Head: Gal Ifergane, MD
Brain disorders, which usually take a chronic course with occasional exacerbations, cause significant disability, and often cause social isolation and stigma, bring unique challenges to clinicians and researchers as well as to health care systems and medical educators.
Several medical disciplines specializing in the various aspects of brain care are involved in the management of patients suffering from brain disorders. These include Neurology, Psychiatry, Neurosurgery, Rehabilitation, and Neuroradiology, as well as Nursing, various field of Psychology, Physiotherapy, Occupational therapy, Speech therapy, and Social work. Historically these medical disciplines are separated, focusing on specific disorders, and work in near isolation from each other. Modern medical progress removed the borders between the disciplines, making the classical clinical work models inadequate for providing state of the art care for brain disorders. New models of clinical “task forces" are needed to provide comprehensive diagnostic and treatment services to this patient population.
Brain medicine has changed dramatically during the last two decades and keeps changing constantly. This rapid change, which sometimes feels like a science fiction roller coaster, requires constant interaction between clinicians and neuroscientists to drive forward research programs as well as to develop new clinical approaches. Such interaction is not part of the routine of medical practice, and a new research-clinical work paradigm should be developed.
The mission of the clinical division of brain medicine is to address these challenges by incorporating translational research, new medical service organizations, and medical education, and by bringing together clinicians and translational and basic researchers.
Vision
The Division of Brain Medicine will be a leading force in the field of clinical brain medicine and brain science by the integration of medical disciplines, health professions, and neurosciences.
Mission
- Providing exceptional training in brain medicine to students and to residents.
- Establishing comprehensive, life-long databases and sample bank of patients suffering from brain disorders in the Negev population.
- Promoting cutting edge translational and clinical research, implementing current neuroscience into patient care.
