Hebrew University Medical Faculty Dean was guest of honor at Kathmandu University Medical School Graduation

Hebrew University Medical Faculty Dean was guest of honor at Kathmandu University Medical School Graduation

Jerusalem — Professor Eran Leitersdorf, M.D., dean of the Faculty of Medicine at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was the guest of honor and key speaker at the 17th graduation ceremony in Kathmandu, Nepal, for students in the medical sciences at Kathmandu University. Professor Leitersdorf is the Dorothy and Maurice Bucksbaum Chair in Molecular Genetics Hebrew University's Faculty of Medicine.

Attending the ceremony, among others, were Nepal's minister of education, Kathmandu University's president, the university Senate as well as faculty deans, government ministers, parliament members, and families of the graduates.

The Hebrew University has special ties to Kathmandu University and Dhulikhel Hospital, the university's teaching hospital, via an international M.A. program in public health and designated courses conducted by The Hebrew University's senior lecturers and professors of public health at Kathmandu University.

This exchange has been taking place for years, assisted by scholarships from The Hebrew University, the Hadassah Medical Organization, private donors, the Pears Foundation and Mashav, the Israeli Foreign Ministry's aid program.

Professor Leitersdorf also met with the president of Nepal, Dr. Ram Baran Yadav (a medical doctor himself), and commented following the meeting: "The President has been in office for several years and was happy to hear about the medical education at the Hebrew University and Hadassah, the different academic programs, the possibility of expanding the training programs for Nepal's students through our Faculty of Medicine and my suggestions regarding the upgrading of the public health system in Nepal based on Israeli models."

The president dedicated an hour for the meeting with Prof. Leitersdorf and reviewed the current state of medicine in his country and the complex political issues stemming from the need to provide medical treatment to over 28 million citizens, many of whom reside a great distance from the medical centers. The president also expressed his desire to expand the relations between the two universities and conveyed his appreciation of the extensive work done by the Israeli Embassy in Nepal, including plans for developing Nepal's agriculture and water system.

While in Kathmandu, Prof. Leitersdorf also gave a lecture about "translational" medicine, emphasizing the need to implement research-based discoveries for Nepal's special medical needs and developing the academic aspect of medicine in the country. Part of the lecture dealt with the essence of medical research, with illustrations from Israel, adding details on the fundamental difference between basic research and implementation research and the need to develop both fields.

Dr. Leitersdorf was elected Dean of The Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine in 2009. He is a recipient of five Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine Prizes as well as the Fogarty (U.S. National Institutes of Health) and IAS Awards. His main research interests are in Lipid Metabolism, Atherosclerosis, Molecular Genetics and Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism. He is an Associate Editor of the journals Atherosclerosis and Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, and a reviewer for many other scientific journals and national organizations.