Pediatric Nephrology Unit
The Pediatric Nephrology Unit at Sheba Medical Center provides diagnostic evaluations, medical treatments, and follow-up monitoring for children who suffer from the entire spectrum of kidney and urinary diseases. We provide integrative care, and specialists from our nephrology division collaborate with physicians in other medical disciplines to customize every patient’s treatment program. Our team includes highly qualified pediatric nephrologists, nurses, dialysis technicians, and a dietitian – all specially trained to treat children.
The Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital
The Pediatric Nephrology Unit is located within the Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, a comprehensive facility at Sheba Medical Center dedicated entirely to children and their families. In this modern hospital, we provide a full range of healthcare services within a cheerful, comfortable environment that was designed with kids in mind.
Other departments in the Safra Children’s Hospital include:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation Department
- Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes Clinic
- Department of Pediatric Surgery
- The Edmond J. Safra International Congenital Heart Center
- Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department
- The Claudio Cohen Department of Pediatric Intensive Care
- The Raphael Cohen Pediatric Emergency Department
- The Pediatric Psychosomatic Department
- The Albert Katz Department of Neonatology
- The Weinberg Child Development Center
- The Pediatric Pulmonary Unit
- The Pediatric Metabolic Disease
- The Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit
- The Pediatric Nephrology Unit
- The Pediatric Rheumatology Department
- The Pediatric Infectious Disease Unit
- The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit
- The Institute for Rare Diseases
- The Pediatric Neurology Unit
- The Pediatric Stem Cell Research Institute
- The Institute of Pediatric Cardiology
- The Pediatric Community Medicine Unit
What conditions do we treat?
Sheba’s doctors treat infants and children with a wide range of renal conditions, including:
- Kidney and urinary tract stones
- Renal metabolic conditions
- Acquired and congenital renal disease
- Acute and chronic renal failure
- Terminal renal failure
- Nocturia (nocturnal urination syndrome)
- Hypertension in children up to age 18
What treatments are offered at Pediatric Nephrology Unit?
- Dialysis Unit: In this center, we perform peritoneal dialysis for children who suffer from terminal renal failure; we also arrange at-home dialysis, when appropriate
- Acute Dialysis Unit: We use various methods of dialysis treatment for infants and children suffering from acute renal failure (administered in the Pediatric ICU), including peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, and hemofiltration
- Clinic for Terminal Kidney Disease and Kidney Transplant Patients: We provide precise monitoring for children with chronic and terminal renal insufficiency, as well as follow-up after kidney transplant; our staff includes physicians, a dietitian, and a pediatric psychologist to help prepare children for dialysis or a kidney transplant
- Renal Biopsy Service: We provide diagnosis and treatment for children with chronic renal disease and acute renal failure, working in collaboration with Sheba’s Ultrasound Unit and Pathology Institute
- Pediatric Nocturia Clinic: At this specialized clinic, we provide a range of therapies for nocturnal urination in children, such as bladder exercise, motivation counseling, conditioning, medication (Minirin), antidepressants, and muscle relaxants
The Director
Benjamin Dekel, MD, PhD
Director, Pediatric Nephrology Unit at the Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital
Head of the Pediatric Stem Cell Research Institute
Prof. Dekel is internationally renowned as one of the most innovative investigators in the field of human renal stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. He independently established his laboratory for regenerative and developmental nephrology and founded the Pediatric Stem Cell Research Institute at Sheba Medical Center.
Prof. Dekel’s laboratory adopts a multidisciplinary approach to investigate fundamental problems in developmental biology, tissue regeneration, and cancer. At the same time, his work holds promise for the development of novel disease therapies. In the field of pediatric renal cancer and kidney development, Prof. Dekel pioneered the identification of human stem/progenitor cells and their use in tissue repair and regeneration, as well as targeted therapy in pediatric cancer.
Prof. Dekel’s studies are summarized in over 110 publications in leading medical journals.
His research has been supported by many esteemed organizations, and he has received multiple international awards, including the Youdim Family Prize for Excellence in Cancer Research.
Prof. Dekel received his medical degree from the Technion (with distinction) and a doctorate from the Weizmann Institute of Science (with distinction). He completed a residency in Pediatrics at Sheba Medical Center, a clinical fellowship in pediatric nephrology at Schneider Children’s Medical Center, and a postdoctoral fellowship in stem cell biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Prof. Dekel is a full professor of pediatrics at the Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, and affiliated faculty in the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry. He served as a visiting professor at Stanford University.
Holistic Healthcare at Sheba – Focused on Your Child
When caring for children with kidney and urinary diseases, we personalize every treatment program to consider each child and family’s unique needs. As we provide the most effective, multidisciplinary medical treatments possible, we focus on improving your child’s overall quality of life – and not just on the disease. Our team includes a psychologist, social worker, dietitian, and rehabilitation therapists who treat every child with compassion to promote full healing. To ensure a comfortable and efficient patient experience, every healthcare service from A-Z is provided conveniently under one roof on Sheba’s campus.
