Sheba Medical Center promotes innovation and health equity in North America

Photo Credits: Society & Diplomatic Review

On October 23, 2022, Sheba Medical Center Director of Sheba Global, Yoel Har-Even, joined Ambassador Houda Nonoo (ret.), former Bahraini Ambassador to the United States, to discuss the unifying power of healthcare and the role that Sheba Medical Center plays in helping advance the relationship between Israel and the Kingdom of Bahrain. The event was held at Park Avenue Synagogue on the Upper East Side of New York City.

Nonoo, the first and only Jewish Ambassador from an Arab country and the third woman to serve as an Ambassador from Bahrain, was appointed by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. She worked closely with then Foreign Minister H.E. Sh. Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa during her tenure in Washington from 2008-2013. “When our leaders signed the Abraham Accords, they wanted to create a new Middle East based on peace and prosperity for all. When I traveled with Foreign Minister H.E. Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani for the signing of the Accords, he said this is a warm peace, embraced by leaders and their people,” said Ambassador Nonoo. “Healthcare is a key area for collaboration and Sheba Media Center has played an important role in joining Bahrain and Israel’s healthcare ecosystems.” Named by Newsweek as top ten hospital in the world, Sheba played and continues to play instrumental role in the advancement of the Abraham Accords according to the Former Ambassador.

Sheba Medical Center located in Tel Hashomer, Israel continues to work closely with Salmaniya Medical Complex in Manama, Bahrain, partnering on several initiatives, including exchange programs. In September 2022, Sheba announced a second partnership with King Hamad American Mission Hospital to cooperate on medical research and development. “We are thrilled to participate in bringing the Abraham Accords to life through real-world partnerships and healing, both metaphorically and literally,” noted Har-Even, “It is fitting that we are building a facility on the Hudson River in partnership with the Liberty Science Center that will bring new healthcare technology to those who need it around the globe. We hope that the work of Sheba Medical Center serves to bring people together here in New York, in Bahrain, and around the globe.”

This past September, the top leadership from Sheba Medical Center, joined with Liberty Science Center's President and CEO Paul Hoffman and Jersey City officials to provide an update on SciTech Scity, the 30-acre “City of Tomorrow” being developed by Liberty Science Center. The conversation focused on the partnership between Sheba, LSC, and the City of Jersey City through which Sheba will be a primary tenant of SciTech Scity’s business optimizer innovation incubator addressing health equity locally, regionally, and nationally.

Sheba was established as Israel’s national hospital in 1948 by David Ben-Gurion and is now the largest medical center in the Middle East and an internationally recognized healthcare leader. Sheba is located on a comprehensive 200-acre campus near Tel-Aviv and offers a wide-range of medical divisions and specialties including 159 departments and clinics. Sheba performs 1.9 million clinical visits annually and has many of Israel’s national centers including the rehabilitation of all injured IDF soldiers, Israel’s National Center for Disaster and Humanitarian Medicine and more.