Jewish National Fund Doctors for Israel Lecture Series
Join like-minded medical professionals for an exclusive and informative lecture series.
Dr. Niva Russek-Blum
Dr. Niva Russek-Blum is a neuroscientist who focuses and works toward finding cures for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease and ALS. She is the leading researcher at the Arava R&D Center, where she has successfully created potential ALS therapeutics in zebrafish. Dr. Russek-Blum’s research has been published in major medical journals worldwide, and she has been awarded for her academic achievements. Dr. Russek-Blum collaborates with the academic and bio-tech and pharma sectors, and pre-clinical studies in her lab have successfully developed into clinical trials in ALS patients in both the U.S. and in Israel.
Dr. Rivki Ofir
Dr. Rivka Ofir serves as the Head of the Arava Center for Drug Discovery at The Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, and the Head of the Arava Center for Drug Discovery at The Dead Sea & Arava Science Center at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Dr. Ofir’s areas of interest include desert chemistry, cannabis-related pain relievers, and healthy aging. Through her academic research, she has explored models for studying disease mechanism, drug discovery, and tissue regeneration. She has contributed to over 80 articles and reports in scientific peer-reviewed journals and publications, and has collaborated with colleagues in Israel, Jordan, and throughout the world.