The three-day 2023 Rambam Summit, incorporating the prestigious Rambam Awards Ceremony, was held from May 30th - June 1st, 2023, at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel. In addition to celebrating the hospital's 85th year, research and innovation were a significant focus of the Summit. A groundbreaking master plan, taking the hospital well into the future was officially announced.
Celebrating the hospital's accomplishments and the people who helped make them possible, the Summit took place from May 30th - June 1st. Donors, Rambam friends from the USA, Canada, the UK, Brazil, Bulgaria, and Spain, Rambam executives, including Professor Miki Halberthal, Rambam's general director and CEO, Rambam leadership, other international and local VIP guests, and Rambam employees participated in the historic event.
It is estimated that by 2048, Israel's population will reach 15 million. To serve Northern Israel's future medical needs, Rambam's new vision and intergenerational master plan for the future was announced. Plans to enlarge the campus five-fold include a staggering 900,000 square meters of floor space, construction of ten new high-rise buildings, some with more than 30 floors, and gradually replacing many of the current ones, is scheduled for completion by 2048 - also coinciding with the 100th year of Israel's independence. With health and well-being taking center stage, bed space will grow from the current 1,100 to a total of 1,900 beds. By 2065, when Israel's population is set to reach 20 million, the hospital will house more than 2,600 beds.
Identifying the 21st-century healthcare needs for the patient and society, Rambam's establishment of the Eyal Ofer Heart Hospital, the Joseph Fishman Oncology Center, the Helmsley Health Discovery Tower and the Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital on the hospital's west campus are part of Rambam's commitment and dedication to human health. Integrating healthcare and technology, these cutting-edge facilities will promote life-saving treatments and interventions.
Professor Halberthal commented, "Rambam will be a beacon of light for healthcare, synthesizing research, innovation, and technology. Implementing the most advanced technologies, stem cell technology to repair damaged organs, and the most sophisticated laboratories will allow the implementation of the most advanced treatments. They will emphasize the aging process and the early detection of disease."
Halberthal went on to say, “Rambam research, innovation, and collaborations with esteemed academic institutions like the Technion form a solid foundation for advancing healthcare.”
The Helmsley Health Discovery Tower, on the west campus, will be a state-of-the-art, world-class innovation hub for the life sciences. It will be a magnet for medical research and technology transfer, contribute to the local prestige and economy, and bring new hope to sick people everywhere. The Tower will host start-up companies and early-stage initiatives, such as incubators and technological working spaces.
The Andrea and Lawrence Wolfe Center for Translational Medicine and Engineering, to be located in the Helmsley Health Discover Tower, and will bring the Rambam-Technion partnership to new heights and will serve as a platform for extensive and in-depth clinical applied research. The Center will foster collaboration between physicians, scientists, and engineers and will address unmet clinical needs.
Translating new knowledge into practical inventions and novel products and services. The Uzia Galil Innovation Center will also be located in the Helmsley Health Discovery Tower. The Center enables clinician researchers to perform innovative, high-impact research projects that may lead to critical discoveries and significant medical advancements.
Aligned with Rambam's vision, Rambam MedTech Ltd. is the technology transfer office for Rambam and serves as Rambam's industrial liaison to bring medical innovations to market.
Rambam's vision does not just include the construction of new facilities; it also emphasizes research and innovation as a cornerstone and maintaining its status as the leading medical center in Northern Israel. Immunotherapy, innovative imaging technologies, and preventing disease through early diagnosis are just some of the research performed in Rambam's state-of-the-art laboratories and ensure that our medical teams provide patients with the best possible care, promoting recovery and preventing illness.
Summit attendees were privileged to watch a mass casualty drill in the Green – Wagner Department of Emergency Medicine demonstrated by Rambam's staff from the internationally renowned Teaching Center for Trauma, Emergency, and Mass Casualty Situations. Following the drill, husband, and wife David Green and Daphne Wagner, long-standing Rambam friends, were honored at an appreciation and plaque unveiling ceremony of the Green - Wagner Department of Emergency Medicine.
Additional appreciation and dedication ceremonies took place during the Summit. The extreme generosity of Herta Amir, from California, and her love for Israel and Rambam made the newly renovated Herta and Paul Amir Internal Medicine Building a reality. Following the appreciation ceremony, Summit guests attended the outdoor plaque unveiling ceremony.
An appreciation ceremony in honor of Danny and Cathy Rosenkranz from the UK acknowledged their generous contribution to making the soon-to-be-opened Danny and Cathy Rosenkranz Oncology ER in the Joseph Fishman Oncology Center a reality.
At an event at the Madatech – National Museum of Science, Technology, and Space in Haifa, five brilliant Rambam physician-scientists and innovators presented their cutting-edge research in neurosurgery, cardiology, and melanoma research, to name a few.
On Thursday, Dr. Tal Zaks, an internationally recognized scientist in cancer and immunization, served as Moderna's chief scientist and led the development of the Covid-19 vaccine; currently sitting on Teva Pharmaceuticals' Board of Directors, and a recipient of the 2023 Rambam Award, presented a riveting lecture entitled "Developing mRNA Medicines."
A sound and light show celebrating 85 years of Rambam was screened at the gala event and closing ceremony. The prestigious Rambam Award was awarded to three deserving recipients for their unparalleled contributions to Israel, healthcare, and humanity: Dr. Tal Zaks, Professor Emeritus Moussa Yadim, an Israel Prize recipient, inventor, and developer of groundbreaking drugs for Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's, and others; the Tannous Family - Eva, Elias, Ghadir, Alla, and Wassim, owners of the BST Group - who made a significant donation towards the construction of the Badia Tannous Heart Institute in the Eyal Ofer Heart Hospital honoring family's patriarch, Badia Tannous of blessed memory.
Ania Bukstein, an Israeli entertainer, emceed the evening, and popular singers Amir Dadon and Valerie Hamaty, delighted the audience with their performances. There was not a dry eye when talented musicians, a child ensemble, and children of Rambam employees surprised the audience.
Professor Halberthal summarizes the event, "In the past year, Rambam has seen tremendous growth, new and innovative research, and expanded facilities and services. New collaborations have been forged, and relationships with communities worldwide have been cemented. Exciting plans for Rambam's future are in place. I have been at Rambam for 37 years and have been acting as CEO for the past four years- this is my term's most significant event. We have announced a groundbreaking master plan for a groundbreaking medical center, bigger than the pandemic and bigger than anything I will ever do. Rambam is creating the future of medicine."
At the end of the evening, Professor Halberthal thanked everyone who make the Rambam vision and mission possible, "The 2023 Rambam Summit was a resounding success. Excellence in healthcare and innovation is core to our DNA. Rambam is a world leader, and our reputation is made possible by the hard work of every staff member and the commitment of our many friends across the globe. We are sincerely grateful to you all."
This article was written in cooperation with Rambam Health Care Campus