A new line of appointments in Rambam

Dr. Salem Blanc - the new director of the Radiotherapy Institute

In 1996 Prof. Blanc finished his medical studies in Turin, Italy. Upon his return to Israel, he specialized in oncology at Rambam and completed his residency in 2005. In 2015-2016, he underwent training in head and neck tumors at "PRINCESS MARGAET" hospital in Toronto, Canada.

Since 2013 he has been managing the oncology unit for head and neck tumors at Rambam and since 2017 he has been managing the field of radiation in the oncology wing, while between 2006 and 2015 he founded and managed the radiation institute at Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem.

Prof. Blanc is a clinical associate professor at the Technion School of Medicine, author and co-author of more than 60 articles including book chapters, co-participant in international protocols for testing new drugs in head and neck tumors and initiator of original clinical-research projects in Israel.

Prof. Blanc has a large number of roles:

He serves as the chairman of the Israeli Department of Head and Neck Tumors, chairman of the Radiotherapy Examination Board, member of the Ministry of Health's Clinical Trials Committee, member of the National Oncology Council and member of the Ministry of Health's Quality Measures Committee.

Dr. Sobhai Abadi was appointed as the director of the abdominal and pelvic imaging unit at the hospital

Dr. Sobhai Abadi is a graduate of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He specialized in diagnostic radiology at Rambam, after which he went on to receive fellowship training in the field of advanced cardiac imaging at the University of Toronto, and completed additional training in the field of abdominal and pelvic imaging at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.

Since his return to Rambam in 2010, he serves as a senior physician in the medical imaging department, X-ray, at Rambam. In 2014 he was appointed director of an advanced imaging service of the heart.

Dr. Abadi holds an academic appointment, is a clinical lecturer at the Technion, is active in the radiology department at the Technion, has published dozens of articles in the professional press and presented at dozens of local and international conferences.

Dr. Abadi's professional interests are:

Advanced imaging of the heart in CT and MRI, imaging of the liver, the digestive tract and the sex and urinary tracts in CT and MRI, and performing ultrasound-guided diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

Dr. Ziad Hamaisi was appointed director of the laser skin treatment unit at the hospital

Dr. Hamaisi completed his medical studies at the Technion in 2001, later interned in the Rambam Dermatology Department. Since 2006 he has been a senior physician in the Dermatology Department, and since 2013 he has been in charge of the Internship Program (Program Director).

Starting in 2006, Dr. Hamaisi underwent a large number of training courses in the field of laser and aesthetic medicine at leading teaching centers in Israel and abroad. In 2018, he established the laser clinic, which under his management became one of the leaders in Israel for advanced laser treatments and skin diseases.

Dr. Hamaisi established and developed within the dermatology department several unique clinics including the hemangioma clinic, the hidradenitis clinic and the laser clinic. As part of the activity of this clinic, Dr. Hamaisi leads research in the field of laser, including MD students and specialists in basic science work, alongside commercial clinical research in the field of hidradenitis . He has so far published a large number of studies in the leading journals in dermatology, which earned him the appointment of a senior lecturer at the Technion's Faculty of Medicine.

Dr. Hamaisi is also very active in teaching medical students in the clinical years, and was awarded an outstanding lecturer for this. He very successfully coordinates continuing studies in dermatology at the Technion's Faculty of Medicine, is a sought-after lecturer at conferences and webinars, and has given dozens of lectures in his field of expertise.

Dr. Ofrat Biar-Katz has been appointed director of the cellular immunotherapy unit

Dr. Biar Katz is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine of the Technion in Haifa and is also a Doctor of Philosophy at the Technion (MD, PhD).

Dr. Biar-Katz completed a residency in internal medicine at Bnei Zion Hospital in Haifa and a subspecialty in hematology and bone marrow transplants at Rambam Hospital. Later, she completed a residency (2018-2020) in cellular therapy and CAR-T cell therapy at the Center for Cellular Immunotherapy at the University of Pennsylvania in the US. Since her return to Israel, she has been leading the cell therapy service, first at the Ichilov Medical Center and starting at the end of 2022 at Rambam.

Dr. Biar Katz's areas of interest are cell therapy, CAR-T treatment for lymphoma patients, and bone marrow transplants. Also, she serves as the PI of a CAR-T laboratory that researches and promotes the creation of new CAR-T cells, the study of the tumor microenvironment and modifications Genetics in innovative technologies.

Prof. Miki Halbertal, director of the Rambam Hospital in Haifa, congratulated his colleagues on the honorable appointments and noted on behalf of the hospital's management: "The blessed list of subscribers ensures that the Rambam Medical College will continue the tradition of providing the most advanced and best care to the public that is treated there, even in the years the following".