Attendees from Israel and around the world, including world famous figures such as Mr. Sandy Weill and Mrs. Joan Weill, came to learn more about Rambam’s role in mass casualty management in Israel and the world, and to understand important issues behind disaster preparedness, the challenges in trauma unique to our time, and the path to overcoming obstacles to discoveries for the benefit of many.
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Prof. Karl Skorecki and Colonel (retired) John McManus at the Rambam Summit
Paul Melling-RHCC |
Master of Ceremonies, Prof. Karl Skorecki, Director of Medical and Research Development at RHCC opened the conference, followed by Prof. Rafi Beyar, the Director, who welcomed the attendees and shared on the importance of advancing knowledge regarding trauma and mass casualty events worldwide.
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Prof. William Schecter
Paul Melling-RHCC |
Pictures from the Second Lebanon War, shared by Professor Shimon Reisner, Deputy Director of RHCC, made clear the difficult situation Rambam faced and the real need for building a fortified underground hospital for the safety and security of patients and healthcare professionals. That experience also led to Rambam’s development of a unique software for tracking the injured and following them throughout the course of their treatment.
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Prof. Dan Shechtman and Prof. Rafael Beyar Director and CEO, RHCC
Paul Melling-RHCC |
Colonel (retired) John McManus, of the US Army injected humor into an otherwise poignant topic as he shared from his experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. He pointed out that disaster preparedness covers a whole spectrum, from prevention through to rehabilitation, and the hard fact that field experience providentially saves lives.
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From right to left- Prof. Rafael Beyar Director and CEO, RHCC, Prof. William Schecter, Colonel (retired) John McManus and Professor Shimon Reisner
Paul Melling-RHCC |
The history of trauma care may not seem important to many, but Prof. William Schecter from the San Francisco School of Medicine showed that understanding how discoveries are made, as well as what works and doesn’t work in the fight to save lives, helps to pinpoint challenges and directs us to needed discoveries for better medicine.
Dr. Hany Bahouth, head of the Trauma Unit and Emergency Surgery Services at RHCC helped people understand the importance of Rambam as the only Level One Trauma Center in Northern Israel by describing Rambam’s impressive services. Yet a different perspective was provided by Mr. Robert Forden, Economic Counselor to the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. Mr. Fordin shared on the importance of difference US-Israel collaborations and initiatives which impact many aspects of life, including medicine. Clearly the importance of the US-Israel Binational Foundation in educating future medical practitioners cannot be minimized.
A standing ovation went to Prof. Dan Shechtman, the 2011 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. Hailing from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Prof. Schechtman not only helped people understand his discovery, but made it clear that life-changing discoveries require five essentials: skill, professionalism in using that skill, tenacity, belief in yourself, and courage.
But another item Prof. Shechetman shared made it clear that every second counts in every way: He explained that very few discoveries can be recorded to a day or a week, but his discovery could be tracked to an exact moment in time. And that, perhaps, helps all of us appreciate trauma medicine and emergency preparedness more, for it’s all about helping others in an exact moment in time, which we hope will never come.