American Friends of Rambam Medical Center

08/06/2026

Seeing the Future: Innovation, Impact and the Future of Neuroscience

On Thursday, July 30, American Friends of Rambam hosted an event at the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, New York.

Guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and wine before an engaging interview-style conversation between Rambam Health Care Campus’ Director General and CEO, Dr. Michal Mekel and the Hampton Synagogue’s Senior Rabbi, Rabbi Marc Schneier.

The discussion offered an inside look at Rambam’s vital role as Northern Israel’s 1,100-bed academic medical center, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center, and home to the world’s largest fortified underground emergency hospital. Dr. Mekel shared powerful firsthand accounts of leading Rambam through wartime, and highlighted the hospital’s groundbreaking innovations. Included in her remarks was the remarkable story of EyeCon technology helping a critically injured lone soldier reconnect with the world.

She spoke about Rambam’s vision for the future through transformative initiatives such as its new Neurosciences Institute and Fortified Intensive Care Unit. The evening also underscored Rambam’s unwavering commitment to providing world-class care to all people, regardless of background, and the critical role philanthropy plays in ensuring the hospital is prepared to save lives both today and for generations to come.

The evening concluded with an engaging Q&A session followed by dessert.

08/06/2026

Teen Receives Preventive Treatment After Unusual Bat Encounter at Home

A teenager’s attempt to investigate strange sounds from a home air conditioner led to an unexpected encounter and a precautionary trip to the pediatric emergency room at Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam). Medical staff say the case serves as an important reminder that any potential exposure to a bat should be taken seriously.

A 15-year-old boy from the Haifa area was treated at Rambam’s Cheryl Spencer Pediatric Emergency Department in the Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital following suspected exposure to a bat that entered the family’s home through an air-conditioning unit. The emergency department team described the incident as one of the more unusual cases it had recently encountered.

The teenager heard unusual noises coming from the air conditioner and approached the unit to determine their source. He then discovered a small bat hiding inside the system, and during his attempt to free the animal, secretions from the bat fell on his face and entered his mouth. At the same time, the family’s cat pounced on the bat.

Concerned about possible health risks associated with contact with bats, the teen sought medical evaluation at Rambam. Medical staff assessed the situation and provided preventive treatment for rabies in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines before discharging him home in good condition. The family was also advised that the cat should receive appropriate preventive care.

Riad Shiekh, Head Nurse of the Cheryl Spencer Pediatric Emergency Department, explained that Ministry of Health guidelines require any suspected contact with a bat to be taken seriously, even when there is no visible injury.

“In such cases, people should go to an emergency department or a district health office to receive preventive treatment for rabies,” Shiekh said. “A bat is considered a potential carrier of the disease, even when there has been no direct contact or visible injury. We do not take risks.”

08/06/2026

07/27/2026

Israeli Study Debunks a Common Fear About Food Allergies

Parents of children with food allergies frequently fear that accidental skin contact with allergenic foods may trigger a severe systemic allergic reaction. Findings from a recent Israeli study offer reassuring, evidence-based guidance that could help ease unnecessary anxiety.

A large multicenter Israeli study, led by Dr. Idit Lachover-Roth, Director of the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Unit at Rambam Health Care Campus, aimed to evaluate the risk of systemic allergic reactions following controlled skin exposure to common food allergens in children with confirmed food allergies (FA).

According to Dr. Lachover-Roth, the study was driven by a desire to better understand what actually triggers significant allergic reactions in children with FA. The study is one of the largest prospective studies of its kind to evaluate a broad range of allergenic foods under controlled conditions.

Dr. Lachover-Roth headed the research that was conducted at Meir Medical Center and Schneider Children's Medical Center, both operated by Clalit Health Services. A total of 293 children, aged 1–18 years, were recruited from the allergy clinics at the two medical centers: 192 (65.5%) with confirmed FA comprised the study group, while 101 (34.5%) served as the control group. Participants underwent patch testing in which the allergenic food: milk, peanuts, eggs, sesame, or tree nuts, was applied to the forearm for 15 minutes. A total of 465 patch tests were performed: 263 in the FA group and 202 in the control group.

The findings, recently published in the international journal Acta Paediatricas, were both consistent and reassuring. In 83.7% of exposures, no reaction occurred—not even at the site of contact. Approximately 15% of children developed only a mild localized skin reaction, such as redness or slight swelling at the contact site. Only three children (1.1%) developed a somewhat more extensive skin reaction limited to the tested arm, which resolved after treatment with an antihistamine. Most importantly, not a single child experienced anaphylaxis or any systemic allergic reaction.

Younger age was the strongest predictor of skin reactivity, with younger children more likely to develop a mild localized skin reaction. Children with milk allergies also had a slightly higher rate of localized reactions. Even in these cases, however, no episodes of anaphylaxis were observed.

"Many families live in a constant state of vigilance because they fear that even accidental skin contact with an allergenic food could lead to anaphylaxis," explains Dr. Lachover-Roth. "Although a few previous studies have examined the effects of skin exposure, the question has never been investigated on this scale. Our findings show that when allergenic food comes into contact with intact skin—even in children with confirmed food allergies—the risk of a serious reaction is extremely low, approaching zero. These results allow us to provide families with evidence-based guidance and help reduce fears that are not supported by scientific data."

The researchers emphasize that the study does not change current medical recommendations. Children with FA should continue to avoid eating foods to which they are allergic, carry an epinephrine auto-injector when prescribed, and prevent oral exposure. Furthermore, the study did not examine contact with broken skin or mucous membranes, where the risk may be different.

"The fear of accidental contact with allergenic foods often leads to persistent anxiety and significantly affects the quality of life of both children and their families," says Dr. Lachover-Roth. "Our findings demonstrate that accidental exposure of intact skin to allergenic foods carries a very low risk of a clinically significant reaction. As long as standard safety precautions are followed, families can reduce unnecessary anxiety about accidental skin contact with allergenic foods."

07/27/2026

Rambam Pilots Innovative Israeli-Developed Nonsurgical Treatment for Enlarged Prostate

An Israeli-developed technology that uses focused ultrasound to treat enlarged prostate tissue from outside the body is being tested for the first time at Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam). The technology is intended to offer a non-invasive alternative to conventional invasive procedures that require hospitalization.

“Benign enlargement of the prostate—benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH—is a common and often distressing condition that can cause severe urinary symptoms, including difficulty urinating, urgency, and loss of bladder control,” explains Dr. Alexander Kravtsov, a senior physician in Rambam’s Department of Urology. The condition is particularly common in men over 50, and its symptoms may affect quality of life, disrupt daily activities, and interrupt sleep.

Dr. Kravtsov explains that patients may delay treatment despite significant symptoms, not only because of embarrassment and psychological barriers, but primarily because they fear the available treatment options.

Current treatment options fall into two categories: medication and surgery. While medications can relieve symptoms, they do not work for everyone, and some patients experience little or no improvement. When drug therapy fails, physicians often recommend surgery. These procedures, performed through the urethra or re**um, require hospitalization and anesthesia and may involve bleeding, the use of a catheter, and a risk of impaired sexual function.

Developed through a collaboration between the Urology Department and Israeli startup Nina Medical, the FUS technology is now being tested for the first time at Rambam. The evaluation is being conducted within the Department headed by Professor Gilad Amiel, to assess the technology as a potential non-invasive alternative to traditional transrectal or transurethral procedures that may discourage patients from seeking treatment. The device is positioned against the skin of the perineum, enabling both real-time imaging and treatment without entering the body.

The procedure takes 10 to 30 minutes, requires neither anesthesia nor hospitalization, and represents a major conceptual and technological advance. The system uses FUS to perform controlled ablation of enlarged prostate tissue, with the aim of reducing prostate size and improving urine flow.

Shmuel Ben-Ezra, Co-Founder and CEO of Nina Medical, says the technology holds promise for millions of men who have no effective treatment option or who have avoided treatment because of fear or embarrassment. He believes it has the potential to become the gold standard for treating benign prostate enlargement throughout the Western world and could encourage many more men to seek treatment without hesitation.

The goal is eventually to offer the non-invasive procedure in a physician’s clinic, without surgical incisions or the need for hospitalization. “This new approach could allow patients to simply sit in a treatment chair, undergo a straightforward procedure, and continue with their normal daily routine with minimal disruption,” adds Dr. Kravtsov. “It represents a true revolution in men’s health.”

07/23/2026

Travel Advice: Consult a Travel Medicine Specialist Before Visiting Malaria-Risk Areas

No one wants to return from a holiday only to develop symptoms of a potentially serious disease. This happened to one woman who was hospitalized with malaria after returning from a trip to Zanzibar, Tanzania. An infectious disease specialist shares how travelers can reduce their risk before traveling abroad.

A woman in her fifties from Northern Israel was admitted to Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) on her return from an organized trip to Zanzibar, Tanzania. After spending about a week in the tropical destination, she returned home and soon developed clear symptoms of malaria. However, a false-negative test at another hospital delayed her diagnosis.

The woman was treated by Dr. Ami Neuberger Director of Internal Medicine D at Rambam, and Director of Rambam’s Travel Medicine Service. He explains that malaria remains widespread in some parts of the world, especially across Africa. He points out that while many people are concerned about malaria-prevention pills, those worries stem from older medications no longer in use. Today’s preventive treatments, he remarks, are quite effective and generally involve minimal side effects.

He adds that he has encountered many travelers who were incorrectly advised, even by travel industry representatives, not to take preventive medication, based on claims that certain destinations are malaria-free. He points out that such guidance is misleading and can pose serious risks, as untreated malaria can become life-threatening.

Malaria is an infectious disease caused by the Plasmodium parasite and transmitted through the bite of an Anopheles mosquito. Clinical symptoms include high fever, chills, severe headaches, and a general feeling of ill health. Without treatment, a patient’s condition can deteriorate, leading to severe anemia, kidney and liver damage, and even loss of consciousness and death. Hence, anyone who has traveled to an area where malaria is present and later develops such symptoms should immediately undergo medical evaluation. It is also important to note that rapid diagnostic tests can sometimes yield a false negative result—as happened in this case—and therefore clear clinical symptoms require further investigation even in the event of a negative result.

Dr. Neuberger stresses that individuals planning to visit high-risk regions should seek professional advice from travel medicine specialists rather than relying on non-medical sources. He points out that even destinations considered relatively low-risk may contain localized hotspots—for instance, parts of western Thailand near the Myanmar border. Preventive medication, he emphasizes, makes infection highly unlikely, and he has not encountered malaria among Israelis who adhered to such treatment.

Nationwide, Israel sees dozens of cases annually, often involving travelers who either took unnecessary risks or followed incorrect advice. While most patients recover with proper care, fatalities still occur every few years—outcomes that are avoidable with appropriate prevention.

Based on an original Hebrew language article that first appeared on ynet.

07/20/2026

Rambam, EOS and PTC Partner to Establish Advanced In-House Digital Implant Engineering Center

HAIFA, Israel / KRAILLING, Germany/ BOSTON, USA – Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam), EOS, and PTC today announced joint collaboration to establish a Digital Implant Engineering Center at Rambam in Haifa, Israel. A dedicated team of engineers and physicians plan to work together to design, develop, and produce customized patient implants and devices using metal 3D printing.

The collaboration leverages Rambam's clinical expertise, EOS's industrial 3D printing technology, and PTC's advanced Creoe computer-aided design (CAD) solution. The initiative aims to enhance personalized care and improve patient outcomes by integrating advanced 3D-CAD design, validation, manufacturing, and quality within a unified framework.

Patient-specific implants have been shown to provide better anatomical fit and surgical accuracy. Producing implants at point of care improves collaboration between surgeons and developers, reduces reliance on external suppliers and speeds up patient treatment. This approach also shortens procedures and recovery times, helps maintain high quality standards, and helps meet regulatory requirements for safety and effectiveness.

"Personalized medicine is already the foundation of modern healthcare across many clinical disciplines. Now, Rambam Health Care Campus is setting a new benchmark in personalized medicine for medical devices and implants through its dedicated in-house Digital Implant Engineering Center," says Rambam's Director General Dr. Michal Mekel. "This initiative represents another step forward in the medical center’s leadership and underscores our commitment to delivering the highest level of clinical excellence alongside innovation and operational excellence."

“Point-of-care innovation in healthcare depends on integrating advanced industrial-grade additive manufacturing with validated hospital workflows. Our open software structure enables such scan-to-print workflows,” said Nikolai Zaepernick, CSO, EOS. “We view this as a vital step toward a repeatable, highly responsive and digitally connected model for patient-specific care.”

“Cutting-edge personalized implants require a connected digital foundation that ties together clinical need, design, manufacturability and workflow discipline,” said Dr. Ronen Ben-Horin, Vice President Technology, PTC. “The Digital Engineering Center at Rambam demonstrates how intelligent digital engineering drives innovation. We see this development as a breakthrough for the health care industry and are proud our technology will play a central role.”

This initiative represents a significant move toward digitally integrated, clinically driven solutions for complex, customized treatments. By combining clinical expertise, engineering knowledge, structured processes, and advanced additive manufacturing, the partners aim to create a system that enables patient-specific innovation. This framework could help major hospitals across the globe access tailored implant solutions, leading to faster and better patient care.

About Rambam Health Campus: Rambam is a 1,100-bed academic hospital serving over 2.7 million residents of northern Israel. Rambam provides comprehensive medical services in all medical specialties and is a tertiary referral center for 12 district hospitals. The hospital provides the full spectrum of patient care, as well as engaging in clinical research. As northern Israel's only tertiary medical center, Rambam is the country's most experienced trauma facility, with extensive experience treating severe injuries, and is home to one of Israel's largest pediatric and adult oncology centers, where the use of implants is increasingly common.

Rambam Health Campus was recently ranked as one of the most recommended hospitals in Israel. In addition to serving the residents of northern Israel, Rambam serves the IDF Northern Command, UN peacekeeping forces, and the U.S. Sixth Fleet. Many of Rambam's physicians are internationally recognized for their clinical expertise. Physicians participate in innovative research projects to bring new treatments not only to their patients, but to the wider global community.

About EOS: EOS provides responsible manufacturing solutions via industrial 3D printing technologies to organizations around the world. Since 1989, EOS has shaped the future of manufacturing by enabling its customers to innovate and differentiate through expert guidance, technology and services, leveraging its end-to-end additive manufacturing (AM) industry partnerships. From strategy to education to production, EOS is the leading global partner for both metal and polymer AM solutions, accelerating time-to-market for its customers through high-quality production efficiencies and sustainable solutions.

About PTC: PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) is a global software company that enables industrial and manufacturing companies to digitally transform how they engineer, manufacture, and service the physical products that the world relies on. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, PTC employs over 7,000 people and supports more than 30,000 customers globally. For more information, please visit www.ptc.com.

07/20/2026

Rambam Research on AI in Neurology Earns European Recognition

A clinical trial conducted at Rambam Health Care Campus has been selected by the Scientific Committee of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) as one of the five most significant neurology studies of 2025. The trial among the first anywhere to test artificial intelligence in routine neurological practice under randomized controlled conditions produced results that complicate common assumptions about what AI delivers in the clinic.

The study was led by Professor Shahar Shelly, Chair of the Department of Neurology at Rambam and Principal Investigator of the Shelly Laboratory at the Leir Foundation Clinical Research Institute. Professor Shelly also heads the Neurology AI Laboratory at the Technion's Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and serves as President of the Neuromuscular Society of Israel. He worked with Rambam colleagues Dr. Alon Gorenshtein, a clinician-scientist, and Dr. Mohamed Khateb, an attending neurologist in the department.

The team developed INSPIRE, an AI system that assists physicians in interpreting and reporting electrodiagnostic studies nerve conduction studies and electromyography (EMG). In a development and benchmarking study published in Clinical Neurophysiology, INSPIRE distinguished normal from abnormal tests with 92.2% accuracy, compared with 62.6% for a general-purpose large language model using one-shot inference.

Building on that earlier work, the researchers conducted one of the world's first randomized controlled clinical trials to determine whether incorporating AI into routine neurological practice could improve the quality and efficiency of electrodiagnostic reporting under real-world clinical conditions.

The Scientific Committee of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) selected the randomized controlled trial evaluating INSPIRE in clinical practice as one of the five most significant neurology studies of 2025, and Dr. Shelly presented the trial findings at the recent 2026 EAN Congress in Geneva.

Published in the Journal of Neurology, the trial enrolled 200 patients undergoing electrodiagnostic testing at Rambam. Three experienced neurologists rotated between the two study arms. In the control arm, they interpreted the examinations without AI assistance; in the intervention arm, they reviewed an AI-generated preliminary report and combined it with their own findings before issuing the final report.

AI assistance did not improve the quality of the reports. The neurologists also found that the system interrupted their workflow, rating its efficiency, ease of use, and effect on workload as low even while expressing moderate trust in its recommendations.

"Simply adding AI to the work of an experienced specialist does not automatically improve patient care," said Professor. Shelly, who presented the findings at the 2026 EAN Congress in Geneva. "AI should be integrated only where it truly adds value — not simply wherever it can be implemented."

That the EAN singled out a neutral result carries a message of its own. Hospitals worldwide are under pressure to deploy AI tools, often on the strength of benchmark performance alone. Trials like this one show where such tools genuinely help and where they don't yet before they are embedded in patient care.

"The integration of AI into medicine is inevitable," adds Professor Shelley. "Its value, however, must be determined by rigorous scientific evaluation not enthusiasm alone. We must continue to assess the clinical, operational, and economic impact of these technologies as they evolve."

Based on an original Hebrew language article published in Doctor's Only — a member-based online medical news site.

07/13/2026

Against All Odds: A Rare High-Risk Pregnancy

Lior and Aviv Zucker faced an impossible decision—to terminate a rare, high-risk pregnancy or continue despite the significant danger to their unborn babies. Choosing hope, and guided by an expert multidisciplinary team at Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) in Haifa, Lior went on to deliver two healthy baby girls.

Lior Zucker (29), from Kiryat Haim near Haifa, has polycystic o***y syndrome (PCOS), a condition that can make it more difficult to conceive. The couple were overjoyed when they learned they were expecting their first child. However, following an ultrasound at seven weeks’ gestation, they received unexpected news: Lior was carrying twins.

The scan revealed an extremely rare monochorionic monoamniotic twin pregnancy, commonly called a “mono-mono” pregnancy, in which identical twins share both the placenta and a single amniotic sac without a separating membrane. This uncommon condition carries significant risks and is classified as a high-risk pregnancy.

Despite repeated recommendations to terminate the pregnancy, Lior never lost faith that everything would be okay. Although they faced considerable pressure, she and Avi chose to continue the pregnancy. As they came to understand the complexity of the diagnosis, they spent the first trimester searching for a specialist willing to support their decision. They eventually found Professor Ido Solt, Acting Director Obstetrics & Gynecology Division and Director of the Mrs. Edith and Prof. Dov Katz Maternal-Fetal Medicine Unit at Rambam, who agreed to oversee the pregnancy.

Professor Solt explains that a mono-mono pregnancy occurs when a single fertilized egg divides relatively late in development. “Because both fetuses develop within the same amniotic sac, without a separating membrane, there is a significant risk that their umbilical cords will become entangled, compromising the blood and oxygen supply to one or both babies.”

In the 14th week of gestation, Lior began close monitoring of her pregnancy, under the supervision of Professor Solt, Dr. Yaniv Zipori, Head of Obstetrics B, and Dr. Udi Ergaz, Acting Director of Rambam’s Delivery Room. Their goal was to help Lior reach 32 weeks without complications. To that end, at 26 weeks, Lior was admitted to Rambam for closer 24-7 monitoring, with a cesarean section planned for week-32 to prevent fetal distress.

“As the babies grow, the risk of umbilical cord complications increases,” explains Professor Solt. “The space they share becomes increasingly confined, and every movement can further entangle the umbilical cords. This is a highly dynamic, extremely delicate, and potentially dangerous situation. There are very few warning signs before serious complications develop, which is why these pregnancies require exceptionally close monitoring.”

As Lior’s delivery approached, heightened national security concerns prompted the medical team to bring the planned cesarean section forward by one week. During the delivery, surrounded by a multidisciplinary team, Professor Solt observed the twins embracing in the womb—that was how they were removed—connected and hugging each other. Finally, Lior and Aviv were able to embrace their two healthy daughters, Shay Shoshan, and Emanuel Lee.

Reflecting on the way the pregnancy began, being pushed to terminate the pregnancy, and the following support received at Rambam, the Zucker’s conclude, “We have received a great gift.”

Based on a Hebrew language article that first appeared on Mako

Photo: Lior and Aviv Zucker with their newborn daughters.

Photography: Rambam HCC

07/09/2026

Millimeters from Death: Soldier Saved at Rambam

IDF Captain (Res.) Malachi Moundani was recently seriously wounded in combat in Southern Lebanon. Having suffered multiple penetrating injuries, Moundani was rushed to Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam) in critical condition.

After the Rambam medical team stabilized Moudani, 26, from moshav Neve in the Gaza envelope, image testing revealed that shrapnel had penetrated his body, positioned only a few millimeters from the aorta.

Because of the shrapnel’s extremely challenging location, the physicians faced a difficult decision. On the one hand, the patient had multiple injuries, and surgery could further complicate his condition. On the other hand, the shrapnel could shift position and fatally puncture the aorta.

Following extensive consultations, Rambam’s multidisciplinary medical team carried out the complex procedure, one rarely presented in the medical literature. Dr. Tzvi Adler, Attending Physician, Department of Cardiac Surgery, and department resident Dr. Kamal Morshed, successfully removed the shrapnel, saving the patient’s life.

“The shrapnel was resting against the aorta, in direct contact with it,” explains Professor Gil Bolotin, Director, Department of Cardiac Surgery. “The slightest movement could have perforated the artery and led to a tragic outcome. Because this is such a rare situation, we carefully evaluated whether to leave the shrapnel in place or take the surgical risk to remove it. We chose to operate. The surgery went smoothly, the patient’s condition stabilized, and he was transferred to the department for further treatment.”