Population Health

Population Health
Telephone
Bar-Ilan Email
mary.rudolf@biu.ac.il
Office
Building F, Floor 2
Fields of Interest

Public health

Research field
Population Health
Research Center
Bar-Ilan University Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Safed
    Research

    Population Health at Bar-Ilan  focuses its research efforts in five main domains:  health disparities research, early childhood, health and the environment, lifestyle medicine, and social determinants of health curriculum.

    Health disparities research

    ETGAR: The Department has established ETGAR, a service staffed by medical students, which centers on the transition from hospital to home for disadvantaged patients. This project is BIU’s flagship community project and is in receipt of grants from the Israeli Council of Higher and the Israel National Institute for Health Policy Research. One aspect involves assessing the readmission rates of participating patients.

    On an international level, Dr. Sivan Shohat is conducting postdoctoral research on the evaluation of organizational initiatives to reduce healthcare disparities with the University of Chicago, with the aim of offering health organizations an understanding of the mechanisms which may inhibit or facilitate disparity reduction.

    Social Incubator for Promoting Health in the Galilee:  Project Rafael gives local organizations in the community the opportunity to work in partnership with the Center to develop and pilot innovative programs that influence health. Projects have included working with disabled Arab women to speak out for better health care, a hiking and nutrition program to reduce obesity in individuals struggling with severe mental illness and training the elderly to work as medical clowns. The organizations meet regularly at the Medical School, receive personalized academic consultation and support, and benefit from seed funding to pilot their ideas. Click here for more information on the Rafael Social Incubator.

    Early Childhood

    Our research in early childhood focuses on the areas of lifestyle, obesity and child injuries. We are exploring protective factors against obesity in children of low SES in Northern Israel, lifestyle in young Haredi families, and developmental concerns in preschool children. We are involved in the development and evaluation of three complex interventions: Efshari Bari le Gil ha Rach, a national child obesity prevention program; the implementation of a new hospital based child injury prevention program at Ziv Hospital with the NGO Beterem; and a tailored genetic counselling program for Arab families in the Galilee.

    Click the following links for additional information on:

    Health and the Environment

    Environmental epidemiological research led by Dr. Keren Agay Shay focuses on the impact of environmental factors on health as it relates to pregnancy outcomes, infant growth and cancer incidence. The research involves spatial and temporal analysis and analysis of the associations with ambient exposures such as climate change (heat and cold waves, dust events), air pollution and greenness and the health burden of air pollution.

    Lifestyle Medicine

    Alongside the introduction of a lifestyle medicine curriculum into medical education, Dr Jumanah Essa Hadad and Dr Lilach Maletskey are studying efforts to create a “Healthy Faculty” for students and staff. An organization-wide intervention addressing nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction is underway, with collaboration from the University of British Columbia.

    Social determinants of health curriculum

    The Department is responsible for the development of a Social Determinants Curriculum involving four courses. This novel curriculum is the focus of educational research in medical studies.

     

    Research Grants:

    Saskolne V and Rudolf MCJ. Protective Factors for Healthy Weight in Children from Low Socio-Economic Populations. NIHP 2013-2016, 200,000 NIS.

    Mark M and Rudolf MCJ. Evaluating the implementation of a community initiated “Shared Mental Healthcare” psychiatric model for individuals coping with complex bio-psycho-social problems in a small peripheral town. NIHP 2014-2017, 198,330 NIS.

    Rudolf MCJ, Weingarten M, Luder A, Ben-Ami M, Reis S, Eilat Z, Basharat B, Dikman N, Spitzer-Shohat S (2015). ETGAR Center. Council for Higher Education Flagship Project grant. 2015-2018, 450,000 NIS.

    Rudolf MCJ, Luder A, Essa-Hadad J (2018).  Reducing the burden of child injuries in Israel.  Pratt Foundation, 2018-2022, 225,000 AUD.

    Rudolf MCJ, Ben Ami M, Sheleg T, Zarka S, Bisharat B, Spitzer-Shohat S.  ETGAR- A medical school’s partnership with hospitals across the Galilee to innovatively tackle transition between care settings.  2016-2019, 263,000 NIS.

    Agay Shay K and Rudolf MCJ (2016). Analysis of cases of cancer in Northern Israel over 16 years and their connection with levels of heavy metals.  Asaf Foundation, 2016-2017, 50,000 NIS.  

    Courses

    Public health course for medical students

    On starting medical school, public health is the first course students encounter. They are introduced to the concepts of health and disease, and principles of public health. They gain an understanding of the Galil and its diverse population, with an emphasis on social determinants of health and health inequalities.

     

    Mahar – Community placements for pre-clinical students

    The MAHAR (social commitment in medicine) course runs through the first two years of medical student training. Students work in community placements in the Galil, applying their public health skills to the benefit of vulnerable populations in the Region. Click here for additional information on the ‘MAHAR’ course for pre-clinical students.

     

    Preventative Medicine Course

    The preventative medicine course is integrated into the internal medicine rotation.  Students explore the social determinants of health through case presentations and counselling patients on lifestyle change.

     

    The ETGAR Program for clinical students

    ETGAR is a new initiative that trains a workforce of medical students to visit patients at home following discharge from hospital. They provide guidance and support to encourage speedier and more complete recoveries and save patients from unnecessary readmission to hospital. Participating students gain invaluable skills and insights into the lives of disadvantaged patients Click here for additional information on the ETGAR program for clinical students.

     

    MSc/PhD in health studies

    Postgraduate courses leading to an MSc or PhD in Health Studies is offered at Bar Ilan medical school. The courses cover health promotion, medical humanities, medical ethics, medical education and research methodology.  

     

    MPH residency placements in partnership with The University of Leeds, UK

    Bar Ilan Faculty of Medicine is providing field placements for public health residents training at the University of Leeds in the UK. Under joint supervision residents carry out an in depth project that develops their global health skills and at the same time offers considerable benefits to the Galil.

    Publications

    A. Population Health – Selected Department publications:

    Original Articles: 

    • Ben-David N. (2014). On Parenting and a Health Lifestyle: A Discussion with Professor Mary Rudolf. Et Hasadeh- Ashalim Journal of Children, Youth and Young Adults at Risk and Thier Families 10, pp.58-66 (in Hebrew). 
    • Essa-Hadad J, Murdoch-Eaton D. Rudolf MCJ. What impact does community service learning have on medical students’ appreciation of population health? Public Health (2015)  129(11):1444-51
    • Leigh Hunt N, Stroud L, Murdoch Eaton D, Rudolf MJC. A qualitative study of enablers and barriers influencing the incorporation of social accountability values into organisational culture: a perspective from two medical schools. International Journal of Health Policy Research 2015. 4:48-56.
    • Willis TA, Roberts K, Bryant MJ, Berry T, Rudolf MCJ.  The impact of HENRY on parenting and family lifestyle: a national service evaluation of a preschool obesity prevention programme. Public Health 2016. 136:101-108
    • Malatskey L, Essa-Hadad J, Willis TA, Rudolf MCJ. Leading healthy lives: lifestyle medicine for medical students. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine 2017. (in press)
    • Ratcliffe G, Spitzer-Shohat S, Stroud L, Essa-Hadad J, Rudolf MCJ. Are non-clinical community placements an effective way to generate medical student understanding of the social determinants of ill health? Public Health (in press)
    • Agay-Shay K, Rudolf M, Rubin L, Haklai Z, Grotto I. Trends in Fetal Growth Between 2000 to 2014 in Singleton Live Births from Israel. Science Reports 2018 (in press)
    • Peles C, Rudolf MCJ, Weingarten M, Bentwich M. What can be learned from health-related tensions and disparities  in ultra-orthodox Jewish families?” Journal of Religion and Health (in press).

    Review Papers:

    • Rudolf MCJ, Reis S, Gibbs TJ, Murdoch-Eaton D, Stone DH, Grady M, Berlin A, Blair M, Essa-Hadad J, Spitzer-Shohat S, Weingarten M. (2014). How can medical schools contribute to bringing about health equity? Israel Journal of Health Policy Research 3(17): 1-6. [PDF] [Second most highly accessed article in the IJHPR and in the top 5% of all articles ever tracked by Altmetric]
    • Gilbey P, Rudolf MCJ, Spitzer-Shohat S, Luder A. The Dedicated Enough Doctor: The Limits of Medical Altruism in the 21st Century. IMAJ 2016. 18
    • Rubin L, Belmaker I, Somekh E, Urkin J, Rudolf M,HonovichM, Bilenko N, Grossman Z. Building lives: Maternal and Child Health in Israel. May 2017 Lancet. Health in Israel p18-34.

    Letters:

    • Rubin L, Belmaker I, Somekh E, Rudolf M, Grossman Z. Maternal and child health in Israel. Lancet Feb 2018
    • Rivo M, Rudolf MCJ, Spitzer-Shohat S,Weingarten M, Schuster B, Schwartz R, Nash D, Silberberg N.  Bar Ilan Medical School’s ETGAR Program. Lancet Feb 2018

    Chapters:

    • Shohat S, Essah-Hadad J, Rudolf MCJ. The power of experiential learning in a hard to teach subject. Active Education for Future doctors.(In preparation Springer press)

     

    B. Conference Presentations: 

    • Spitzer-Shohat S, Essa J, Weingarten M, Krom M, and Rudolf MCJ. Project “Raphael”: A Novel Approach to Social Accountability. Medical Schools’ Responsibility to Society Conference. Bar-Ilan Faculty of Medicine November 2013.
    • Abutbul S, Golan M, Rudolf MCJ. “In Favor of Resilience Self” – Prevention Program to Enhance Resilience and Positive Self and Body Image Among Adolescents Aged 15-17. Translational Research Day Bar Ilan Faculty of Medicine, March 2014.
    • Essa-Hadad J and Rudolf MCJ. Participatory Community Oriented Learning: A Way to Introduce Medical Students to Social Accountability? Previs Medical Education Conference, Be’er Sheva June 2014.
    • Dickman, N. and Rudolf MCJ. Using Team-Based Learning to Train Doctors of the Future to be Committed to Reducing Gaps in Health. Previs Medical Education Conference, Be’er Sheva June 2014.
    • Dickman, N. and Rudolf MCJ. Understanding the issue of inequality in health and developing social commitment to reduction of gaps in health, using Team-Based Learning: The case of public health course at the Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee in Israel. COMET- Conference on Communication, Medicine and Ethics, Switzerland, June 2014.
    • Rudolf MCJ. Children’s obesity and approaches to treatment. The Annual Macabbi Health Services conference for pediatrics. Kibutz Hagoshrim, June 2014.
    • Spitzer-Shohat S,  Reis S, Gilbey P, Weingarten M, and Rudolf MCJ. Are we producing socially accountable graduates? Developing a new evaluation framework. Healer Conference. Tel-Aviv Faculty of Medicine September 2014.
    • Shimoni I, Spitzer-Shohat S,  Reis S, Gilbey P, and Rudolf MCJ. Is social accountability at the forefront of our medical curriculum? Healer Conference. Tel-Aviv Faculty of Medicine September 2014.
    • Essa-Hadad J, Murdoch-Eaton D, Rudolf MCJ.  What impact does community service learning have on medical students’ appreciation of population health?  Healer Conference. Tel-Aviv Faculty of Medicine, September 2014.
    • Agay Shay K. and Grotto I. Air pollution and morbidity in Haifa bay area- Protecting Public Health.  43th Annual conference, The Israel Society of Ecology & Environmental Sciences”.  Jerusalem, Israel, 2015. 
    • Agay Shay K., Levy N., Rudolf M., Rubin L, Haklai Z., Grotto I. Spatial cluster analysis of fetal growth in singleton live births from Israel, 2000-2014.  45th Annual Conference, Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences.  Tel Aviv, 2017.
    • Agay Shay K.  Michael Y., Basagaña X., Martínez-Solanas È., Broday D., Lensky I.M., Rudolf M., Rubin L., Kent R., Levy N., HaklaiZ., Grotto I. Greenness and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Tel-Aviv during 2000-2014.  Annual Conference of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians.  Ramat Gan, 2018.
    • Agay Shay K.  The challenge of multiple pollutant exposures.  46th Annual Conference, Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, July 2018.

     

    C. Poster Presentations:

    • Zelcer S, Rudolf M.The potential of social networking tools to promote health and support health behaviour change among youth populations in the Galil. Israel Convention on Public Health, Tel Aviv, May 2012.
    • Essa-Hadad J, Dickman N and Rudolf MCJ. Participatory Based Community Oriented Learning as a Strategy for Teaching Public Health to Medical Students. Translational Research Conference, Bar-Ilan Faculty of Medicine 2013.
    • Spitzer-Shohat S, Essa J, Weingarten M, Krom MD, Rudolf MCJ. Israel’s Newest Medical School’s Strategy for Social Accountability: Project “Raphael”. The 5th International Jerusalem Conference on Health Policy June, 2013.
    • Malatskey L, Essa J, Rudolf MCJ. Leading healthy lives – lifestyle medicine teaching for medical students. Lifestyle Medicine 2014 Conference. San-Diego, CA, October 2014. 

    Last Updated Date : 14/11/2023