News and Events

The activities of Rambam MedTech Ltd., Rambam Health Care Campus’s technology transfer company, have advanced a number of significant medical research and development initiatives conceived by Rambam physician-scientists over the past few months.

The Cheryl Spencer Scholarship Awards Ceremony was established by Irma (z”l) and Aaron Spencer to honor the memory of their daughter Cheryl (z”l), a young nursing student whose life was tragically cut short, and carry on her life’s mission.

Nearly a decade after losing twin babies born prematurely, Dana Naor gave birth to a healthy daughter with support from the medical team that fought to save the lives of her first-born son and daughter.

The HIV virus can be transmitted via direct contact between bodily fluids - unprotected sex, drug injections, blood transfusions, and open wounds. It cannot be transmitted through the air, food, drinks, or via regular physical contact.

The Department of Social Work at Rambam Health Care Campus, in collaboration with the Institutional Committee for the Prevention of Violence against Women, launched a campaign to increase awareness of the wave of violence against women.

All international courses had been discontinued as a result of the pandemic, but days prior to the discovery of the Omicron variant and the government’s subsequent recent decision to close the borders to non-Israelis, Rambam welcomed international course participants.

The Israeli delegation’s objective was to help local Romanian health care teams cope with the high levels of illness caused by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 now engulfing the nation.

Fibromyalgia—an illness characterized by chronic pain throughout the body, fatigue, and sleep disturbance—is very common, affecting two to eight percent of the population. Researchers in the Pain Medicine Institute at Rambam Health Care Campus led by Director Dr. Simon Vulfsons are working hard to find a cure, and may have found a solution in the most unlikely of places.

“6,000 people work here and give their all, even under difficult conditions. I heard a great deal of praise about the staff from dozens of patients who approached me,” shared Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz on his Facebook page.

The medical field is accustomed to diagnosing disease through evaluation of bodily fluids, but investigation of vaginal discharges has long remained taboo. “Many male researchers don't even know what they are,” explains Dr. Shlomit Yehudai-Reshef.

Three Israeli patients were the first to participate in a study to achieve what has never before been possible: the eradication of inoperable cancer tumors. Researchers at Rambam Health Care Campus created a network-based radiation program using a targeted methodology that has succeeded to eradicate tumors in problematic and difficult to approach locations within the body.

Following a diagnosis of leukemia, 11-year-old Tulin Hamdan needed a bone marrow donation to get well. Ta’ar Katima had joined the bone marrow registry, and was found to be a suitable match.

Biomica’s immuno-oncology program is based on the premise that the gut microbiome affects the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. The study is pending approval by Israel’s Ministry of Health.

To date, approximately 700 immigrant physicians who participated in a training program at Rambam Health Care Campus have successfully integrated into the Israeli healthcare system, and this year’s class is the largest so far. Their licensing exam success rate is higher than that of most Israeli students who studied abroad, and this year stood at 88.5 percent.

One in eight women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Throughout the year, Rambam Health Care Campus works to raise awareness of this disease, and holds special events during Breast Cancer Awareness month to highlight the critical importance of early detection.

Cornea replacement may be necessary in cases where this delicate disuse has been damaged. However, patients often find themselves in a prolonged queue for a cornea donation.

Bar, Chen, and Alvin met as leukemia patients in the Pediatric Oncology Department at Rambam Health Care Campus. A decade later, after all three had recovered, they met on an Israeli naval base where all three happened to be posted. They recently shared their story with Israeli news website Ynet.

According to Israel’s National Transplant Center, when altruistic donors register directly and join the organ exchange database, a chain of matches is created, enabling the donor to essentially save many lives.

Studies conducted in Rambam’s Joseph Fishman Oncology Center are proving the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccinations for cancer patients with solid tumors, and vaccinations—indicating a favorable profile.

Several training sessions were designed for the Israeli educational system to reduce the stigmas associated with epilepsy. The sessions provided tools for educators to use when assisting students suffering from the disorder.