Prof. Benjamin Dekel, Head of the Pediatric Stem cell Research Institute and Director of the Pediatric Nephrology Division at the Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, and Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld, founder and Head of the Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, received the prestigious award for “Scientific Medical Contribution” at the Israel Medical Association Conference.
Prof. Benjamin Dekel, Head of the Pediatric Stem Cell Research Institute and Director of the Pediatric Nephrology Division at the Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital, and Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld, founder and Head of the Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases, received the prestigious award for “Scientific Medical Contribution” at the Israel Medical Association Conference.
Prof. Dekel was awarded the prize for being a leading physician in the field of stem cell research, with an emphasis on kidney and renal cancer. He and his team were the first to identify and isolate human embryonic stem cells that can produce normal functioning kidney tissue. Professor Dekel is responsible for groundbreaking discoveries on renal cancer development mechanisms in children whose kidney cells are disrupted, as well as for new methods of treatment.
Prof. Dekel is a member of the editorial board of leading stem cell and tissue engineering journals and serves on the SAB of the UK Regenerative Medicine Initiative. For his scientific achievements, Prof. Dekel has received multiple awards including the Youdim Family Prize for Excellence in Cancer Research and was the first Israeli physician to be elected as a foreign member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation.
Prof. Schoenfeld was awarded the prize for his exceptional and long-standing work. Prof. Schoenfeld is a world-renowned expert in internal medicine and clinical immunology. He published numerous articles and edited numerous textbooks, described new syndromes, developed drugs, and organized many international conferences. Prof. Schoenfeld is a member of the editorial board of 40 professional journals in the fields of rheumatology and immunology around the world. He is the editor of “haRefua” journal and founder and editor of IMAJ- the Israel Medical Association Journal. Over the years, Prof. Schoenfeld has received numerous awards and prizes, including the Nelson Prize for Science and Humanity and the Life Achievement Award for the Advancement of Internal Medicine in Israel.
