I studied at the Tel-Aviv University Medical School, Israel, where I was the first female student to complete the MD/PhD program and decided to become a physician-researcher in the field of oncology and cancer biology. I performed my postdoctoral studies at the laboratory of Dr. Peter Jones, at the University of Southern California specializing in cancer epigenetics. Upon my return to Israel in 2007, I joined the oncology residency program and opened the Cancer Epigenetics lab as a fellow of the Talpiot medical leadership program at the Sheba Medical Center. Upon completion of my residency in 2011, I continued my medical work as a senior breast physician, and was Director of the Oncology Ambulatory Care Department, that provides oncology treatment for ~150 patients every day. In 2017 I was appointed as Deputy Director of the Sheba Breast Cancer Institute, and Head of the Breast Cancer translational lab. In March 2021, I was appointed as the director of the Breast cancer Institute. As a scientist, I am very excited about combining basic and translational research, with a long-term goal of trying to make our research relevant to our patients. Our research takes advantage of the access we have to tumor samples combined with well-annotated clinical data and follow up information.
As a clinician with leadership roles in my institution, I am deeply involved in processes that enhance the quality and continuum of care for our patients from diagnosis, through active treatment and survivorship as exemplified in the current research proposal.
Education/ Training
2004-2007, Cancer Epigenetics, Post Doctoral studies, University of Southern California, USA
1996-2003, Human Genetics, Tel Aviv University, Israel
1996-2003, Clinical Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Israel
1993-1996, Medical Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel
Positions and Employment
2021, Director, Breast Cancer Institute, Sheba Medical Center
2017, Deputy Director, Breast Cancer Institute, Sheba Medical Center
2017, Head, Breast Cancer Translational Lab, Sheba Cancer Research Center, Sheba Medical Center
2012, Director, Ambulatory Day Care Unit, Institute of Oncology, Sheba Medical Center
2012-2017, Senior Physician, Breast Cancer Institute
2012-2017, Head, laboratory of cancer epigenetics, Sheba Cancer Research Center, Sheba Medical Center
2007-2012, Resident, Institute of Oncology, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, affiliated with the Tel-Aviv University, Israel
Head laboratory of cancer epigenetics, Sheba Medical Cancer Center
2005-2007, Post Doctoral scholar at the Norris Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los-Angeles, CA, USA. Advisor: Prof Peter Jones – focused on Cancer Epigenetics
2003-2004, Medical Intern, Souraski Medical Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2002, Research Assistant, Hemato-Onclogy lab, Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, affiliated with the Tel-Aviv University, Israel
Honors
2013, Clinical Research Career Development Award – Israeli Cancer Research Foundation (ICRF)
2012, Outstanding Research Award – Israeli Cancer Foundation (ICF)
2012, Bloch Family Prize for an Outstanding Medical Oncologist
2012, Outstanding Resident Award, the Israeli Association of Clinical Oncology and Radiotherapy
2011, Gridinger Foundation Award for Oncology Research
2008, Physician-Researcher Fellowship, Chief Scientist Office, Israeli Ministry of Health
2007, Scholarship Winner, Keystone Symposia on “Epigenetics: Regulation of Chromatin Structure in Development and Disease”
2003, Fellow, the Talpiot Excellence and Medical Leadership Program,Sheba Medical Center
1998, Foulks Foundation Research Fellow
1996-1999, The Tel-Aviv University Medical School Dean’s List Excellence Award
Support
2020, Shaba Internal Grant, Mapping personalized resistance to chemotherapy in breast cancer to predict response, 50k NIS
2019-2021, Seerave Foundation (via the Weizmann Institute of Science), The Breast Cancer Personalized Nutrition study (BREACNPT), 177k$
2018-2019, The Israel Cancer Association (ICA), ESR mutation detection in breast cancer local recurrence, 75k NIS
2016-2018, ICRF (as SI), The role of intestinal microbiota in breast cancer progression and therapy, 150k$
2014-2018, Flight Attendant Institute of Medical Research, Cost-effective single-cell profiling of tumors to study functional heterogeneity and cancer stem cells, 400k$
2013-2016, ICRF (PI), Dissecting tumor heterogeneity through epigenomic characterization, 130k$
