Rambam Health Care Campus is proud and honored to bestow the 2023 Rambam Award upon Dr. Tal Zaks in recognition of his role in developing a life-saving COVID-19 vaccine that contributed to global recovery from the pandemic; and in honor of his passion and effort to benefit humankind through pharmaceuticals, serving as an inspiration for all – especially the clinician-researchers of Rambam Health Care Campus.
Born in Haifa, and a graduate of Haifa's Hebrew Reali School, Zaks reached the top of the global pharmaceutical industry in the quest for a cure for cancer that would lead to the successful development of a COVID vaccine.
Growing up, family travel between the United States and Israel gave Zaks a bilingual command of English and Hebrew. At Haifa's Hebrew Reali School, he studied math, physics, chemistry, and developed an interest in medicine and healthcare, becoming a volunteer in Magen David Adom (MADA). Despite being accepted by the Technion to study medicine, Zaks – to his family’s chagrin – said he felt too immature and opted first to complete his army service.
These experiences laid the groundwork for what distinguished Zaks in his future accomplishments: flexibility, insatiable curiosity, and the desire to learn, with a rare and healthy attribute for introspection.
With an MD and a PhD from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Zaks was mentored by the late Professor Shraga Sego, and became intrigued by cancer immunology. He therefore pursued a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute in the laboratory of Steven Rosenberg. All this while accompanied by his wife Meirav and a small child; their second son was born during his fellowship studies.
The quest for a cancer cure led to an interest in vaccines, which dovetailed with his realization that translating science into medicine was best achieved within the pharmaceutical and biotech industry. Zaks would become an esteemed educator and researcher, leading to the development of dozens of pharmaceuticals for GlaxoSmithKline, Chephalon, and Sanofi Oncology. However, Zaks is best known for his leadership at Moderna Therapeutics where his pioneering efforts led to development of the coronavirus vaccine. As Moderna’s Chief Medical Officer, Zaks' hands-on leadership contributed to global recovery from the pandemic.
Following these successes, Zaks was recruited by Sol Barer, a former Rambam Award recipient, to join the board of Teva Pharmaceuticals. Zaks would find his life integrally intertwined with the city of his birth – particularly through Rambam HCC. His father, Joseph, was born at Rambam, and his grandfather, a construction foreman who literally helped build Haifa, would spend his last days there.
Zaks credits his father’s long life to the exemplary care of Rambam’s cardiologists, particularly Professor Rafi Beyar and Professor Haim Hammerman, who were inspirations to his own accomplishments. In acknowledgment of all the aforesaid, the Honorary Awards Committee has found Mr. Tal Zaks deserving of the 2023 Rambam Award.