Draft:Naim Shehadeh

Naim Nadim Shehadeh

Naim was born in 1957 as the firstborn child of the Nadim Shehadeh family. He lived with his family in Kafr Yasif village, which consisted of parents, three boys, and a girl. His father was a school principal and his mother was a teacher, so naturally, it was a family that valued education, progress, and learning. One of the important and influential events for Naim and the rest of the family was his father receiving a scholarship to study medicine in England. However, his family (the grandfather's family) couldn't send his father to study in England after he completed his studies at the Rashidiya College in Jerusalem, so he became a teacher and later a principal in Kafr Yasif schools.

Educational Achievement:

Naim enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion in Haifa, fulfilling the family's dream and compensating for his father's deprivation of studying medicine, after excellently completing his secondary education at "Yani" High School in his village, Kafr Yasif. He was the youngest student in his medical school group at the Technion, completing his medical studies at age 24-25. After completing the requirements for his medical degree, he began specializing at Rambam Hospital in Haifa in pediatrics, then continued to specialize in endocrinology and diabetes. Naim was an outstanding student throughout his education, with his success primarily driven by intensive study and his belief that great success requires great effort.

Professional Work and Medical Scientific and Administrative Specializations:

After gaining significant experience and knowledge, and with encouragement from his supervisor at Rambam Hospital, he traveled to the United States for two additional years of study to expand his knowledge and global exposure. He joined the Barbara Davis Center in Denver, Colorado, becoming internationally recognized. After completing his research in the United States, and at the urging of his supervisor at Rambam - Mr. Amos Etzioni - he returned to Israel at age 33. At that stage, he had three international specializations: 1. Pediatrics, 2. Pediatric endocrinology and diabetes, 3. Adult endocrinology and diabetes, along with two years of diabetes research in the United States.

Before returning to Israel, Naim faced uncertainty between staying in the United States to advance research at the Denver Diabetes Institute in Colorado, which offered him significant opportunities for advancement and research, or returning to Israel to continue serving his country. During this period of uncertainty, his department head from Rambam visited him to convince him to return, saying the country and department needed him. After this visit, he confirmed his return due to its symbolism and his connection to the country and village, and his desire to serve his homeland. He returned to Israel in 1992 after completing his post-doctoral studies in diabetes.

Upon his return to Israel, he immediately assumed the position of Deputy Head of Pediatrics at Rambam, and in 2000 became Head of Pediatrics, becoming the first Arab to hold this position at Rambam Hospital. In 2017, he moved to manage the Institute of Diabetes, Obesity, and Endocrinology at Rambam Hospital until 2022, during which time he renovated the institute and recruited doctors with various specialties to work and develop services in this field. In 2022, he moved to Bar-Ilan University's Medical School and worked as a full professor managing the Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE at the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, following the spread of diabetes and increasing death rates from disease complications in the northern region. SPHERE is a multi-disciplinary research-practical institution including biology, medicine, society, and psychology, all aimed at addressing diabetes challenges in the Galilee region. SPHERE's goals include affecting diabetes data in the region by reducing gaps between population groups in the country compared to the national average for diabetes, and by developing treatment methods and mechanisms that can positively contribute to public health for diverse community populations worldwide.

Academic University Teaching:

In parallel, Naim developed in the academic field, serving as a lecturer at the Technion's Faculty of Medicine, later becoming a senior lecturer and continuing up the academic ladder to achieve the rank of Associate Professor at the Technion's Faculty of Medicine. He then obtained the rank of Full Professor at the Technion's Faculty of Medicine and later received the same rank at Bar-Ilan University's Medical School in 2024. He was then elected as a member of the Israeli Academy of Medical Research, which includes 50 full professors in medicine, and also held a position as a visiting professor at Yale University in America.

AWARDS AND HONORS

2000, 2005-2007 Outstanding Lecturer, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

2002   Clinician and Researcher Award of Excellence, Israel Diabetes Association

2002   ,Hershel Rich – Technion Innovation Award Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

2004   Novartis Prize, International Symposium on Pediatric Surgical Research.

2006   Raymond and Miriam Klein Prize for Research Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

2008   Hershel Rich – Technion Innovation Award Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

2008   Scientist/Doctor of the Month, D-Cure

Patents

1. Guralnik M, Shehadeh N, Olshansky M (Nutrinia Ltd.), 20160022782 – Insulin-containing infant formula, 2016.
2. Shehadeh N, Eshkar-Sebban L, Hanien A, Devir S (Nutrinia Ltd.), 20150099002 – Means and methods for enhancing weight gain in poultry, 2015.
3. Shehadeh N, Hanien A, Porat C, Shamir R, Eshkar-Sebban L, Devir M, Olshansky M (Nutrinia Ltd.), 20150086622 – Growth enhancement of infants, 2015.
4. Shehadeh N, WO/2009/013737 – A method and a system for protection of retina from light-induced damage. Approved by the Patent Corporation Treaty (PCT) and US Patent and Trademark Office, Europe, 2015.
5. Barzilay A, Koren-Lichtig H, Arendt-Cohen S, Ezra Eilat, Gilutz Y, Hanien A, Sharvit P, Eshkar L, Shehadeh N, Shamir R (Nutrinia Ltd.), 20150238573 – Nutritional food and feed, composition, processing and method of use, 2015.
6. Sukhotnik I, Shehadeh N, Shamir R (Technion Research & Development Foundation Ltd.), 20110306544 – Methods and formulations for increasing intestinal function, 2011.
7. Karin N, Shehadeh N, Wildbaum G (Rambam Medical Center Research Fund), 20090197286 - Methods and kit for diagnosing T1DM, 2009.
8. Shehadeh N. Food containing prolactin, PCT/IL2010/000139, publication Jul. 13, 2016