(Photos: Rambam Health Care Campus)
The Science and Technology Committee, chaired by MK Yasir Hujeirat (Ra’am—United Arab List), conducted a professional tour on Sunday at the Research Division of Rambam Health Care Campus. During the tour, the committee members heard groundbreaking lectures in the fields of innovation, medical research, oncology and advanced research methodologies, and visited the hospital’s research and technology centers.
Prof. Michael “Miki” Halberthal, Director General and CEO of Rambam Health Care Campus, welcomed the Members of Knesset and presented Rambam’s vision as a leading medical and research institution.
Several senior researchers presented their fields of research: Prof. Lior Gepstein spoke about the field of research and innovation at Rambam; Prof. Irit Ben Aharon presented the topic of physician researchers and oncology; Dr. Ruth Perets discussed Phase 1 clinical trials and medical academia; Dr. Shlomit Yehudai-Reshef, director of the Clinical Research Institute at Rambam (CRIR) presented her work and the Israeli Translational Research (ITR) Network; and Dr. Arbel Artzy-Schnirman spoke about the activity of the Applied Medical Technology Research Center (MATRiC).
Committee Chair MK Hujeirat: “We observed today up close the scientific activity at Rambam, which demonstrates how a medical institution can become a focal point of innovation and strategic infrastructure for advancing research and development in Israel. The connection between medicine, academia and industry is not only important, it is vital for the scientific future of the state and the health of the entire public. The Science and Technology Committee views this as a national objective, and is committed to work towards advancing such collaborations, removing regulatory barriers, and ensuring that the State of Israel will continue to lead in science and medicine in the coming decades as well. My door in the Knesset is open to continuing the advancement of this highly important work, which saves the lives of many people and ensures quality and health for the entire public.”
During the tour, the committee chair called to regulate [additional] positions for physician researchers, in such a way that would enable in-depth research coupled with clinical activity, similarly to researchers in the academic world who dedicate 100% of their time to research.
Director General and CEO of Rambam Health Care Campus Prof. Halberthal said, “Rambam’s geographical location is the best in Israel and affords us options that no other hospital in the country has. We’re located next to the Technion’s Faculty of Medicine, in which basic research is conducted, and we can take part in what is known as ‘translational research’—which bridges between the basic research in the faculty and the clinical activity at the hospital. Hundreds of our physicians engage on a monthly basis in research at the faculty across the road. In addition, we are located very close to the campus of the University of Haifa, with which we have extensive research collaborations, and also with additional Technion faculties such as biomedical engineering, nanotechnology and more. And of course, there is very great proximity to the high-tech and med-tech industries in southern Haifa, in an area that houses the highest concentration of these companies in Israel—with which we have close cooperation.
“Finally, in the middle of next year we are scheduled to dedicate the Helmsley Health Discovery Tower, in which 13 of 20 floors will be dedicated to med-tech and biotech companies for the purpose of medical developments, as well as floors for the Technion and the university—right here inside the campus. I can proudly report that both in the Swords of Iron war and in the Rising Lion war, the research at Rambam did not stop, even under fire. We continued to conduct simultaneously 460 studies—this is a huge number that shows the power and the commitment of Rambam to the research field,” said Prof. Halberthal.
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