In March, on the heels of Sheba Medical Center being ranked by Newsweek as one of the Top Ten Hospitals worldwide, the hospital was also proud to learn that Prof. Gidi Rechavi, Director of Sheba’s Jusidman Oncology Hospital and Professor of Hematology, had been selected as the Israel Prize laureate in the medical research field.
“Prof. Rechavi embodies the best combination of excellence in clinical medicine and groundbreaking research achievements in understanding basic biological mechanisms,” explained the award committee. “The research center is responsible for key discoveries in identifying new mechanisms for editing genetic information in living cells. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for researching disease processes and developing future treatment options.”
Prof. Rechavi specializes in pediatrics, general hematology, and pediatric hemato-oncology. Under his leadership, Sheba’s Pediatric Oncology Department has developed into the main Israeli center for treating childhood cancer. Having co-authored more than 150 articles in international medical journals, he is a widely respected scientist in molecular biology and immunology of hematological malignancies. Prof. Rechavi is also the head of the Tel Aviv University Cancer Biology Center and holds the Shapiro Chair for research in hematologic malignancies.
In response to the illustrious award, Prof. Rechavi expressed, “I am delighted to represent the high level of medicine at Sheba’s pediatric hematology and oncology [divisions], as well as the medical research.”
Prof. Yitzhak Kreiss, Director of Sheba Medical Center, personally congratulated Prof. Rechavi, “[The award] brings great pride to Sheba Medical Center, whose researchers are making a mark and pioneering the promotion of cancer research and treatment in Israel and around the world.”
Every year, as evening falls and Memorial Day passes into Independence Day in Israel, 12 notable individuals are traditionally selected to light the “diaspora torches” as part of a festive ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. This year, at the celebration of Israel’s 72nd anniversary, Prof. Galia Rahav, Head of the Infectious Disease Unit at Sheba, was chosen to light a beacon representing the tens of thousands of medical and nursing staff battling the coronavirus crisis.
Prof. Rahav, a prominent infectious diseases expert, currently oversees Sheba’s healthcare system dedicated to COVID-19. Working in collaboration with an impressive team of medical professionals, she is leading important clinical research and partnering in the world’s first trial to discover a new cure for COVID-19. Prof. Rahav is on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
In addition to her position at Sheba’s Infectious Disease Unit, Prof. Rahav also serves as a consultant in infectious diseases for the three largest health funds in Israel. She actively participates in many international scientific conferences, is the recipient of various prestigious awards in Israel and abroad, and has published widely.
As expressed by the Culture Ministry in response to the selection of Rahav to light a torch, “There is no doubt that Prof. Rahav is emblematic of the strong medical and humane creed that exists in the people of Israel, steadfast in their belief that rescuing one soul is as if they saved a whole world.”
