Health

The studies of the SNI in this field examine the contribution of nature to the mental and physical health of the residents of Israel. The studies examine the beneficial effect of exposure to nature, including staying in nature outside the city, visiting urban nature sites such as parks and urban gardens, and even viewing nature through windows or simply watching nature images. The studies examine the benefits that nature affects different populations, such as ethnic sectors, gender and different ages, and provide recommendations for measures that can be taken to increase the resilience of these populations, through exposure to nature and increasing awareness of its contribution to decision makers, executive bodies, health professionals, culture and sports, and among the general population.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global watershed event that has substantially scarred the social and economic fabric of societies and individuals alike. The road to recovery from this pandemic is likely to be a gradual and slow process that will have an unequal impact on different parts of society. This proposed study sets out to identify, investigate, model and predict the factors associated with the objective and subjective well-being of the Israeli and French populations in the midst of the pandemic and in a world recovering from COVID-19. The assessment considers both material (i.e., socio-economic status, income and wealth) and socio-psychological conditions (i.e., feelings of subjective well-being, depression levels, family tensions), as well as underlying societal factors (resilience, social cohesion, social capital, degree of trust etc.). Special focus will be placed on the catalysts and agents, which differentially impacted vulnerable groups in society in the midst of the pandemic and on the factors that are projected to lead towards differential recovery. The comparison between Israel and France is especially interesting in terms of the potential “winners” and “losers” from the pandemic. An open question relates to both the contingent and structural elements of both societies and their ability to cope with the pandemic: France with its long-term stabilizers and social security system but slower epidemiological reaction or Israel with a less extended welfare system but with higher reactivity at the epidemiological level (a fast and effective vaccination campaign). The proposed project will employ a wide array of qualitative and quantitative tools for the collection and analysis of the research data. The French data will be based on the ELIPSS longitudinal survey, a probability-based panel. Similar data will be collected for Israel via a specially tailored web survey. In addition to survey data, unobtrusive digital trace data will be collected from human sources and online tools (e.g., webpage visits analysis, social network discourse analysis etc.). An innovative effort will be made to triangulate these unobtrusive data sources with the panel data and qualitative interviews. In order to test the relationship between socio-economic, behavioral and societal factors influencing the well-being and the coping abilities of the Israeli and French populations, mediation and moderation analysis will be implemented. The proposed bi-national project will equip stakeholders in both countries with well-established information that could help them in formulating guidelines for assisting vulnerable populations at times of crisis and speed up their recovery.

This project examines various models for the translation of academic discoveries ‘from bench to bedside’ to create innovative medications. The research examines how different countries in the world support basic biomedical academic discoveries and advance them towards industrial applications. The observation of these models can support the local pharmaceutical eco-system in leveraging Israel’s academic excellence to create societal and economic benefits. In addition, the research examines successful buildups of pharmaceutical eco-systems, in which the academy is a key player, in comparable countries such as Denmark and Singapore.

Insects are of fundamental importance to the ecosystem, and their existence is critical for human survival. Insects play a variety of roles in the service of man, while the research of the full potential inherent in them is still in various stages.

The Israel Precision Medicine Partnership (IPMP) is a joint initiative of Yad Hanadiv, the Klarman Family Foundation the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education, Digital Israel, and the Israel Science Foundation. The program's aim is to advance basic research as well as new diagnostic and therapeutic methods by Israeli academic and clinical researchers. The purpose of Samuel Neaman’s Institute evaluation research project is to identify challenges in the field, understand the nature of collaborations between academics and medical institutions, and monitor the scientific and technological achievements arising from the program.

Preventive intervention for children undergoing surgery, coupled with changes in the policies of the Department of pediatric Surgery, Operating Room and Recovery Room, designed to enhance the children’s emotional, cognitive and behavioral control, in order to accomplish the developmental, psychological tasks and promote their mental health.

This project is a joint effort of the Council for National Security and the S. Neaman Institute. In this project, various methods for supporting and enhancing R&D to combat terror are evaluated, integrating the private, government and defense sectors.

The Department of Community Medicine and Epidemiology (CHS National Cancer Control Center, Carmel Medical Center and B. Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion) is conducting studies, under the auspices of the S. Neaman Institute, aimed at collecting information about the characteristics of cancer morbidity in the various demographic groups of the Israeli population. Cancer usually results from behavioral exposures combined with the genetic background of the individual.

The goal of this study is to present a precise picture of the changes which have occurred in the rate of female representation in surgery through a literature review examining the various factors which have brought about these changes, and by surveying female physicians who made these changes.

The program will consist of a longitudinal field study in a medium-size Israeli town where an intensive and comprehensive program will be implemented on the individual, family, and community levels. The program falls in the realm of primary prevention which will focus on individuals at high risk for a physical disease, who have not yet been affected by the condition to be prevented.

The S. Neaman Institute is leading an initiative to establish a ‘Northern Biotechnologies Cluster in Israel’ incorporating all companies, incubators, start-ups and academy researchers in the north of Israel. The rationale for this initiative is that biotechnology has become the fastest growing industrial sector in Israel and worldwide, and is reshaping science, especially life science, medicine, food and agriculture.