Effective November 1, 2025, Dr. Michal Mekel has formally assumed the position of Director General of Rambam Health Care Campus (Haifa, Israel)—the first woman to lead Northern Israel’s largest tertiary hospital since its founding in 1938.
Dr. Michal Mekel. Photography: Rambam HCC
Dr. Michal Mekel is the Director General of Rambam Health Care Campus, one of the nation’s largest and most advanced tertiary hospitals, serving as Northern Israel’s referral center for complex and critical care. A highly respected surgeon and respected leader in health-system management, she is the first woman to head Rambam since the hospital’s founding in 1938.
Born in 1973, Dr. Mekel is married and the mother of three. A surgeon by training, she studied medicine at the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and completed most of her medical training at Rambam. After completing a fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in 2009, she became Israel’s first endocrine surgeon and developed the field in Israel and in the department of surgery at Rambam. As the hospital’s Director General, Dr. Mekel continues to practice as an active surgeon. She also holds an appointment as a Senior Clinical Lecturer at the Technion’s Faculty of Medicine.
Since 2013, Dr. Mekel has held a series of leadership roles at Rambam. In 2017, she was appointed Deputy Director of the hospital, becoming the first female physician to hold the role at Rambam. Her responsibilities as deputy director included heading the division of quality care and patient safety (2017), managing Rambam's physician affairs including staff recruitment, medical education and training (2019), and from 2024, leading the hospital's strategic planning and departmental operational plans.
Alongside her responsibilities at Rambam, Dr. Mekel has held several positions within the Ministry of Health's and the Division of Government Medical Centers. including serving on the Ministry’s Licensing and Internship Examination Committee, heading the task force for the planned merger of Rambam and Ma'ale Carmel hospitals, and leading an Israeli field hospital delegation to Ukraine in 2022. Dr. Mekel also serves as a member of the National Council for Surgery, Anesthesia, and Intensive Care.
As part of her management training, Dr. Mekel earned a Master's in Health Administration (MHA) at the University of Haifa. She also completed advanced leadership programs, including the Senior Civil Service Program of the Israel Civil Service Commission; the Wexner Senior Leaders Program at Harvard Kennedy School of Government; the INBAR Healthcare Management Program, a joint venture between Maoz and the Ministry of Health to cultivate senior healthcare leaders which includes training at the Harvard Business School; and the Directors and CEO Course at the Technion.
Upon her appointment as Director General, Dr. Mekel stated:
“I am grateful for the confidence placed in me and for the privilege of leading Rambam Health Care Campus in the coming years. Rambam is my home—the place where I grew and developed as a professional—and I am proud to be part of the legacy of excellence at the largest medical center in northern Israel. Now, looking ahead, and together with the entire Rambam family, I intend to continue advancing the development of Rambam Health Care Campus to new heights.”
