Our Impact

Since inception AUSiMED has facilitated, funded and supported:

9

Medical research collaborations between Israel and Australia

9

Medical research collaborations between Israel and Australia

9

Fellowships providing unique training for Australian and Israeli doctors

9

Fellowships providing unique training for Australian and Israeli doctors

7

Short stay trips to Israel for leading Australian clinicians and medical researchers

7

Short stay trips for leading Australian clinicians and medical researchers

3

National initiatives
to improve child and youth health and wellbeing in Israel

3

National health initiatives
that improve health care in Israel

COLLABORATIVE MEDICAL RESEARCH PROJECTS

 

AUSiMED believes in mobilising the power of international medical research collaboration. 

AUSiMED programs bring together world leading scientists to advance cross-fertilisation of medical knowledge and expertise.

 

Protecting premature babies from lifelong kidney disease
(2023-24)

AUSiMED is delighted to be supporting a cutting-edge Australia-Israel research collaboration that seeks to identify how nephron formation is interrupted by premature birth and test interventions which may protect premature babies from developing Chronic Kidney Disease later in life.
The researchers:
Dr Alex Combes (Monash University) and Dr Oded Volovelsky (Hadassah Medical Centre)
The medical problem: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is characterised by a progressive decline in kidney function, poor quality of life and a high death rate. Thanks to advances in medical science more than 90% of premature babies survive. However, these babies have a three to five-fold increased risk of developing CKD in their lifetime. While there are current treatments that can accelerate maturation of the lungs in premature infants, there are no interventions to hasten kidney development.
The research: An international 2-year research collaboration to unlock the mysteries of kidney disease by focusing on premature babies.

Developing a new treatment for Ovarian Cancer
(2023-24)

Supported by: AUSiMED donors
The researchers:
Dr Ruth Perets, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa and Associate Professor Ron Firestein, Hudson Medical Research Institute, Melbourne
The medical problem: 70% of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed in the late stages of the disease. While less common than breast cancer, ovarian cancer has a higher mortality rate. Each day in Australia, four women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer and three will die from the disease.
The research: An innovative Australia-Israel ovarian cancer research collaboration developing a new therapy to treat women diagnosed at late stages of ovarian cancer as well as a Research Fellowship to advance translational ovarian cancer research in Israel.

Finding a treatment for Vascular Dementia (VaD)
(2018-19)

Supported by: AUSiMED donors
The researchers: Prof Ashley Bush (Aust) and Prof Bernard Lerer + Dr Amit Lotan (Israel)
The medical problem: VaD is the second most common form of dementia. There are no specific treatments for VaD.
The research: A pre-clinical study to assess a new approach to prevent the cerebral cell death that leads to VaD.

AUSiMED Radio appearance

Developing a blood test for detecting recurrence of brain tumours (2018)

Supported by: The Finkel Foundation and AUSiMED donors
The researchers:
Prof Andrew Kaye (Australia) Prof Tali Siegal (Israel)
The medical problem: Glioma is a highly malignant tumour, treated by surgical excision, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, but still has an extremely poor prognosis. The research is developing a blood test that can predict recurrence of brain cancer (glioma) after surgical excision. If validated, the blood test will allow patients to be tested much more cheaply and easily. This way any recurrence of a tumour will be detected and treated much earlier.

Developing a new stem cell therapy for immune disorders (2017-2019)

Supported by: The Munzer family
The researchers: Professor Reuven Or and Dr. Osnat Almogi-Hazan, (Israel)
The medical problem: In autoimmune diseases and transplantation, increased activity of the immune system can cause tissue damage.
The research: To develop new therapies for treating immune disorders.

Bowel Cancer Research Project (2016-17)

Professor Tony Burgess from Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (Australia) and Professor Alexander Levitski from Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) advanced the development of a new immunotherapy for resistant forms of bowel cancer - the third most common cancer in the world.

Clinical trials are now underway which may result in bowel cancer treatments for patients who have not responded to existing drugs.

The project was supported by The Finkel Foundation, other donors and a Victorian Government matching grant.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer Research Project (2016-17)

Professors Shani Paluch-Shimon and Bella Kaufman and Dr Maya Dadiani (Israel) investigated the cancer stem cells of post-treatment tumours from Triple Negative Breast Cancer patients and compared the treatment response of BRCA-carriers and non-carriers. The results have important prognostic implications for TNBC patients.

The project was supported by AUSiMED donors.

CLINICAL AND RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

AUSiMED

Clinical and Research Fellowships

AUSiMED believes in supporting fellowships as a way to nurture a new generation of medical experts and ground-breaking researchers in Israel and Australia. Supported by the Lowy Foundation, the GBM Group and other donors, AUSiMED has facilitated and funded 12 Fellowships in Australia for future leaders in Israeli medicine. The AUSiMED Fellows' contributions to medical discoveries and advancing health care in Israel are above and beyond expectations. They include:

  • amazing medical breakthroughs;
  • new diagnostic tools;
  • translation of newly acquired skills to Israeli settings;
  • establishment of Israeli-Australian collaborative research projects;
  • major improvements in health care delivery in Israel; and
  • numerous scientific papers in high-level academic journals.

CHILD & YOUTH HEALTH AND WELLBEING PROGRAMS

The Goshen Project

The Goshen Project is transforming paediatric healthcare in Israel — particularly in disadvantaged communities. From 2015 to 2018, AUSiMED funded two training Fellowships in Community Paediatrics in Australia and supported the development of the Child Health and Wellbeing Center in Jerusalem . From 2018-2020, AUSiMED has supported the expansion of Goshen’s programs in disadvantaged communities in the Negev and in northern Israel. These programs will substantially increase Goshen’s national presence and its ability to improve health outcomes in early childhood for children and families.

AUSiMED has been supporting The Goshen Project since 2015 thanks to the generosity of
Sam (z"l) and Minnie Smorgon and their family.

The Orygen-Enosh Youth Mental Health Knowledge Exchange Program (2020-2023)

Globally, one in five teens struggles with a diagnosable mental health disorder. Transforming youth mental health care has become imperative.
Professor Patrick McGory’s Orygen Youth Mental Health Centre of Excellence is internationally recognised for its expertise in youth mental health prevention, early intervention and treatment services. Enosh is the leading Israeli organization promoting the welfare and rights of people facing psycho-social problems.
In 2020-23 AUSiMED supported the Orygen-Enosh Youth Mental Health Program to deliver advanced clinical training to at least 40 youth mental health clinicians in Israel and introduce new digital technologies to reach 1000s of young Israelis through media they understand and use daily.

The Dream Doctors Project (2016-2018)

AUSiMED supported the Dream Doctors Project from 2016 to 2018. This enabled 1000s of children in Israel undergoing traumatic medical procedures to meet with a medical clown during their hospitalization to help reduce pain and anxiety.

This project was supported by a gift from Moose Toys.
The Dream Doctors project is also involved in humanitarian missions, scientific research studies, training and medical clowns and providing them emotional support.

INTERNATIONAL KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE

AUSiMED Israel Short Stays Program

The Israel Short-Stays Program introduces senior Australian bio-medical scientists and university leaders to Israel, its scientists, its research and development and its uniqueness. The program promotes research collaborations that will be beneficial for Australia and Israel. AUSiMED has facilitated 7 short-stay visits since 2015. Thanks to a grant from the Besen Family Foundation, three senior medical academics participated in the program in 2019.
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2022 COVID-19 Research & Public Health Delegation to Israel

In the wake of COVID-19, AUSiMED recognised an opportunity to distil and exchange the lessons learnt by Australia and Israel in their response to the pandemic. In September 2022, a high-level Delegation of Australian public health officials and expert scientists participated in a COVID19 Learning Exchange Mission to Israel. The mission was organised by AUSiMED, with the active support of the Israel Embassy in Canberra and the Israeli Ministry of Health.

The delegation was led by Professor Sharon Lewin AO, Director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. During the 5-day visit the delegation met with many of Israel's top public health officials and practitioners to develop person-to-person networks between Australia and Israel and inform ongoing management of the COVID-19 pandemic and potentially other infectious diseases going forward.

A number of very exciting opportunities for future collaboration have emerged as a result of the mission including:

o   a very exciting opportunity for to trial in Australia of an Israeli telehealth system that enables physical examines of the patient.  This could have huge benefits for health outcomes in remote and indigenous communities.

o  The Australian data modelling experts are planning further engagement with Israeli colleagues regarding systems and approaches to data linkage, machine learning, and predictive algorithms; and

o  Opportunities for new AUSiMED fellowships in several areas

AUSiMED and the delegates are thankful to the donors that generously supported this visit.

2nd International Conference on Trauma and Mental Health, Jerusalem 18-20 Sept 2022

The 2nd International Conference on Trauma and Mental Health, held in Jerusalem, 18-20 September 2022, was hosted by AUSiMED, in partnership with co-hosts Phoenix Australia, Hadassah Australia and Hadassah Medical Organization.

The conference explored the key issues faced by psychologist, psychiatrist, GPs, social workers, counsellors and others working with living with PTSD including people in ongoing conflict zones, refugees and displaced people and people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference committees developed a truly international event with five high-profile international keynote speakers and over 230 researchers and healthcare professionals from 15 countries including Australia, UK, USA, Europe and the middle east. The participants gained access to world-leading experts who gave step-by-step guidance in the most effective treatments available for trauma-related disorders and also outlined their thoughts about the next generation of treatment developments.

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