The Federation of all the Israel Societies for Experimental Biology (FISEB) announced that Prof. Karen Avraham, Dean of Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University is the winner of the STAR Award for Scientific Excellence and Leadership. The STAR Award is a prestigious award that recognizes outstanding scholars in biomedical research and is a testament to their dedication and contribution to advancing the academic community in Israel.

Exceptional Contributions with Significant Impact

The selection committee noted: “Prof. Karen Avraham’s contributions to the field have been truly exceptional and have significantly impacted the advancements of human genetics from basic concepts to innovative therapeutics. Her creative ideas, unwavering commitment and leadership have inspired many and set a benchmark for others.”

Prof. Karen Avraham, Dean of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine: “I am thrilled to receive this honor. There is nothing more significant than getting the recognition of your peers and colleagues. I have had tremendous opportunities to pursue my scientific research, leadership and mentoring in Israel for many years and I am very grateful for that.”

“Prof. Karen Avraham’s contributions to the field have been truly exceptional and have significantly impacted the advancements of human genetics from basic concepts to innovative therapeutics. Her creative ideas, unwavering commitment and leadership have inspired many and set a benchmark for others.” (The selection committee for the STAR Award)

Disease Genomics With Emphasis on Hearing Disorders

Prof. Avraham is recognized as one of Israel’s top scientists for her research that centers on disease genomics, with an emphasis on hearing disorders. Her team explores the genes responsible for hereditary hearing loss and implements new gene therapies to reverse deafness. Recently, she expanded her research to study rare genetic diseases including developmental delay, epilepsy and breathing disorders in children. She is a member of the Department of Human Molecular Genetics & Biochemistry at the Faculty of Medicine and the Sagol School of Neuroscience.

For her scientific achievements, she has won numerous awards, including the Sir Bernard Katz Prize from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany and the Michael Bruno Memorial Prize from the Rothschild Foundation (Yad Hanadiv), and she was recently awarded the Israel Science Foundation Breakthrough Research Grant.

In addition to her outstanding research achievements, she is the first woman to serve as the Dean of Sackler Faculty of Medicine at TAU. Prof. Avraham also served as founder and former director of the Healthy Longevity Research Center and the Aufzien Family Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and of the Taube-Koret Global Collaboration in Neurodegenerative Disease. She is the founder and director of the Biomed@TAU Research Hubs, which aim to bring together scientists and foster collaboration from across Tel Aviv University and affiliated hospitals that share overlapping research interests.

The Federation of all the Israel Societies for Experimental Biology (FISEB) is a federation of 34 Israeli societies of experimental biology, which was established in 1994 in order to promote scientific collaboration between members of the societies.