PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2015
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| Dr. Michael Star: “The research opportunities here were fantastic.” |
A: I think that, first and foremost, being in Israel is a great part of being at the Technion. I came here to experience life here, and get a medical degree, and both ended up being very successful experiences. On the medical side, there is no question that the approach to the patient, both from the perspective of the doctor, and the system as a whole, is very different from that in the States. There is no question in my mind that the medical system, as a whole, is more efficient at delivering quality medical care, from preventative medicine to acute care, and having the privilege of experiencing this system from the inside will definitely give me a unique perspective on the timely issue of health care in the States.
Q: What is your medical passion/direction. How did studies in Israel support that?
A: I am going into neurology, and will start my residency at Loyola University Hospital in June. I got interested in neurology after my 3rd year clinical rotation in Nahariya with Dr. Bella Gross, who is not only a world-renowned researcher, but also a fantastic teacher and clinician who really turned me onto the field of neurology by showing a more human side to the treatment of neurological disorders. I was able to achieve this residency in no small part due to fourth year rotations that the Technion helped me acquire through relationships fostered by the former of the medical school Dean, Ido Perlman. In addition, since returning for the remainder of my fourth year here, I have been working on some clinical neurology cases with Dr. Beth Murinson, a neurologist at Rambam, which has already been a tremendous learning experience into the in’s-and-out’s of writing and publishing in the academic medical world.
Q: How was it to live here… community, Technion integration, support infrastructure, language?
A: Living here in Haifa was absolutely a pleasure. My first two years here, I lived in Bat Galim so I could be close to the Faculty, and there was a small community of medical students, which helped. While some students have chosen to live on the Technion’s campus in Neve Sha’anan. During my third year, I chose to move to Ahuza to be part of a larger, more established religious community, which has proven to be an amazing and warm community of families that has taken me in as one of their own.
Q: How would you sum up your experience at TeAMS?
A: The research opportunities here were fantastic, and the clinical teaching, where we got personal attention from doctors at the top of their respective fields, is something you don’t find very often even at top medical schools in the States. And while there is certainly room for improvement, I think that the TeAMS program, which is still in its infancy, has the potential to be a world-class medical program that would attract the best and brightest from North America to study here in Israel. Not only would it continue be an asset for the Technion, but is also good for Israel to be training medical students who go on to be top doctors in their fields.
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| TeAMS Students – hands-on English language medical training. |
