When science meets medicine
A landmark donation from the Miriam and Aaron Gutwirth Fund will establish the Institute’s first MD/PhD program
People behind the science
(From left) Prof. Itzhak Swary, Prof. Alon Chen, and Prof. Ziv Reich, Vice President.
The Miriam and Aaron Gutwirth Fund has made a transformative gift to the Weizmann Institute to establish a medical school program for training the next generation of physician-scientists in Israel. The Miriam and Aaron Gutwirth Medical School will be open to both Israeli graduates and postgraduates. Cohorts of up to 40 students per year will earn an MD/PhD upon completion of their studies.
The establishment of the new medical school and program of studies was made possible by a visionary donation from the Gutwirth Fund, the philanthropic branch of the AG Trust, whose commercial activity is led by the Allied Group, one of the largest holding companies in Israel. Since 2005, the AG Trust and the Allied Group have been managed by Prof. Itzhak Swary.
“This new program, under the auspices of the Weizmann Institute of Science, will ensure the highest levels of study and research in Israel and abroad while also forging a direct connection between science and pure research, and the world of medicine,” says Prof. Swary.
Profs. Ayelet Erez and Liran Shlush, from the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, will co-chair the MD/PhD Program Board of Studies.
Participants will learn to conduct research at the Weizmann Institute and undergo clinical training at medical centers across Israel. Participating centers will include the government-run Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov), as well as hospitals run by Clalit Health Services. The program, which is awaiting final approval from Israel’s Council for Higher Education, is expected to open in late 2024; studies are expected to commence in 2025.
Training new physician-scientists, steeped in both comprehensive clinical practice and innovative scientific approaches, will provide a major boost to Israel’s public health sector. The program aims to redefine the framework of medical education by training physicians to bring a broader scope and innovative approach to their practice, thereby advancing biomedical research and its application in Israel.
“Training Israeli physician-scientists fully embodies the Institute’s purpose,” says Weizmann President Prof. Alon Chen.
