. Alon Wolf (Technion) who spoke about medical technology and ethics.

Over the two days, more than 20 students and researchers presented their studies, and almost 100 posters were displayed. Best presentation award was given to Mor Zigdon (Dr. Shai Bel) and Tal Benjamin (Dr. Ronit Ilouz). Best poster to Sonia Modilevsky (Dr. Shai Bel), Ester Avazada (Prof. Amnon Harel), Mahesh Kumar Cinthakunta Sridhar (Dr. Nir Qvit), and Supriya Bhattacharya (Prof. Meir Shamay).

And of course, none of this would have been possible without the hard work of (in alphabetical order) Ilana Bar-Sabag, Yehiel Dahan and his staff, Prof. Michael Edelstein, Prof. Evan Elliott, Prof. Tzipora Falik‐Zaccai, Dan Hinenzon and his staff, Nurit Maor, Dr. Eyla Maoz, Belal Mari, Dr. Ron Orbach, Hadas Oren, Dr. Dorit Raviv Shay, Noam David Reshelbach, Dr. Moran Yadid. 

A few pictures can be seen here.

With thanks to our sponsors: 

The international conference "Chromatin Organization and Genome Stability" organized by Dr. Kobi Maman, Prof. Itai On, Dr. Avi Matityahu, and Dr. Michal Mor, took place on September 5-7, 2023 in Safed with the participation of some 70 leading scientists from Israel worldwide. Topics discussed at the conference included, among others: the structure of chromosomes and chromatin, proteins that control the organization and stability of the genome, and DNA repair.

Among the participants were Prof. Erez Lieberman Aidan from Baylor College, USA, one of the developers of the technology for three-dimensional mapping of the genome. In his lecture, he discussed principles in genome mapping, and described, among other things, an ambitious project for three-dimensional mapping of the genomes of all organisms that live today or lived in the past on the planet. In addition to lectures by leading researchers, many students were given the opportunity to present their work in a lecture or poster. Between the lectures, the participants enjoyed good food, and a tour of the old city. The tour included a stop at Beit Kita, the satellite campus of the Faculty of Medicine, located in a beautiful building in the heart of the city. They visited a virtual reality laboratory and received an explanation from the head of the laboratory, Dr. Hana Keren, about her research on psychopathology and mood states.

The conference participants concluded: "The conference was excellent, the combination of scientists from two close but different fields helped us learn a lot of new things." Dr. Maman and Prof. On added, "We hope that the tremendous success of the conference will mark the beginning of a tradition of similar conferences in the north of the country." The organizers thank the National Science Foundation, the Vice President for Research and the members of the academic and administrative faculty of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine for their support of the conference and its execution.

On September 5-7, 2023, the Infectious Diseases Symposium was held, a collaboration between the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine and the Bar-Ilan Faculty of Engineering. The event was held at the Ramat Gan campus with the participation of approximately 400 doctors, researchers, and industry personnel engaged in the treatment and diagnosis of infectious diseases. At the symposium, various studies and solutions were presented that may provide answers to the control of infectious diseases.

Prof. Avi Peretz from the Faculty of Medicine and Tzafon Medical Center and Prof. Amos Danieli from the Faculty of Engineering chaired the conference.

Funding for the conference was provided by the Israel Science Foundation.

Congratulations to Scientific Equipment Center technician Yuval Zalthberg (pictured below with BIU Worker's Union Faculty of Medicine representative Dr. Eyla Maoz) who was chosen as one of Bar-Ilan University's 12 "best employees" for the 2021-22 academic year. University-wide "Staff Day" ceremony was held today at the Ramat Gan campus.

Congratulations to 6 (!) Azrieli Faculty of Medicine recipients of ISF, Israel Science Foundation grants:

• Prof. Michael Edelstein and Dr. Kamal abu Jabal
• Dr. Ron Orbach
• Dr. Moran Yadid
• Prof. Moshe Dessau
• Dr. Limor Meoded-Danon
• Dr. Rotem Kahalon

Prof. Itay Onn, Dr. Kobi Maman, Dr. Nir Qvit also received grants for research workshops.

Full details (in Hebrew) can be found here.

For more information (in Hebrew) on Graduate Degree and Research at the Faculty, click here.
 

Prof. Omry Koren, one of the world's most highly cited microbiology researchers, is the recipient of a European Research Council (ERC) Proof of Concept Grant. He is being awarded the Grant for his research into the effects of maternal antibiotic use on offspring behavior.

An international delegation of students on behalf of World ORT, in collaboration with Braude Academic College, visited the Faculty of Medicine on July 31, 2023 and met Dr. Alon Barash who showed them innovative methods for studying anatomy using a virtual imaging table (anatomage) and other technologies.

Students from this program come to Israel for a summer seminar every year for 3 weeks. Twenty gifted students selected from 12 countries (Brazil, Argentina, Panama, Mexico, Italy, Bulgaria, Russia, Colombia, South Africa, Czech Republic, France and Israel) were admitted to the program which is funded by the World ORT Organization. As part of the program, the students carried out research in the fieldד of environmental engineering, development of cancer drugs, and biomedicine. In addition, the students were exposed to Judaism at heritage sites in Jerusalem, Safed and Masada in order to expose them to the culture of Israel.

Special thanks to Hadas Oren for organizing the visit, and to Dr. Itai Malek of Braude.