Author: Karen Teshuva

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“Through Their Eyes” - Reshaping how we support children's mental health

In the aftermath of crisis, adults often rush to reassure, respond and rebuild children’s lives. In Professor Ben Arieh’s experience the most striking insights into how Israeli children and young people have coped with trauma in the last two years have come from listening directly to children themselves.

Speaking at a March 2026 AUSiMED event co-hosted by Chabad Malvern, Professor Ben-Arieh (Dean of Social Work at Hebrew University of Jerusalem), shared two stories that reveal a powerful truth: Children’s perspectives on coping, support and resilience often differ sharply from adult assumptions.

In early December 2023, the Israeli education system decided that the high school children displaced from their communities (kibbutzim) in the Gaza envelope needed to go back to school in the city that they were evacuated to. The 12th graders refused to go.  They insisted that they needed to stay together with their peers. They argued that their friendships, not structure, was what they needed to cope. Within three days, together with the help of some parents, a school was opened for them in Ein Gedi and they finished the school year together.

The second story came from Madj al Shams, a Druze town on Israel’s northern border where 12 children were killed in 2024 when a Hezbollah rocket struck a packed soccer field. The local council made plans to turn the site of the tragedy into a memorial. The children said they wanted something different: a space to play soccer, to remember their friends through joy rather than grief.

The Giving Voice to Children Project, an Australia-Israel research collaboration led by Professor Asher Ben-Arieh and Professor Sharon Goldfeld AM, Director of Population Studies at Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) in Melbourne, is challenging current assumptions about how best to support children experiencing adversity and trauma.

At its core lies a simple but transformative idea: children are active interpreters of their own experiences, and their perspectives must be incorporated research, policy and professional practice.

Professor Goldfeld highlights that current approaches to trauma are largely based on adult concepts and may fail to align with children’s lived realities.

“We don’t have a good way of thinking about trauma with a child-centred view,” she explains. “We don’t understand how children understand coping, support and resilience and because of that, interventions may not meet children’s needs.”

The Giving Voice to Children project combines the MCRI teams’ expertise in child mental health and wellbeing and in meaningfully engaging children, with the Israeli teams’ expertise in child participation, early childhood trauma and research with Palestinian and Arab children.

The project goal is ambitious. They plan to build a child-informed framework for understanding how young people cope with adversity. A framework that reflects diverse cultural, social and familial contexts.

The research will involve using creative, narrative-based methods with children aged 6 to 12 in both countries, to explore questions such as:

  • What helps you feel safe?
  • What helps you move forward?
  • What helps you stay strong?

Insights gathered from these conversations will inform a large-scale survey of 500 children, that will be used to design new child-informed tools, policies and professional training.

The Giving Voice to Children project is calling for a shift in mindset: A shift from doing thing to children to doing things with children.

By incorporating children’s own perspectives into trauma-informed frameworks and tools, the project will help reshape how health, welfare and education professionals support children’s mental health and wellbeing.

For more information about how to support the Giving Voice to Children project contact:                    Dr Karen Teshuva, AUSiMED Executive Director – karen@ausimed.org or CLICK HERE.

Pictured L-R:  Rabbi S. Jurkowicz,Prof F. Oberklaid AM, Prof R. Coppel AO, Dr K. Teshuva, Prof S. Goldfeld AM, A. Cohen, D. Travers, S. Benjamin, Rabbi V. Slavin

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A Meeting of Generations and Impact

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 success of AUSiMED’s Fellowships program, and Emeritus Professor Leslie White AM, AUSiMED Patron, former NSW Chief Paediatrician and the earliest and ongoing champions of the 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

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Breakthrough in Paediatric Kidney Disease Research Brings Clinical Trials a Step Closer

AUSiMED is proud to share exciting progress from its international Paediatric Kidney Disease Project—an innovative research collaboration between two world-leading scientists, Dr Alex Combes (Monash University, Australia) and Dr Oded Volovelsky (Hadassah–Hebrew University Medical Center, Israel).

The project aims to develop the world’s first therapy to prolong kidney development in premature babies—offering hope of protecting these vulnerable infants from developing chronic kidney disease (CKD) later in life.

The now-completed first stage of the project has delivered significant scientific breakthroughs, revealing how premature birth disrupts kidney development and identifying new avenues for therapeutic intervention.

Key Discoveries from Stage 1:

  • Premature birth has lasting impacts on kidney development and function that persist into adulthood.
  • It disrupts normal kidney structure, compromising long-term organ function.
  • It activates cellular stress pathways that hinder the development of kidney stem cells.
  • It alters critical signaling pathways that maintain nephron progenitor cells.

With these findings in hand, the project now moves into Stage 2, which will test and refine a novel therapeutic strategy in a mouse model. If successful, this will lay the foundation for future human clinical trials.

Why This Matters:

  • Premature babies could be protected from developing CKD as adults.
  • Early interventions could be introduced through kidney function monitoring in those born prematurely.
  • Reducing the incidence of CKD would significantly ease the financial and health burden on global healthcare systems.

This collaboration exemplifies the power of science without borders—leveraging Australian and Israeli expertise to tackle a global health challenge.

AUSiMED gratefully acknowledges the generous support from our donor community and from Hadassah Australia who have helped to make this life-saving research possible.

Together, we are investing in a healthier future for the world’s most vulnerable infants.

For more information on AUSiMED’s programs and initiatives, please contact Dr. Karen Teshuva at karen@ausimed.org.

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AUSiMED Celebrates a Decade of Impact and Honours the Lowy Family

Melbourne, February 3, 2025 – In a night of recognition, reflection, and inspiration, AUSiMED celebrated its 10-year milestone at an event hosted by the Wingate Group. The evening brought together 100 distinguished guests, including esteemed supporters, medical professionals, and advocates of AUSiMED’s mission to foster groundbreaking medical research collaborations between Australia and Israel.

At the heart of the celebration was the recognition of the Lowy family’s unwavering support for the AUSiMED Lowy Paediatric Fellowships Program. Since 2014, their contributions have played a pivotal role in fostering innovative research, developing new diagnostic tools, and enhancing healthcare delivery through Israeli-Australian collaborative projects. The profound impact of these fellowships was highlighted in speeches by AUSiMED Chair Antony Cohen and Patron Professor Les White AM, who praised the Lowy family’s dedication to advancing medical research.

Steven Lowy AM, the evening’s guest of honour, delivered a compelling speech reflecting on his family’s longstanding support for Israel and medical research collaborations. He also addressed the concerning rise of antisemitism in Australia, emphasizing the importance of unity and resilience in the face of challenges.

The event also welcomed Hon. Greg Hunt, Australia’s longest-serving Federal Member for Flinders and former Minister for Health. Hunt lauded the Lowy family’s contributions beyond the medical field, including their instrumental role in securing Australia’s successful bid to host the 2023 FIFA Women’s Soccer World Cup. He underscored the crucial need to combat terrorism and antisemitism while strengthening Australia-Israel ties through impactful medical collaborations.

“AUSiMED is a medical research partnership between Australia and Israel. It is a powerful example of how civilian cooperation and medical research collaboration can build ties between people, religions, and cultures,” said Hunt.

Reflecting on AUSiMED’s first decade, Antony Cohen emphasized the organization’s unique approach to medical research. Unlike other medical charities focused on a single disease or institution, AUSiMED identifies critical health challenges where joint Australian-Israeli efforts can make transformative breakthroughs.

“Our focus has been and continues to be on big health challenges where together Australia and Israel can make a difference in ways neither can do alone. We do this through support for knowledge exchange programs, fellowships, and research projects,” Cohen stated.

Over the past decade, AUSiMED has supported 14 medical fellows—11 of whom were sponsored by the Lowy family. These fellows have trained across 12 institutions in three Australian states and now contribute to six leading medical institutions in Israel. Their expertise spans cardiology, cystic fibrosis, neurology, ovarian cancer, and more. Some have risen to department heads, with their research influencing global medical advancements, such as genetic testing for heart defects originating from an AUSiMED-supported study at Monash University.

In addition to fellowships, AUSiMED’s research projects have tackled seven major diseases with pioneering approaches, including innovative studies in bowel cancer, ovarian cancer, and paediatric kidney disease. The organisation has also spearheaded international knowledge exchange initiatives, such as a Trauma and Mental Health Conference in Jerusalem that gathered 240 delegates from 15 countries and a COVID-19 delegation led by Professor Sharon Lewin AO.

With a decade of transformative impact and a future filled with promise, AUSiMED continues to build bridges through medical innovation, proving that collaboration knows no borders.

For more information on AUSiMED’s programs and initiatives, please contact Dr. Karen Teshuva at karen@ausimed.org.

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Sandy Benjamin OAM and Norman Same join the AUSiMED Board of Directors

We are delighted to welcome two new directors who joined the AUSiMED board in December 2024.  Sandy Benjamin OAM and Norman Same.

Sandy has degrees in psychology and Social Work and practiced for seventeen years in family psychiatry and adoption. She lectured in the social work school at La Trobe University, played a leading role in the reform of adoption law in the state of Victoria, Australia, and ran a private counselling service for people with fertility problems. She has serves as Chairman and President of the Jewish Museum of Australia and was Director of the Foundation of the National Gallery of Australia from 2007 to 2017.

Norman is a director of EQ8 Accountants with a Bachelor of Economics and a Graduate Certificate in Leadership and Organisation Dynamics. He has extensive experience working with small-to-medium sized enterprises, particularly with family businesses. He is a Chartered Tax Adviser of the Taxation Institute of Australia and an affiliate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. He is a passionate hockey player and is currently the Finance Director of World Masters Hockey.

We look forward to the invaluable contributions Sandy and Norman will bring to our organisation.