The first annual Ziggi Gonchorovsky research conference

Every year, some 300 new studies take place at the Shamir Medical Center, with potential for new medical discoveries that can impact all of human society. This month, a new tradition was established at the medical center, with the inauguration of a unique research day dedicated to shining a light on leading research and awarding grants to outstanding researchers. The purpose of the first annual Yehezkel (Ziggi) Gonchorovsky research conference is to introduce our leading researchers and the studies they pursue and to acknowledge the fascinating research taking place at the medical center – whether by providing public exposure to it or by awarding a grant for continued research. The grants presented to the researchers were donated by the Gonchorovsky family; three decades ago, Ziggi Gonchorovsky’s contribution enabled the establishment of Shamir Medical Center’s Gastroenterology Institute.

Dr. Osnat Levtzion-Korach, General Director of the Shamir Medical Center: “Covid-19 entirely changed how health systems are perceived globally, accelerating the adoption of new technology and treatment models in order to strengthen medical resilience across the world. The pandemic has emphasized more than ever that health is a fragile and unpredictable situation. Medical research seeks to enrich human knowledge about and understanding of the human body and its illnesses. I hope we will have the privilege to generate, through the research coming out of here, new wisdom that will help reinforce global health resilience.”

“The importance of the conference is in its very existence,” she emphasized, adding, “We intend to turn this conference into an annual event, which we believe can promote the many excellent researchers working at the medical center. In our work, we focus on cultivating excellence through research and contributing to the advancement of medicine, and we attach enormous importance in the publication of these works, which highlight Shamir Medical Center’s mission of advocating groundbreaking human medicine.”

“The research day accurately reflects my father's character,” said Sharon Haroz, Ziggi’s daughter. “He had a strong conviction in contributing towards promoting new ideas and initiatives, and consistently encouraged thinking outside the box. He was a people’s person, invariably working for others’ benefit, always with a smile and the belief that one should keep trying, and even if we fail, we must move forward until success is achieved. We take immense pride in witnessing his vision come to life through grants awarded to researchers and the exceptional work presented on this research day.”

“The studies presented at the conference were selected from dozens of research projects submitted, and they represent the high quality of our human capital,” said the Deputy Director of the Shamir Medical Center and Chair of its Scientific Committee, Prof. Orna Tal. “They represent different and diverse research disciplines and show creativity alongside innovation and, of course, medical new developments that can affect medical care in these disciplines.”

“Ziggi’s vision was present at the Gastroenterology Institute from its inception and will continue to be a part of it for years ahead,” said the director of the Institute of Gastroenterology and conference chair, Prof. Haim Shirin. “I would like to thank the Gonchorovsky family for its long-standing friendship with the Shamir Medical Center, which has enabled us to provide our patients with better treatments, and today, can also position ourselves at the forefront of medical research in Israel.” Prof. Shirin also alluded to the reforms in Israel, saying there is no place for discrimination-encouraging legislation in the healthcare system and that without democracy, it will not be possible to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all individuals.

Three research projects from the Gastroenterology Institute were presented during the conference, which also earned the physicians grants: Dr. Adi Ein-Dror’s study about new markers for predicting the course of disease and response to treatment; Dr. Dana Yuval-Tselnik’s study comparing virtual chromoendoscopy with the conventional methods for early colorectal cancer detection in patients with inflammatory bowel disease; and Dr. Sergey Vasco’s work on the effect of using bipolar energy (Speedboat) for histopathological healing in performing ESD in the stomach and colon in an animal model.

Additional researchers presented their work at the conference:

  • Yonatan Hammerschlag – A full laparoscopic resection versus resection after residual tumor in gastric cancer – short-term and medium-term results
  • Osnat Zamora – Suspicion of inflammatory bowel disease in children and considerations for invasive intervention
  • Yuval Mizrakli – Fluorescent angiography-guided thyroidectomy
  • Margarita Sapir – Heating technologies for treating dry eye disease
  • Michael Goldberg – The gut microbiome following oral immunotherapy
  • Shlomit Maimon – Glucagon vs. Buscopan to prevent artifacts in pelvic MRI in women – which to choose?
  • Tatiana Shetzerbayev – Diagnosis and follow-up of laryngeal cancer using PET CT
  • Biana Dubinsky – A prediction and refinement model in keratoconus patients
  • Matan Elkan – The obesity paradox – big-data analysis
  • Eran Kalmanovich – Our experience with cardiac devices in the cardiogenic market

Also attending the conference were Prof. Keren Avraham, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, who spoke about the many interfaces between the Faculty of Medicine and the Shamir Medical Center; and Dr. Ram Sagi, Head of the Directorate of Government Medical Centers’ Medical Division, who welcomed the initiative to establish the annual conference, its research potential and possible contribution to the healthcare system. Prof. Eran Elinav from the Weizmann Institute of Science gave a guest lecture at the conference.

Dr. Osnat Levtzion-Korach, Prof. Orna Tal, Prof. Haim Shirin, and representatives of the Gonchorovsky family. Photo credit: Itzik Biran.