Hadassah Australia

Hadassah Australia News and Activities

‏‏Antidote to Biotech Malady

Australian-listed biotech firm Immuron, partly owned by Hadassah's commercial arm HadassIT, has been in the news with breakthrough technology ... [Read article in the Herald Sun]

New Faces at Hadassah Australia

There's been a few changes in the team at Hadassah Australia, with former CEO Elane Zelcer accepting a senior government role in her field of bio-technology. Martin Splitter has been appointed as Executive Director. [Read article in the Australian Jewish News] Martin is an experienced senior executive with a background in marketing, technology, design, administration and business development. He has managed and developed his own business, initially in retail photographics then in graphic design, websites and business services, employing up to 20 people. He has worked in numerous short- and long-term consultancy roles for a range of organisations including small businesses and multinationals, and has held senior management positions in fields as diverse as IT sales, graphic design and advertising, and logistics. He has significant experience in event management, through trade shows and seminars, functions and conferences.

Also new to the team is Nurit Meltzer. With experience in a wide range of working environments including the Israeli army, recruitment, communications, mediation, and organizational development Nurit brings a wealth of talent and real-world experience to her role of Manager Operations. Her professional career has seen her in a number of diverse roles, ranging from VP Operations assistant, to recruitment agent, to electronics technician responsible for repair and maintenance of auto-pilot functions for the Israeli air force. Nurit has significant skills and experience in project management, organization development, human resources, welfare and training. Whilst taking a break from the workforce to raise her family she attained formal mediation qualifications, a Master's degree in Labour Studies from the Tel Aviv University, and a Master's degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Swinburne University.

Henrietta Szold - Daring to Dream, Daring to Do‏‏

This past week Israel celebrated the life and legacy of Henrietta Szold on Rosh Chodesh Adar, the anniversary of her death. Some years ago the Israeli government decreed that she should be officially recognized on this date and named Mother’s Day in her honor. [Read more]

Children Are Not Simply Small Adults

Many times in the course of the year, Hadassah saves the lives of people whose conditions were so serious it didn’t appear they would survive. While this does not happen every day, it is not a rare occurrence either. Often it is the skill and experience of our superbly trained medical staff that make the difference. [Read more]

A Bridge Over Troubled Waters

An inspirational story about Prof. Eitan Kerem, Head of the Department of Pediatrics and Cystic Fibrosis Center at Hadassah-Mount Scopus. [Read story - PDF 900kb]

UN Workshop a Triumph for Hadassah – Monash Partnership (August 2010)

It’s not often that stories about Israel’s health and humanitarian response to communities in crisis is given oxygen. One such opportunity begins this week in Melbourne, with the opening of the 63rd UN Department of Public Information NGO Conference. [See article]

Monash partners with Hadassah for Melbourne UN conference (July 2010)

Monash University has joined with Hadassah Australia to co-host a workshop at the 63rd UN Department of Public Information NGO Conference, being held in Melbourne from 30 August to 1 September 2010. The conference, 'Advance Global Health - Achieve the Millennium Development Goals,' aims to highlight effective ways in which society can contribute to fostering global health and not just manage disease. This is only the third time in 63 years the conference is being held outside conference headquarters in New York. [Read article on Monash Alumni website]

Arson Blamed for Bushfire near Hadassah's Ein Kerem campus (July 2010)

Blaze destroys 1,000 dunams, almost reaches Hadassah Hospital

Major Events in August Announced (July 2010)

Hadassah Australia held a series of major events taking place in Melbourne and Sydney during August 2010.
These include:

Public Forum, Sydney, August 23rd (evening) - "Circumcision: A Dilemma for Parents"
Annual Dinner, Melbourne, August 24 - "Operation Abraham"
63rd United Nations Annual DPI/NGO Conference, Melbourne, August 30th - September 1st

Click on any of the links above for further details and booking information.

"Dreams, Drugs and Devices" - Jerusalem Post (June 2010)

Israel’s only hospital-affiliated biopark, located in Jerusalem, helps doctors conduct research and translate ideas into new drugs and medical devices..... [read article - PDF 100Kb]

2010 Hadassah Australia Dinner announced (June 2010)

One of the major events on the Australian communal calendar, the 2010 Hadassah Australia Dinner will be held on Tuesday, 24th August at Lincoln of Toorak, Melbourne.... [click here for details and bookings]

JCIC Director visits Australia (May 2010)

Dr Esti Galil, Director of the Jeruslame Crisis Intervention Center (Hadassah Australia's signature project in Israel) visited Australia recently. During her visit she was interviewed for the Australian Jewish News ..... [click here - PDF 1.0Mb]

Israeli Advance in Stem Cell Tech - Jerusalem Post (Mar 2010)

A new technology developed at Hadassah University Medical Center has made it possible to produce large amounts of human embryonic stem cells for industry and research by growing them in suspension..... [read article - PDF 86Kb | view web page]

Enriching Child Mental Health Services in Jerusalem (Mar 2010)

Read the Hadassah Medical Center - Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Outpatient Services 2009 Progress Report ..... [click here - PDF 1.0Mb]

Read our latest Communique (Feb 2010)

How does one know when something important is happening? It might be the generation of a new idea (or the revival of an old one), it might be the time when a group of people "click" together, it might be a gut feeling, or it might be a combination of all these. On a rainy, cold February winter night, the combination seems to have happened ..... [read more - PDF 1.1Mb]

New look for Hadassah (Feb 2010)

Hadassah Australia is delighted to launch our new look, featuring a fresh and contemporary logo and styling consistent with the branding being adopted by Hadassah International and its affiliates around the world.

Starting with our completely rebuilt website, the new styling will be rolled out through the first quarter 2010 across all Hadassah Australia print and electronic materials including business cards, letterhead and advertisements. We hope you like it!

Hadassah assists in Haiti after earthquake calamity (Jan 2010)

Hadassah medical and support personnel are amongst the Israeli emergency response team who arrived in Haiti on January 20 within hours of the devastating earthquake that destroyed large areas of the country and is estimated to have caused more than 100,000 deaths.

An Israeli rescue mission of several dozen physicians and nurses, including an obstetrician, orthopedic specialist, prosthodontics expert, and an operating room nurse from the Hadassah Medical Center, flew to Haiti and immediately set up a field hospital in a soccer stadium in Port au Prince. The mission was arranged and managed by the Medical Corps and the Home Front Command of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). For a few days, there was no running water or washrooms. For 36 hours, they worked nonstop, operating on more than 70 people, as well as performing countless small treatments and procedures. According to Dr. Taras Shirov, Hadassah’s orthopedic surgeon and anesthesiologist, the numbers of injured and sick people are overwhelming and it seems as if no change is around the corner. He is running back and forth between the anesthesia equipment and the operating table. Operations are performed during the day and emergency treatments at night. An American nurse who has been living in Haiti is serving as a translator because language is a major barrier.

According to Dr. Taras Shirov, Hadassah’s orthopedic surgeon and anesthesiologist, the numbers of injured and sick people are overwhelming and it seems as if no change is around the corner. He is running back and forth between the anesthesia equipment and the operating table. Operations are performed during the day and emergency treatments at night. An American nurse who has been living in Haiti is serving as a translator because language is a major barrier.

A Hadassah obstetrician delivered the field hospital’s first baby - and the mother, in gratitude, named him “Israel.” And when the surgeons ran out of screws needed to mend limb fractures, a Hadassah Operating Room nurse found a local factory and had them create the crucial screws using bald nails.

for a Ha’aretz article and video interview with Hadassah’s Dr. Shir Dar, who delivered the baby: Click here
to view a CNN video about the medical effort in Haiti: Click here
Read more here
Photo Gallery: Israel Assists in Haiti after earthquake