The Israel Society for Gender & Sex Conscious Medicine (ISRAGEM)
In June 2008, 21 chairpersons and unit directors from various medical disciplines at the Rabin Medical Center in Israel decided to establish an interest group for gender medicine. What made this interest group truly remarkable and exciting was its inclusion of representatives from a diverse array of 14 different medical disciplines.
The group grew rapidly, and within a few months, representatives from 11 hospitals and universities across Israel joined its ranks. Almost immediately, numerous retrospective and prospective research projects, as well as basic science studies, were initiated, many of which have since been published. This fruitful collaboration led to the establishment of the Israel Society for Gender Medicine during an inaugural congress held in February 2009, which drew more than 350 participants from most Israeli hospitals and a wide range of medical specialties. As of the time of this writing and fifteen years since its inception, our society has over 200 active members, representing 16 medical disciplines across 11 universities and medical centers. We maintain a highly active website (isragem.org.il) and a vibrant Facebook page. Our posts reach thousands of visitors (facebook.com/isragem). While both pages primarily use Hebrew, our website also features an English section.
Several years ago, we decided to change our organization's name from the "Israeli Society for Gender Medicine" to the "Israeli Society for Gender- and Sex-Conscious Medicine" in our ongoing effort to raise awareness that both sex and gender are critically important factors in health and disease.
Since its inception, in close collaboration with the Rabin Medical Center, we have organized nine national conferences addressing gender and sex aspects in cardiology, nutrition, pharmacology, psychiatry/psychology, pain management, obesity, the biological clock, and other general topics. Our tenth national conference is scheduled for May 2024.
In 2010, we proudly hosted the 5th International Conference on Gender- and Sex-Conscious Medicine in Tel Aviv. Additionally, we have played a significant role in helping organize nine international conferences in Europe, the USA, and Japan. We also offer and promote courses and training for healthcare professionals at all levels. Over the past 15 years, members of IsraGem have conducted hundreds of research projects. Since 2009, we have been actively teaching Gender and Sex-Conscious Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine and the Post Graduate School of Tel Aviv University. Starting in 2022, Gender and Sex-Conscious Medicine has also been incorporated into the curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine at Bar Ilan University in Safed, Israel.
The Executive Board of ISRAGEM reflects the genuinely interdisciplinary character of our society. The current board of IsraGem:
Prof. Marek Glezerman, MD - President
Dr. Rola Khamisy, MD - Treasurer
Ms. Michal Angel, RN - Member
Ms. Amit Ganor, MSci - Member
Prof. Dov Feldberg,MD - Associate member
Shiran Gross, Esq. - Assoc. member
Dr.Gali Lerman, PhD - Assoc. member
Dr. Ayellet Neumann, MD - Assoc. member
Ms. Yael Russo - Administrative assistant
