A new translational medical research building, which will bring Ben-Gurion University of the Negev scientists and Soroka University Medical Center clinicians together, will be built on the Soroka campus, adjacent to the Faculty of Health Sciences. The cornerstone was laid in a festive ceremony this week.
The Medical Research Institute will be constructed thanks to the support of the Adelis Foundation and named after its founder André Cohen Deloro. The foundation was represented at the ceremony by Rebecca and Sidney Boukhris. BGU President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, Soroka University Medical Center Director-General Dr. Shlomi Codish, Beer-Sheva Mayor Ruvik Danilovich, and top administrators from the Clalit Health Fund were in attendance.
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Research in the new building will focus on three major areas: translational medicine, clinical medicine, and population-based research aimed at improving the health of the Negev population.
The 3,800 square meter facility will house research labs, a biobank containing tissue samples from Negev residents, treatment rooms, conference rooms, and more.
Once completed, it will provide yet another pillar of support for Beer-Sheva's emerging Innovation District. The district includes the University, the medical center, the Advanced Technologies Park, and the surrounding neighborhoods. The district will further collaboration and innovation, such that research initiated in the new building could be explored… more deeply at BGU, then down another street to the hi-tech park for development.
BGU President Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, "The combination of basic science research and clinical research is the key to significant discoveries that will improve national health. That is the purpose of creating this medical research institute. The building that will be built here symbolizes the close cooperation between Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka University Medical Center. Cooperation that will only deepen in the near future."
Soroka University Medical Center Dir.-Gen. Dr. Shlomi Codish, "This is an especially moving event. As a leading and strategically important medical center for the State of Israel, Soroka has demonstrated its importance repeatedly. One of the significant components of our medical accomplishments is the fact that medical research is an inseparable part of our day-to-day activities. The strategic partnership with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev enables us to make groundbreaking scientific discoveries. Our dear friends at the Adelis Foundation have joined this vision and are making it a reality. I thank the Clalit administration, our partner Ben-Gurion University, our dear friends at the Adelis Foundation, and the resolute medical teams at Soroka."
Rebecca Boukhris, Adelis Foundation representative, "Who would have believed that one fine day we could be partners here in the Negev in constructing an institute where scientists and doctors will work together to develop an essential research platform for the residents of the area and the entire State of Israel. If André Cohen Deloro were with us today, he would be the happiest, because the donor is always happier and prouder than anyone. At the Adelis Foundation, we are convinced that excellent scientific research can affect the welfare of the citizens of the State of Israel. We have no doubt that this institute will draw clinicians and scientists together to improve many aspects of research and treatment."
Beer-Sheva Mayor Ruvik Danilovich, "In our reality, where something new happens every day, people create reality, and they need to receive the tools to improve quality of life in the Negev. The Adelis Foundation's donation to create a building on Ben-Gurion Boulevard, which is named after the founder of the state, is a true Zionist act. The message of today is that our strength lies in the cooperation of the dominant actors in the region, to bolster a strong Negev which is instrumental to the existence of the State of Israel."
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The Jewish Press