Prof. Yael Refaely Allal Director of Thoracic Surgery, Soroka Medical Center

Chairperson of The Israeli Society of Thoracic Surgery

Vice Dean & Director of School of Medicine

Joyce and Irving Goldman Medical School, Ben Gurion University in the Negev

Prof. Yael Refaely, head of thoracic surgery at Soroka Medical Center, has witnessed a revolution in her specialty during her 27year medical career. “Thoracic surgery has received a great deal of momentum through technology,” she says, “and has transitioned from major, open-chest surgery to videoassisted thorascopic surgery and robotic surgery”

Prof. Refaely, who has been at Soroka for ten years, says that a great deal of innovation is occurring in the world of medicine in many different areas. She says that online and digital medicine, which have become popular during the pandemic, will continue to make an impact in the coming years. While she notes that nothing can replace the face-to-face encounter between a doctor and a patient, many medical issues can be alleviated through online treatment. She

expects a huge investment in health technology in the coming years that will improve the knowledge and understanding of diseases along with improving treatment and the ability to tailor the best treatment to each patient. “We have more control over the data, and we strive to improve communication between the various care providers who treat each patient in order to improve the quality of care.” While technological advances in revolutionary medicine, Prof. Refaely notes that it is equally important to maintain compassion and kindness in the care of the patient.

At Soroka Medical Center, says Prof. Refaely, a special connection has been maintained between patients and the medical staff. “The medical staff in the South is part of a community to which it feels a huge commitment and responsibility,” she says. The hospital’s strong triangle of community, medicine, and patients is special and unique in the south. Prof. Refaely notes that Soroka’s proximity to Ben-Gurion

University is important, in light of the significant collaborations between the hospital and the university.

Prof. Refaely says that International Women’s Day is especially significant for women in medicine: “More and more women are entering medicine and integrating into areas that were male dominant in the past, such as surgery, health management, and others. The profession is undergoing great change as a result. Our challenge is to find a new balance and use the benefits that the change brings with it in a productive and creative way.”