Prof. Galia Rahav, Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Sheba Medical Center, and Prof. Bella Kaufman, Director of the Breast Oncology Institute, as well as President of the Sheba Comprehensive Cancer Center, receive national and international accolades.
While the ‘where’ of Sheba Medical Center can be answered by looking at a map, the ‘how’ of our success and accomplishments can only be answered by another question – ‘who?’ The essence of Sheba and the secret to our success lies in our incredible, hard-working caregivers. Recently, two of our most distinguished physicians, Prof. Galia Rahav and Prof. Bella Kaufman, received international recognition for their seminal achievements.
Published yearly, the Forbes Israel ‘Power Women’ list celebrates the influence and contribution of powerful women to Israeli society. This last year, characterized to a large degree by the COVID-19 pandemic, the list gave precedence to health professionals and their role in the fight against the pandemic. For her role in raising public awareness of the dangers of COVID-19 and in establishing the COVID-19 wards at Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest hospital, one of the physicians awarded, Prof. Galia Rahav, Head of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Sheba, was named 2nd in the Forbes Israel 2020 ‘Power Women’ list.
Only two weeks earlier, Prof. Rahav was also named the annual Women of Action Science Honoree by the Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF). After receiving the honor, Prof. Rahav remarked: “I’m proud to be among the leaders of the fight against the pandemic and to contribute my knowledge, and the knowledge of the other medical professionals at Sheba Medical Center, towards the eradication of the pandemic and the return to normal daily life.” Prof. Yitshak Kreiss, Director General of Sheba Medical Center, congratulated Prof. Rahav on her latest achievements and added: “This honor is a testament to Prof. Rahav’s contribution to medicine in general and to the fight against COVID-19 in particular. Prof. Rahav and all of the other medical professionals at Sheba will continue to lead the fight against the virus.”
Concurrently, another of Sheba’s leading doctors, Prof. Bella Kaufman, is set to receive the prestigious annual Basser Global Prize. Each year, the Basser Global Prize recognizes a leading scientist who has advanced the study of the genes most commonly associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer: Breast cancer 1 (BRCA1) and breast cancer 2 (BRCA2). Prof. Kaufman is a leading breast cancer researcher in the field of BRCA genetics and conducted clinical trials that helped advance the treatment of BRCA-related cancers.
Upon learning of the decision to award her the 2020 Basser Global Prize, Prof. Kaufman remarked: “I’m very excited to be a recipient of the Basser Global Prize. It is a great honor for me to be counted among the world-renowned researchers and physicians who advanced the understanding and treatment of hereditary breast cancer.” Prof. Yitshak Kreiss congratulated Prof. Kaufman, and added: “Prof. Kaufman is a global leader in hereditary breast cancer research, and is one of the physicians whose work will shape the future of medicine.”
