Members of the Public Emergency Council 2022
The Public Emergency Council for the Covid19 Crisis is an independent organization made up of leading physicians, researchers and social welfare professionals who, in light of the way that the Covid19 crisis is being managed, have decided that they can no longer remain silent.
The Council members bring decades of relevant experience and knowledge—each in her or his own field—thus creating a synergy and a balanced vision that takes into account the virus alongside other aspects of physical and mental health, and social welfare.
This vision has been sorely lacking in the current management of the crisis, and the Council has undertaken to commit itself to acting as a professional body capable of formulating and advancing broader and more comprehensive solutions.
Dr. Ron Babecoff
Biotechnology
Licensed veterinarian, Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (MEI) from ISEMI. Participating in the 8400 The Health Network. Founder and past President & CEO of BiondVax Pharmaceuticals (listed on Nasdaq). Dr. Babecoff built a biotech company from the conceptual idea, signed a licensing agreement with the Weissman Institute, conducted several rounds of fundraising, led two successful IPO’s on the NASDAQ and Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, set up and ran a manufacturing plant and global human clinical trials including collaborations with the USA NIH and European consortium.
Prof. Zvi Bentwich
Internal Medicine, Immunology
Professor of Medicine, specialist in Clinical Immunology and Infectious Diseases. Served as Chief of Department of Medicine, and pioneered AIDS medicine in Israel. Currently Head of Center for Tropical Diseases and AIDS at Ben-Gurion University. President of NALA Foundation for the Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Developing Countries and Board Member of Physicians for Human Rights in Israel.
Prof. Emerita Rivka Carmi
Pediatrics, Neonatology
Professor of Medicine, Specialist in Pediatrics, Neonatology and Medical Genetics. Served as Director of the Genetic Institute at Soroka Hospital, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at Ben- Gurion University, Chairman of the Dean of Medical Schools Association, President of Ben-Gurion University and Chairman of the Board of Universities.
Prof. Eti Einhorn
Information In Financial Markets, Accounting
The head of the accounting department at Tel Aviv University. An international expert in information economics, information in financial markets, financial accounting and reporting. Served on the board of governors of the Israel Securities Authority and on many public committees of various economic regulations.
Dr. Michal Hemo Lotem
Pediatrics
Pediatrician, Entrepreneur and author on leadership at medical futurism. Served as Vice President of Innovation at the Sheba Medical Center, and as a member of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Council. Founded Beterem - Safe Kids Israel,and OSHEYA - Women Lead Wellness. Received Prime Minister's special Award for her contribution to children.
Prof. Retsef Levi
Operations Management
Professor of Operations Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. An international expert in safety, risk management and analytics-driven design and optimization of health systems and biologic drugs manufacturing systems. He is leading several large-scale research collaborations across the world with leading industry enterprises and government organizations. He has consulted multiple state governments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Michael Miro
Political Science, Media
Expert of journalisem and Political Science. PhD in Political Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Former director of the Israeli public radio and journalist of society and the environment affairs for over 40 years. Today, a freelance, civil journalist and researcher of civil society. Characteristics and examination the abilities of civil power to influence decision-makers, while relying on rules of ethics.
Prof. Udi Qimron
Immunology, Microbiology
Chair of the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University. Expert in T cells, mucosal vaccines, genetic engineering of bacterial viruses, and CRISPR. Published in Science, Nature and Cell and has won prestigious research grants including the ERC. Partner in the establishment of the SARS-CoV-2 testing laboratories.
Dr. Amir Shachar
Emergency Medicine, Cardiology
Specialist in internal medicine, cardiology, emergency medicine and health administration. Established and managed the Department of Emergency Medicine at Sheba Hospital, was deputy director of Meir Hospital and currently heading the ER at Laniado Hospital. Founded the Emergency Medicine department at Tel Aviv University.
Prof. Mordechai Shani
Internal Medicine, Israel Prize
Professor of Medicine and Medical Management, Specialist in Internal Medicine. Winner of the Israel Prize. Served twice as Director General of the Ministry of Health and Director of Sheba Hospital, as well as Chairman of the Medicines Committee. Founded and managed the School of Public Health at Tel Aviv University, and also established and managed the National Institute for Health Policy Research.
Prof. Israel Silman
Neurobiology
Professor Silman has served as the Head of the Neurobiology Department and directed the Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurosciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science. He is a former President of the Israeli Society for Neuroscience. For his breakthroughs in molecule medicine, he was awarded the Teva Founders Award as well as additional prizes.
Dr. Yoav Yehezkelli
Internal Medicine, Epidemic Treatment
Specialist in Internal Medicine and Medical Management. Former lecturer in the Department of Emergency and Disaster Management at Tel Aviv University. Lt. Col. Res. One of the founders of the epidemic management team and evaluation programs for extreme biological incidents. Served as a hospital's deputy director, district physician and district director of the primary care division in the HMOs. Medical consultant to KI research institute.
Prof. Elian Alkrinawi
Welfare
Professor of Social Work, served as president of the Achva College, head of the Department of Social Work at Ben-Gurion University and as dean of the School of Social Work at Memorial University in Canada. Killam Award winner and beacon lighter at the 2013 Independence Day ceremony.
Prof. Mira Barak
Medical Lab Sciences
Professor of Medical Sciences, head of Medical Laboratory Sciences at Zefat Academic College. Managed the R&D division in Carmel Hospital, Director of Haifa and Western Galilee Central Laboratories in Clalit Health Services, founded and managed numerous clinical laboratories, including the central lab of Clalit, the Corona lab in the Northern region, and the designated corona lab at Ben Gurion airport.
Prof. Asher Elhayany
Family Medicine, Public Health
Professor of Medicine, Specialist in Family Medicine and Public Administration. He served as the CEO of Meir Hospital, the director of the Central District at Clalit Medical Centre, and as the director of the United Health Fund. He served as chairman of the National Council for Health in the Community. Family doctor in the Negev.
Prof. Daniel Gold
Immunology, Microbiology
An expert in microbiology-parasitology at the Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology at Tel Aviv University. Conducts research of drug and immunological aspects of biliharsia for years. For more than a decade, Prof. Gold also taught medicine voluntarily. He completed his military service as a pilot in the Israeli Air Force, after surviving as a child the events of the Holocaust, which he voluntarily testifies to schoolchildren, soldiers and various audiences in Israel and abroad.
Prof. Gilad Haran
Biophysics
Gilad Haran is a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science. He served as the Dean of Chemistry in the Institute. Was involved in the development of the first-ever nano-drug, Doxil. Develops and applies in his lab novel methods for studying how proteins operate as tiny machines.
Prof. Asa Kasher
Ethics, Israel Prize
Professor Emeritus of Professional Ethics and Philosophy at Tel Aviv University. Laureate of the Israel Prize for Philosophy. Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. Wrote dozens of state and public codes of ethics, including the military code of ethics, as well as serving as a member of several national public committees.
Prof. Michael Levitt
Computational Biology, Biophysics
Professor of Computational and Structural Biology at Stanford University and Visiting Professor at the Weizmann Institute, Biophysicist, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Member of the National Academy of Sciences in the United States and the British Royal Society. One of the pioneers in simulating the molecular dynamics of DNA and proteins. Developed a method for the humanization of antibodies for medicinal uses. Works with models of antibodies, RNA, protein folding and the spread of viruses.
Prof. Lechaim Naggan
Epidemiology, Public Health
Professor of public health and epidemiology. Previously served as deputy chief medical officer in the IDF, the dean of the Department of Health Sciences at Ben Gurion University and, subsequently, as Vice President of the University and Dean of Research and Development. Prof. Naggan was awarded a Life Achievement award by the Union of Public Health Doctors.
Dr. Dotan Rousso
Law
Dr. Dotan Rousso holds a Ph.D. in Law, BA., and MA. in Philosophy from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and was a visiting scholar at the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto. He taught Criminal Law at Tel Aviv and Bar-Ilan Universities. Dr. Rousso is a lawyer who worked as head of a research team at the Israeli Parliament – The Knesset and as a state criminal prosecutor in Israel. He is currently a Philosophy lecturer at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary, Canada. Dr. Rousso has published dozens of opinion articles on a variety of current affairs in Leading Israeli newspapers.
Prof. Eyal Shahar
Epidemiology, Public Health
Professor (Emeritus) of Public Health at the University of Arizona. MD from Tel Aviv University and MPH (epidemiology) from the University of Minnesota. An epidemiologist and methodologist in the fields of assessment and quantification of causal relationships and sources of bias in observational research.
Dr. Guy Shinar
Medical Device Entrepreneur
Dr. Guy Shinar is a physicist with over 20 years of experience in medical device research and development, clinical trials and regulatory affairs. He is an inventor, co-founder and chief technology officer in several start-up companies. He holds a PhD degree from the Weizmann Institute of Science, where he specialized in systems biology and chemical reaction network theory.
Prof. Joel L. Sussman
Biology
Professor Joel L. Sussman is an Israeli crystallographer best known for his studies on acetylcholinesterase, a key protein involved in transmission of nerve signals. He is the Morton and Gladys Pickman Professor of Structural Biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science and Director of the Israel Structural Proteomics Center. Sussman received the 2014 Ilanit Katzir Prize for exceptional achievements in the field of Life Sciences and the 2006 Teva Founders Award for breakthroughs in molecular medicine. He was also the Director of the Protein Data Bank (PDB).