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Dr. Suheir Assady was appointed as the new Head of the Nephrology Department at Rambam Health Care Campus

To date, Dr. Assady is the first Israeli Muslim woman directing a large medical department in an Israeli hospital. There are only a few women holding similar positions in the entire Middle East.

Dr. Assady was born and resides in the historical Northern city of Nazareth. In 1993, Dr. Assady began her residency at Rambam in the Department of Internal Medicine, after completing her medical studies and internship at the Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem. Her fellowship at Rambam in the Nephrology Department soon became her passion leading her to in-depth research in the field and to her Ph.D. in Medical Sciences on the subject of characterization of differentiation pathways in human embryonic stem cells–an achievement reached by only 10% of the doctors in Israel.

After completing her Ph.D., Dr. Assady returned in 2003, as a senior physician and since then has held many positions, such as:  Head of Hemodialysis Unit, Head of Peritoneal Dialysis Unit, and as a nephrology consultant. Within the framework of her clinical and research duties, Dr. Assady oversees the instruction of the Technion medical students in the Department of Nephrology. She is currently authoring a chapter in the prestigious book in her field entitled The Kidney, edited by B.M. Brenner.

Dr. Assady believes that striving for excellence is a process more than a target. "To quote the words of my teachers, I see my work as a lifelong mission," says Assady. "My greatest achievements are due to the opportunities I had for professional growth within the (Nephrology) Department and from the excellent training I received from some of the finest doctors in the field of nephrology in Israel and world-renowned for their groundbreaking research in this area – Professor Karl Skorecki, the late Professor Jacob Green, and Professor Ori Better. I intend to continue in the course they have set –the path of distinguished nephrologists– to combine humane medical approach that heighten patient welfare through advanced departmental research, and strive for excellence in teaching and training such as to leave a rich medical legacy to future generations."