Yonit Levanon brings her rich experience in non-profit management to Goshen. As executive director, Levanon oversees Goshen’s operations, including management of staff, budget and all of Goshen’s resources. She is responsible, with the President, for carrying out Goshen’s strategic plan and mission, and to ensuring the organization’s accountability and sustainability. She holds a master’s degree in public administration from Ben Gurion University and a B.Ed. from Hebrew University.
Dr. Hava Gadassi was Goshen’s first pediatric fellow. She completed a two-year fellowship in community-based pediatrics at the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, under its founder Professor Frank Oberklaid. In addition to her role at Goshen, Gadassi is a leading community pediatrician and an ardent advocate for training pediatricians to identify and respond to developmental and behavioral issues. She is instrumental in developing Goshen’s professional course content. Gadassi is a sought-after speaker in Israel on advancing community child health and wellbeing.
Dr. Dafna Idan-Prusak is a Goshen fellow and recently completed her two-year fellowship in community-based pediatrics at the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, under its founder Professor Frank Oberklaid. Idan-Prusak is leading Goshen’s activities in the north and expanding its community initiatives, as well as bringing new models of community child development to Israel. Alongside her work at Goshen, Idan-Prusak works as a community pediatrician in the north.
Dr. Fuad Alsana is a Goshen fellow and completed his one-year fellowship in community-based pediatrics at the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, under its founder Professor Frank Oberklaid. Alsana is a community pediatrician, specializing in working with vulnerable populations, including the Bedouin community. In addition, Alsana is a member of Clalit Health Services southern region management team.
Noa Bronstein-Anon brings her broad range of organizational and creative skills to Goshen. She is responsible for producing Goshen’s extensive information website for parents and professionals, “How You’ve Grown”, and for overseeing all of Goshen’s content and professional and parent toolkits. Bronstein-Anon also manages the professional training curriculum and oversees all of Goshen’s marketing communication and informational materials. She is one of the four original Goshen team members. Before joining Goshen, she worked with a number of non-profit organizations.
Simchi Rosenbluh has been working in the social-community sphere for over a decade. She brings a wide range of experience in fostering partnerships and developing national programs to Goshen. Rosenbluh is responsible for the development and advancement of a network of community pediatricians who will be agents of change in the north and the south and advance Goshen’s vision to ensure the health and wellbeing of Israel’s children. She will also engage in recruiting government and third-sector partners to strengthen Goshen’s work nationally.
Dr. Maya Yaari recently completed her post-doctoral work at the Centre for Community Child Health at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. She originally intended to do this work in the area of autism (the topic of her Ph.D), but she was attracted to Goshen’s mission and decided that this was the area that she would like to build her career. She is a developmental psychologist by training, with strong clinical skills, and while at the Centre she was immersed in work and training related to research and community intervention and evaluation activities to improve the development and wellbeing of young children. Yaari leads Goshen’s new Research and Evaluation Unit which includes the development of new research programs on community child care and interventions and the establishment of a research database for supporting new early childhood development policies. Yaari holds a Master’s degree in clinical psychology and a doctorate in psychology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Ma’ayan Ibinder’s experience lies in the development and implementation of training materials and organizational development. She is responsible for working with the Goshen team to create tailor-made and integrative training curriculums for pediatricians, nurses, psychiatrists and family doctors. Ibinder is also charged with monitoring and measuring the professional course content and adapting it accordingly.
Tehila Glycher is Goshen’s Professional Course Coordinator and Operations and Administration Coordinator. She provides operational solutions to all aspects of Goshen’s work. Tehila has been with Goshen since its founding.
Professor Eitan Kerem is Chairman of Pediatrics at Hadassah Ein Kerem and Hadassah Mount Scopus Medical Centers in Jerusalem, and a world-renowned leader in the treatment and research of pediatric respiratory diseases. Professor Kerem has led national and international multi-center clinical trials and is the author of over 170 papers in the field of pulmonology. He has been at the forefront of building bridges to peace through medicine, sharing his expertise with Palestinian colleagues and promoting professional exchanges between Palestinians and Israelis. Professor Kerem initiated and established the Center for Children with Chronic Diseases at Hadassah Mt. Scopus Hospital that uniquely relates to physical and mental issues in the treatment process for both the child and family. He is a leader in promoting the rights and proper care of these children.
Dr. Manuel Katz received his medical degree in Buenos Aires, specializing in pediatrics. He holds a Master’s in Public Health from Ben Gurion University of the Negev and did his fellowship in health policy and management at John Hopkins University. Dr. Katz’s impressive 43-year career spans work as a primary care pediatrician, medical director and teacher. He served as President of the Israel Pediatric Association, Israel Ambulatory Pediatric Association, and was the Secretary General of the European Pediatric Society. Dr. Katz currently serves on the Council of the European Confederation of Primary Care Pediatricians (ECPCP), and the International Society of Social Pediatrics (ISSOP). Since 2010 he has held the position of President of the Global Initiative for Consensus in Pediatrics and Child Care (CIP). As a leading pediatrician and public health professional, Dr. Katz has served as District Medical Director of Maccabi Health Services and as Deputy Director of Soroka Medical Center in Be’ersheva. Today, he leads the Ministry of Health’s Maternal and Child Health Services in the Negev and Chairs the National Task Force on Domestic Violence. He is an Associate Professor in Pediatrics at Maimonides University in Argentina.
Professor Frank Oberklaid is the Founding Director of the Centre for Community Child Health at The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, Co-Group Leader of Child Health Policy, Equity and Translation at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and an Honorary Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Melbourne. Professor Oberklaid is an internationally recognized researcher, author, lecturer and consultant, and has written two books and over 200 scientific publications on various aspects of pediatrics. He served as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health, and sits on the editorial boards of a number of international journals. He has chaired national health committees, expert working groups and advisory boards, and is a sought-after international speaker and advisor or community child health. Professor Oberklaid specializes in prevention and early intervention, and the use of research findings to inform public policy and service delivery. His clinical and research training is in child development and behavior, and he specializes in working with children and families in this field.
Professor Asher Ben-Arieh, PhD, is the Director of the Haruv Institute (R.A.) in Jerusalem and a faculty member of the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has served as the head of the Joseph J. Schwartz MA Program in Early Childhood and Non-Profit Management since 2007. Previously, Professor Ben-Arieh was project director and editor of the annual State of the Child in Israel – a Statistical Abstract, published in 1990. He initiated and coordinated the multi-national project “Measuring and Monitoring Children’s Wellbeing.” He was among the founding members, and is co-chair of the International Society for Children Indicators (ISCI). Professor Ben-Arieh is one of the leading international experts on social indicators, particularly as they relate to children’s wellbeing. He has published extensively on the politics of social policy and child wellbeing in Israel, and on indicators and measurement. He is the founding editor-in-chief of the Child Indicators Research (CIR) Journal and Children’s Wellbeing: Research and Indicators book series, Springer Publishing House.
Rotem Azar Eliyahu specializes in service development for children-at-risk, from birth to age six, and has over 20 years of experience in this field. She has gained an outstanding reputation working in multidisciplinary environments and in cooperation with governmental and municipal institutions. She excels in managing change processes, designing and managing evaluation and supervision processes, leading complex programs and projects and strategic planning. Today, Eliyahu leads the Infancy Project which advances a comprehensive municipal model for early childhood, in partnership with the Rashi Foundation, the Ministry of Social Services’ Daycare Department and JDC-Ashalim.
Dr. Rinat Cohen is a trailblazing pediatrician, specializing in diagnosing and treating ADHD in children. She previously served as head of pediatric and child health at Maccabi Health Services. Since 2012, Cohen heads the Primary Care Division at Meuhedet Health Services. She pioneered and leads the Well Child Care Visits program in Israel.
Dr. Doron Dushnitzky is a pediatric specialist and holds a master’s degree in health administration. He leads the Medical Systems Development Department at Leumit Health Services. Dushnitzky is a Ministry of Health certified ADHD physician, a member of Israel’s National Committees of Child Health and Pediatrics and Community Health, and a Leumit representative on the steering committee of the National Quality Measures Program. An active clinical instructor and lecturer in the CME School of Sackler Medical School at Tel Aviv University, Dushnitzky also serves as the coordinator of Child Development, Autism and ADHD at Leumit. He represents the pediatric perspective in health policy decisions of Leumit and promotes technological innovation in medicine. Dushnitzky strongly advocates for advancing community-based pediatrics in Israel and is an active member of the Israel Pediatric Association.
Meir Elmaliah is former deputy director general of the Rashi Foundation, where he served for 20 years. He specializes in innovative service development in civic society and the third sector. Elmaliah began his career as an educator in the southern town of Dimona, eventually becoming the principal of a local high school. He then moved into local government and specialized in financial planning and management. Elmaliah held a number of positions in local and regional government, including executive secretary and treasurer of the Dimona Municipality, director of the Foundation for the Development of Dimona, treasurer of the Lachish Regional Council and of the Savion Local Council. Elmaliah has directed the Rashi Foundation’s financial division since 1999 and was appointed senior vice president in charge of operations in 2003.
Ron Finkel AM is a well-known Melbourne-based businessman. He is the Managing Director of Momentum Ventures Ltd., one of the first venture capital funds established in Australia. Ron is President of Hadassah Australia, immediate past chairman of the Arava-Australia Partnership and Founder of Project Rozana. He is a leading member of the Australian Jewish community, and over the course of more than thirteen years, under his leadership, Hadassah Australia has become a national Jewish communal organization raising significant funds annually for projects associated with Hadassah Hospital. Finkel is a graduate of law and commerce from Melbourne University. He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2017, and was nominated by the Australian newspaper for Australian of the Year in 2019.
Dr. Eli Gazala was an active partner and founder in the construction and planning of Clalit’s Child Health Center, Beer-Sheva and served as its first Medical Director for more than 20 years. He completed his fellowship in General Academic Pediatrics and received his MPH degree at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, specializing in ADHD diagnosis and treatment. Gazala was a senior staff member of the Division of Pediatrics at Soroka Hospital and served as a lecturer tutor and examiner for medical students from the International Medical School at Columbia University in New York. He is a member of the Board of the Israel Ambulatory Pediatrics Association and served as the Pediatric Coordinator of the School of Continuing Studies at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University. Gazala is a member of the American Society for Ambulatory Pediatrics (APA) and the Johns Hopkins University Alumni Association.
Dr. Zachi Grossman is a primary care pediatrician. He established IPROS, the Israel Pediatric Research in Office Setting Network in 1995, and is currently the director of the Network. Grossman was president of the Israel Ambulatory Pediatric Association, and today he serves as Secretary General. He has published more than 30 papers in international journals and chaired various Israeli guideline committees on the acute otitis media, community acquired pneumonia’ urinary tract infection and obesity. Grossman is currently the scientific director of the European Pediatric Research in Ambulatory Setting Network affiliated with the European Academy of Pediatrics. He graduated Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem completed his pediatric residency at Hadassah Hospital.
Professor Jacob Kuint has served as the Director of Pediatrics, Maccabi Healthcare Services, since 2012 and is Professor of Pediatrics at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University. Kuint is a specialist in Neonatology and the author of 120 articles in this field. He was the head of the Neonatal Department at Sheba Medical Center from 1993-2012 and a community pediatrician for Maccabi since 1991.
Professor Basil Porter has been active in community pediatrics throughout his entire career. He was a founding member of the Faculty for Health Sciences of Ben Gurion University, and established Israel’s first teaching clinic for community pediatrics in the underserved town of Ofakim. Here, medical students and pediatric residents were exposed to the unique problems encountered in community settings. Porter later established the Child Development Center at Soroka University Medical Center, and studied behavioral developmental pediatrics at Boston Medical Center, under the leadership of Professor Barry Zuckerman. Porter published the first extensive study of community-based pediatrics in Israel, where the need for widening the role of the community pediatrician was documented. He is a founding board member of Goshen and plays a central role in the organization.
Professor Mary Rudolf is head of population health at Bar Ilan Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee. She arrived in Israel in 2012 from Leeds, UK where she was a Professor of Child Health. As a practicing pediatrician, she specialized in child nutrition, growth and development. Rudolf is an international authority on childhood obesity; her HENRY (Health Exercise Nutrition for the Really Young) program is implemented in 54 regions of the UK and has been introduced across Israel by the Ministry of Health in as part of its five-year strategic plan. Rudolf’s expertise also lies in medical education. She has authored three undergraduate and postgraduate textbooks which have been translated into ten languages, and has run Educating the Educator courses internationally. In light of her academic contributions, she received a prestigious distinction award from the UK National Health Service. She is the principal investigator on 22 grants and has 82 publications in peer reviewed journals.
Ilona Sahar is the Director of the Pharmadom Foundation- a French foundation focusing on medicine and health. She specializes in formulating a results-oriented policy and devising effective strategies of implementation in the non-profit sector. Sahar previously served as Director of Early Childhood and Healthcare at the Rashi Foundation, where she led the Foundation’s healthcare related projects. She initiated, developed and implemented projects and partnerships with the Ministry of Health, the Health Funds, philanthropic partners and the healthcare industry. As manager of Early Childhood, she led the team in developing a strategic plan for Rashi’s activity in this area and forged strategic partnerships with additional NGOs and philanthropic funds.
Professor Jacob Urkin is the Director of the Clalit Health Services’ Child Health Center in Ofakim. He serves as a Well Baby Clinic (Tipat Halav) pediatrician in the south and heads the Mother and Child MPH program at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Urkin is a senior lecturer in Soroka Hospital’s Child Division and heads the pediatric unit at the Health Science Faculty in Beer-Sheva.
