Director

Prof. Liat Lerner-Geva

Background 

The Women and Children's Health Research Unit, under the leadership of Dr. Liat Lerner-Geva MD, PhD, was established in July 2001 as one of the epidemiological units of the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research.

The unit was established from professional teams at the Health Services Research unit headed by the late Vita Barel and from the Clinical Epidemiology Department led by the late Prof. Baruch Modan.

Aims and Objectives

• To plan and implement significant, quality research and to serve as a basis for health policy decision making in women and children's health.
• To plan women and children's health intervention programs and evaluate their effectiveness in reducing disease and mortality and in promoting the health of these populations.

Description of Activity

The unit team is mainly involved in studying women and children's health. The unit is  also involved in a wide range of other activities, including:

• Developing methodology and relevant research tools for the unit's fields of interest.
• Activities within the framework of committees and national councils under the aegis of the Ministry of Health.
• Frontal teaching and guidance of medical students and of students in the Advanced Degree program in the School of Public Health and School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University.
• Activity within national and international associations and relevant professional forums.

Areas of Research

The Women and Children's Health Unit is committed to multi-disciplinary research that will strengthen, develop and enhance the study of diseases and situations affecting the health of women and children in Israel.

The unit serves as a source of support for health policy in women and children's health issues. It promotes awareness amongst decision makers to the particular health problems in these populations, with the aim of ensuring a fair allocation  of limited resources.

The unit initiates, promotes and supports studies in a range of areas connected to women and children's health, including an evaluation of illness and mortality trends amongst these populations, identifying risk factors and developing and applying effective methods for primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary prevention.

The Team

The Women and Children's Health Unit team is highly experienced in epidemiological and health services research in a wide range of fields, including neonatology, genetics, biology, psychology, sociology, fertility, public health and biostatistics.

The unit is in constant contact with certain departments in the Health Ministry, the National Council for Gynecology, Genetics and Neonatology, the National Council for Women's Health and the National Council for Pediatrics. The unit also initiates and implements research partnerships with neonatal and gynecological departments and fertility and IVF units all over Israel, as well as maintaining contact with centers around the world involved in similar fields.

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