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Dr. Keren Rouvinov
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“My vision as a physician,” says Dr. Keren Rouvinov, “is to provide the very best care for my patients and to be there for them. I want to continue my progress in my research and my profession.”
Dr. Rouvinov, a medical oncologist specializing in urogenital tract malignancies, has been associated with Soroka for 18 years and notes that the hospital combines groundbreaking treatment with personal care. “We are being equipped with the newest technologies for radiotherapy to provide innovative treatment.” Fortunately, the oncology department at Soroka continued its full range of treatments for oncology patients during the corona pandemic.
She notes that “Research is an important part of oncology, and Soroka places great emphasis on research. The oncology department’s research unit is advanced and provides opportunities and possibilities for innovative research and treatment.”
Dr. Tehila Kaisman-Elbaz, Senior Neurosurgeon Currently a senior neurosurgeon, Dr. Kaisman-Elbaz is preparing to specialize in neurosurgical oncology and is dedicated to providing individualized treatment for all of her patients.
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Dr. Tehila Kaisman-Elbaz
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“I want to promote treatment that is tailored for each patient so that I can differentiate each brain tumor by its specific characteristics and adjust the treatment for the individual patient.” She appreciates the close relationship between Soroka and the faculty of health sciences at Ben-Gurion University which she believes will lead to advancements in treating neuro-oncological diseases. “One of the things that is special here,” she says, “is the excellent relationship between clinicians and researchers in hubs and forums. The connection between clinic and research and technology will lead to the advancement of treatment for illnesses.”
This summer, Dr. Kaisman-Elbaz will begin a two-year fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic, studying innovative techniques in the treatment of brain tumors, including focused radiation for brain tumors and the genetics of brain tumors, their classification, and advanced molecular methods. Dr. Kaisman-Elbaz is looking forward to applying the new technologies to her work at Soroka.
Dr. Kaisman-Elbaz lists Prof. Rivka Carmi, the former Ben-Gurion University president, as a distinguished role model. “Prof. Carmi has supported me through my career, for which I am very grateful. Department heads Dr. Avi Cohen and Dr. Israel Melamed gave me a great deal of support and afforded me a great deal of consideration and flexibility. Soroka is a place where women can practice medicine, conduct research, and can combine the two with raising a family.”
Prof. Yael Refaely Allal, Director of Thoracic Surgery Chairperson of The Israeli Society of Thoracic Surgery, Prof. Yael Refaely has witnessed a revolution in her specialty during her 27-year medical career.
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Prof. Yael Refaely Allal
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“Thoracic surgery has received a great deal of momentum through technology,” she says, “and has transitioned from major, open-chest surgery to video-assisted thorascopic surgery and robotic surgery.”
Reflecting on innovation in the world of medicine, Prof. Refaely notes that online and digital medicine, which have become popular during the pandemic, will continue to make an impact in the coming years, and while nothing can replace the face-to-face encounter between a doctor and a patient, many medical issues can be alleviated through online treatment.
She anticipates a huge investment in health technology in the coming years that will improve knowledge and understanding of diseases along with improving treatment and the ability to tailor the best treatment to each patient. “We have more control over the data, and strive to improve communication between the various care providers who treat each patient in order to improve the quality of care.” While technological advances in revolutionary medicine, she notes that it is equally important to maintain compassion and kindness in the care of the patient. At Soroka Medical Center, says Prof. Refaely “The medical staff is part of a community to which it feels a huge commitment and responsibility,” she says. The hospital’s strong triangle of community, medicine, and patients is special and unique in the south. Soroka’s proximity to Ben-Gurion University is important in light of their significant collaborations.
Prof. Refaely says that International Women’s Day is especially significant for women in medicine: “More and more women are entering medicine and integrating into areas that were male dominant in the past, such as surgery, health management, and others. The profession is undergoing great change as a result.
Dr. Michal Maimon – Director of the Pediatric Emergency Department and Director of Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect Team, Saban Pediatric Medical Center
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Dr. Michal Maimon
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”My vision is to provide professional and humane care to all of my patients while being attentive to every family’s unique characteristics,” says Dr. Michal Maimon. She has spent her entire medical career at Soroka, apart from a fellowship at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.
Dr. Maimon has introduced several innovations to the pediatric emergency department, including sedation, bedside use of ultrasound, and treatment of pediatric trauma by a team of pediatricians. She has received training in treating child abuse and sexual assault and established a hospital service for examining children who have been victims of sexual assault. Previously, children in southern Israel requiring this treatment needed to be transferred to hospitals in the country’s center.
Soroka Medical Center is a tertiary medical center that provides advanced medical services for Negev residents. “One of the challenges we face in the Negev,” says Dr. Maimon, “is providing quality care for children – even for those who may be living in conditions different than what is usually found in the Western world. For example, a child with diabetes may live in an area without electricity and needs insulin that must be refrigerated“.
Dr. Maimon recalls that when the pandemic arrived in Israel, there was a great deal of concern among staff, but she says, “Thanks to the mutual support and partnership we overcame the difficulties, and today we are standing tall against the challenges of corona.”
International Women Day, says Dr. Maimon, is an opportunity to highlight women’s achievements and show girls and young women that they don’t have to choose between their careers or self-fulfillment and between being an involved and loving mother – they can have both.
Prof. Reli Hershkovitz–Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Saban Birth & Maternity Center, Vice Dean & Director of School of Medicine, Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
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Prof. Reli Hershkovitz
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“My goal is to provide the best and most innovative medical care for women while maintaining their dignity and the dignity of our staff,” Reli Hershkovitz has spent her entire medical career at Soroka, with the exception of a one-year fellowship at University College Hospital in London.
She speaks with pride about her department. “The Obstetrics and Gynecology Division at Soroka is the largest tertiary division of its kind in the world. Our department is staffed with excellent, top-quality doctors, nurses, midwives, and medical support staff.”
Soroka has the largest number of births of any hospital in Israel, and Prof. Hershkovitz says that the hospital had to make special arrangements throughout corona pandemic. “We made special birthing rooms for women infected with corona, and prepared an operating room for women giving birth who had corona.” In addition, the hospital encouraged women with health issues to come to the hospital for treatment if they were not feeling well, rather than staying away due to fear of becoming infected with corona.
Prof. Hershkovitz encourages her staff to utilize new technologies, equipment, and techniques. She specializes in gynecological ultrasound and has introduced numerous technologies, including 3-D ultrasound, vaginal ultrasound, and hysterosalpingography, a radiologic procedure that investigates the shape of the uterine cavity and the shape and patency of the fallopian tubes.
For Prof. Hershkovitz, International Women’s Day is an opportunity to promote the outstanding abilities and talents of women and to help use their abilities to help resolve cultural imbalances in the treatment of women.
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