Professor Shaul Sofer was born in Tel-Aviv in 1946. He served as an engineering corps officer during the Six Day War (1967), and since 1973 he as a military reserves doctor. Professor Sofer completed his medical studies at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in 1974, followed by a specialization in pediatrics at Soroka Medical Center, and further specialization in pediatric intensive care at the Children’s Hospital, Manitoba University in Winnipeg Canada.
In 1983, Shaul Sofer established the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Soroka Medical Center, which he headed for 30 years until his retirement in 2013. Between 1991 and 1998, Professor Sofer also concurrently headed the Pediatrics Division.
During Professor Sofer's tenure as Dean of the FOHS (2005–2011), the Preclinical Research Service Facility, the Caroline House (the FOHS Student Center), and a new (functional) MRI for clinical diagnosis and research were dedicated. In addition, the Master’s programs in emergency medicine and physiotherapy were inaugurated. Research programs to advance community health were embarked on, and the foundations were laid for a clinical and simulation-based training center.
Over the course of his career, Professor Sofer became a pillar of pediatric medicine in the Negev. He has published over 100 articles dealing with various aspects of pediatrics, including many which focus on specific forms of morbidity among the Negev population. Most notable are his contribution on topics such as hypothermia in infants, poisoning by organic phosphorous compounds among infants and children, and the pathophysiology and treatment of scorpion stings. He has participated in medical aid missions across the globe - from Cambodia to Rwanda and Kosovo.
