Author: AUSiMED

Welcoming Julie Owens to the AUSiMED Team
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Welcoming Julie Owens to the AUSiMED Team

We extend a warm welcome to Julie who commenced working at AUSiMED in July 2023.

Julie has joined AUSiMED as Director of Development andher work will support us in our efforts to facilitate exciting medical and health developments that benefit Australia, Israel and the world. She will work closely with Dr Karen Teshuva, our National Program Director.

Julie is an experienced senior manager in philanthropy, with significant skills and experience in the not-for-profit sector, previously working in education, religious and health organisations. She has also volunteered at many charities, supporting them in their fundraising, administration and sustainability.

She holds a Masters in Social Investment and Philanthropy from Swinburne University of Technology, and Graduate Certificate in Business, with a major in Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies from Queensland University of Technology.

Nurturing sustainable and caring relationships with colleagues, staff, supporters, and stakeholders is at the heart of her approach to work and philanthropy, and she brings a commitment to AUSiMED to see it achieve the goal to make a real and tangible difference to local and global healthcare.

We are delighted to have her on board as we commence our journey for the next 10 exciting years.

Welcoming new AUSiMED Fellow – Ms Inbar Irron
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Welcoming new AUSiMED Fellow – Ms Inbar Irron

We are pleased to welcome AUSiMED Fellow Inbar Irron, a PhD candidate from Rambam Medical Center to Australia. During her fellowship, Inbar will obtain training in ovarian cancer translational research at the Hudson Institute. At the completion of her fellowship she will use her newly acquired knowledge to advance the Ovarian Cancer research collaboration between Dr Ruth Perets, Rambam Hospital and Assoc Prof Ron Firestein, Hudson Institute.

Ms Deborah Travers joins the AUSiMED Board of Directors
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Ms Deborah Travers joins the AUSiMED Board of Directors

We are pleased to introduce Deborah Travers, appointed as a Non-Executive Director, and member of the AUSiMED Development Committee in early 2023. Deborah has an academic background in Genetics and Biochemistry. Her career spans merchant banking, business, and real estate. Deborah‘s multi-faceted interests and vast experience come together seamlessly at AUSiMED where she can interweave her commercial experience with her passion for science, health, nutrition, and technology.

“I am looking forward to advancing AUSiMED’s ground-breaking work and strengthening the bond between Australia and Israel for the betterment of people worldwide.”

Putting the AUS front and centre in AUSiMED
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Putting the AUS front and centre in AUSiMED

Prof Lewin AO, Ron Finkel AM and the delegation

In 2022, with COVID still high on the public health agenda, AUSiMED facilitated the visit to Israel, of fifteen of Australia’s leading Public Health experts.

Led by Professor Sharon Lewin, the Director of the Doherty Institute, the 15-person group, including the Chief Health Officers (CHO) of NSW and South Australia, the Deputy CHO of Victoria, engaged with their Israeli counterparts in a rewarding exchange of learnings from the battle with COVID-19. This was made possible by the generosity of our supporters.

A further major outcome of the Lewin mission was the connections made between the Australian delegates and their Israel counterparts in the Digital Health Innovation space.

In 2023, AUSiMED is working to strengthen these connections and facilitating exciting Digital Health initiatives with Israeli experts that will benefit Australia’s health care system.

The benefits of shared experiences are highlighted by delegation members ProfJodie McVernon, Director of Doherty Epidemiology, Doherty Institute and Dr Fergus Gardiner, Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS), Director of National Emergency Response, Public Health and Research.

“We can learn from Israel about turning complex record systems into data sets that can used as ‘information for action’ by practitioners and epidemiologists.”ProfJodie McVernon

“The introduction ofgame-changing Israeli telehealth technology to facilitate remote medical examinations could result in major health benefits for Australians living with chronic diseases and people living in remote and rural communities.” Dr Fergus Gardiner

Building biomedical bridges
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Building biomedical bridges

In June 2019, Professor Sally McArthur became the first senior University researcher to take part in AUSiMED’s Academic Israel Short-stays Program. The program, which was supported by the Besen Family Foundation, is fabulous vehicle for Victorian university leaders in the field of biomedical sciences to explore potential partnerships between Australian and Israeli universities, research institutions and medical technology companies.

 Sally McArthur is Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Swinburne University of Technology; Director of Medical Device Partnering Program in Victoria, and a CSIRO Science Leader in Biomedical Manufacturing. Her research focuses on the development of 4D in vitro cell culture systems for applications in health and medical research.

After her AUSiMED trip to Israel, Prof McArthur reported, “The really exciting part was understanding where the gaps are. I met Israeli researchers looking for commercial partners and I was able to instantly connect them to Australian companies with med-tech manufacturing facilities looking for new products.  There is an interesting dichotomy where researchers come to Australia for clinical trials because our clinicians are amazing and really well respected as leaders for medical device uptake and as key opinion leaders. Israel is recognised more for the technology and so the technology scouts from the big multi-nationals, that don’t come to Australia, go to Israel looking for technologies.”

Since her trip to Israel, Professor McArthur has been working with parties in Israel on creating a bridge for taking ideas from Australia and getting them early stage validated in Israel.