Dr Naama Shwartz, AUSiMED’s 12th Lowy Paediatric Fellow, recently met with Mr Steven Lowy AM, whose family’s philanthropy has been central to the program’s success, and Emeritus Professor Leslie White AM, AUSiMED Patron, former NSW Chief Paediatrician and the earliest and ongoing champions of AUSiMED’s Lowy Fellowships program.
Standing together, they reflect the unique partnership between philanthropy, clinical excellence and international collaboration that defines AUSiMED.
Dr Naama Shartz-Pines, a paediatric emergency medicine specialist from Hadassah Medical Center. Naama is currently receiving advanced training in medical toxicology at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne. Over the next year, she will work alongside leading toxicologists and specialists at the Victorian Poisons Information Centre, gaining critical expertise in managing poisoning cases and chemical exposure incidents, an area of growing urgency in modern healthcare.
Israel currently faces a shortage of specialists in medical toxicology, with no formal local training pathway. Upon her return, Naama will establish a dedicated toxicology service at Hadassah Medical Center, addressing a significant national gap and strengthening preparedness for both everyday emergencies and large-scale incidents. Naama’s fellowship is co-funded by the AUSiMED Lowy Paediatric Fellowships Program and Hadassah Australia.
It is noteworthy that Naama has been mentored and supported in her career development by Dr Saar Hashavia, who was the first Lowy fellow in 2014 and since his return to Israel in 2015 has been Head of Paediatric Emergency Medicine at Hadassah Medical Center.
A Program That Bridges Between Australia and Israel
Since its establishment in 2014, the Lowy Fellowships program has enabled 12 of Israel’s most promising doctors and researchers to train at leading Australian medical institutions in fields where equivalent opportunities did not exist at home. The consequent impact on children’s healthcare has been welcomed both in Israel and in Australia.
The Lowy Fellows have trained across 12 Australian institutions in three states and are now contributing their expertise across six major medical institutions in Israel – Hadassah, Rambam, Sheba, and Schneider Children’s Medical Centers, Goshen National Centre for Community Child Health and Clalit Health Services; and maintaining their collaborative research partnerships with their host institutions in Australia.
The Lowy Fellows’ specialties span a remarkable breadth: from cardiology and cystic fibrosis to neurology and respiratory diseases. Reflecting the diversity of Israeli society, AUSiMED fellows come from Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze backgrounds, united by a shared commitment to advancing healthcare in Israel.
Antony Cohen, AUSiMED Chair, says: “As AUSiMED reflects on 12 years of progress, the scale of impact is clear: the Lowy Fellowships Program has not only transformed individual careers but has reshaped healthcare delivery systems across continents.”
Transforming Healthcare Locally and Internationally
The achievements of AUSiMED Fellows have been profound. Collectively, they have:
- Taken on senior leadership roles across Israel’s leading medical institutions;
- Introduced life-saving treatments, diagnostic tools and new models of care;
- Driven major improvements in healthcare delivery;
- Built international medical research partnerships; and
- Trained the next generation of medical professionals, both nationally and internationally.
Looking Ahead
As AUSiMED looks ahead, emerging areas such as digital health solutions, emergency medicine, mental health and wellbeing and PTSD present new opportunities for impactful Australia-Israel fellowships.
In a world where medical innovation depends increasingly on global collaboration, the AUSiMED Lowy Paediatric Fellowships Program stands as a powerful example of what sustained vision, philanthropy and partnership can achieve and demonstrates that when we invest in people and partnerships, the benefits are felt everywhere.
Head to the AUSiMED website for more information about achievement of our Fellowships program. https://www.ausimed.org/ausimed-fellows/
For more information about AUSiMED, please contact: Dr Karen Teshuva, Executive Director | karen@ausimed.org