Physician of the Month: Dr. Doron Avital

Physician of the Month: Dr. Doron Avital

Meeting patients in the community gives medical students a broader understanding of health, extending beyond medical conditions to include family, social, and environmental factors that influence both health and care. This is the goal of the Foundations of Medicine and Health Professions in the Community (YAROK) course, led by Dr. Doron Avital, Head of the Family Medicine Department in Clalit’s Northern District, who has been selected as Physician of the Month for his role in leading the course and helping educate future physicians.

A graduate of the Technion Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Avital currently heads the department in which he completed his residency training. Throughout his career, he has held several senior leadership positions, including managing the Emekim Directorate, where he was responsible for healthcare services for approximately 200,000 patients. He later served as the district’s Risk Management Director, leading training programs and developing and implementing safety and ethics procedures. Today, his department is responsible for training family physicians across northern Israel while integrating the foundations of family medicine with emerging technologies and effective patient communication.

Dr. Avital’s commitment to community medicine is also reflected in his work at the Faculty. Together with Dr. Mifleh Tatour, and in collaboration with teaching fellows and community-based instructors, he coordinates the YAROK course, which is taught during the pre-clinical years of the six-year M.D. program. The course introduces students to the wide range of healthcare services available beyond hospital walls and to the people who rely on them.

The curriculum combines introductory lectures with small-group clinical exposure days. Students visit a variety of community healthcare settings, including family medicine, pediatrics, women’s health, mental health, geriatrics, specialty care, early childhood development centers, and rehabilitation services. They meet physicians and healthcare professionals, observe clinical cases, and learn about the unique needs and challenges of diverse patient populations.

Special attention is given to the relationship between patients, their families, and healthcare teams. Students learn to view medical conditions within a broader context, listen to patients and family members, and recognize the impact of cultural, social, and religious backgrounds on healthcare encounters. They also gain an appreciation for clear communication with patients and the importance of multidisciplinary teamwork.

The course encourages students to reflect on their own experiences as future healthcare professionals by recognizing the thoughts and reactions that arise during patient encounters and learning from them. Alongside clinical learning, students are introduced to the professional responsibilities that accompany a career in medicine, including confidentiality, privacy, integrity, listening, and accepting feedback.

Through the course, Dr. Avital connects his extensive experience in family medicine and healthcare leadership with the earliest stages of medical education. By exposing students to community-based care, he helps broaden their perspective and equips them with the tools needed to provide comprehensive patient-centered care in the future.

As Dr. Avital summarizes: “Knowledge and familiarity are a therapeutic asset for caregivers and a benefit for patients.”