The Technion’s story has been intertwined with Israel’s for more than a century, from laying the foundations for a new nation to shaping its future.
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This month, 136 new doctors received their medical diplomas from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion. Twenty-six of them graduated with honors, five with special distinction, and 14 completed the prestigious M.D.–Ph.D. program, which combines medicine and research. Three of the outstanding graduates claim proud family legacies at the Technion and in medicine.
Predicting Medical Conditions With AI
Noam Keidar, M.D., Ph.D., graduated with special distinction. His father, Professor Zohar Keidar, also a Technion alumnus, is the deputy dean for clinical appointments in the faculty and the director of the Nuclear Medicine Institute at Rambam Medical Center. Prof. Keidar proudly presented his son with the academic hood.
Noam grew up in Haifa and studied in the gifted program at the Leo Baeck Education Center. During his undergraduate studies in the Technion’s Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, he won first place in the final project competition for developing a mobile application that predicts and diagnoses ventricular fibrillation. Later, Noam chose to enter the M.D.–Ph.D. program, saying, “I wanted to be a doctor, but I didn’t want to give up the realistic side.” For his doctorate, he developed models using AI and data analysis to predict epileptic seizures and childbirth complications.
Following October 7, like many other young people, Noam was called up for reserve duty. After several months of service, he began his postdoctoral fellowship in the Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science. There, he is continuing his work on predicting medical phenomena.
“Over the years, I have gained extensive knowledge in medicine and no less in engineering,” he said. “In my postdoctoral work, I continue to work on the interface between medicine and engineering.”
Bridging Neuroscience and Immunology
Another graduate of the prestigious M.D.–Ph.D. program is Dr. Maya Schiller, daughter of Professors Jackie and Yitzhak Schiller, faculty members in the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. Maya’s doctoral research focused on the influence of the dopaminergic reward system in the brain on the immune system. The reward system is activated in positive emotional states and in anticipation of positive events. Her research, published in prestigious journals, showed that such states affect the immune system and that intentional intervention in the reward system might lead to the inhibition of bacterial infections and even the reduction of tumor sizes.
During her studies, Maya won numerous awards, including the Clore Prize, the Jacobs Prize, and the Rappaport Prize. She is now specializing in neurology at Sheba Medical Center and plans to combine immunology research with her clinical work.
Fourth Generation in Medicine
Dr. Omer Kerner is a fourth-generation physician. His father, Dr. Arthur Kerner, is a graduate of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and the director of the Invasive Cardiology Unit at Rambam Medical Center. His uncle, Arthur’s identical twin brother, is Dr. Ram Kerner, an obstetrician-gynecologist. The twins completed their medical studies a year apart and are both married to physiotherapists. Omer’s grandmother is Professor Vicky Kerner, who was the head of the Pathology Institute at Rambam and a founder of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. Omer’s great-grandfather was the first generation in medicine and served as a hospital director and surgeon in Storozhynets, Ukraine; his wife was a dermatologist.
Dr. Omer Kerner is a fourth-generation physician. His father, Dr. Arthur Kerner, is a graduate of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and the director of the Invasive Cardiology Unit at Rambam Medical Center. His uncle, Arthur’s identical twin brother, is Dr. Ram Kerner, an obstetrician-gynecologist. The twins completed their medical studies a year apart and are both married to physiotherapists. Omer’s grandmother is Professor Vicky Kerner, who was the head of the Pathology Institute at Rambam and a founder of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. Omer’s great-grandfather was the first generation in medicine and served as a hospital director and surgeon in Storozhynets, Ukraine; his wife was a dermatologist.
All photos in this post are courtesy of the Technion’s spokesperson’s office.