Sheba Medical Center
Sheba Medical CenterFlash 90

Australia’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Israel’s Sheba Medical Center have signed an agreement to foster new international research collaborations and opportunities for staff development.

Peter Mac is Australia’s only public hospital solely dedicated to treating people with cancer and Sheba Medical Center is the largest hospital and cancer center in Israel and the Middle East.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been formally signed by representatives of Peter Mac, Sheba Medical Center and the Australian Friends of Sheba Medical Center.

Peter Mac Chief Executive Prof. Shelley Dolan welcomed the MOU as an important step in building Peter Mac’s network of international partnerships and strategic agreements.

“Engaging with leading hospitals and scientific institutes globally delivers new development opportunities for Peter Mac’s staff, grows our program of cutting-edge research and supports our mission to provide world’s best cancer care to Australians,” Prof. Dolan said. “We are delighted to be working with an organization of the stature of Sheba Medical Center and look forward to the new collaborations and opportunities this MOU makes possible.”

Prof. Arnon Afek, Deputy Director General of Sheba Medical Center, said: "We believe that the future of medicine is dependent on collaboration, so we are thrilled to work with Peter Mac in trying to find innovative ways to combat cancer.”

“We believe that this is a win-win for both medical facilities that will most certainly benefit people, not just in Israel and Australia, but also around the world," Prof. Afek said.

Avri Alfasi, Chairman of the Board of Australian Friends of Sheba Medical Center, said researchers and clinicians from Australia and Israel have had a long history of friendship and support based on mutual respect and shared values.

“This significant cooperation agreement with the acclaimed Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre is aligned with Australian Friends of Sheba’s vision of promoting global health through collaboration with prime institutions in Australia. We look forward to seeing the fruits of this venture,” Alfasi said.

The MOU provides a framework for Peter Mac and Sheba Medical Center to work together on:

· Innovation and commercialization opportunities – Including working toward establishing an innovation hub in Melbourne modelled on Sheba’s successful ARC Innovation Center.

· Research and scientific collaborations – Allowing exchange of scientific and educational information and materials in support of joint research and clinical trials.

· Bilateral education and training fellowship program – Establishing a program of clinical fellowships, of six to 18-months duration.

· Faculty and researcher exchange – To facilitate visits by clinical staff and researchers for training and education, or to further scientific collaborations.

Sheba Medical Center has been listed as a Top 10 World's Best Hospital for the 4th consecutive year (2019-2022) by Newsweek magazine, while Peter Mac was listed at number 23 in the Best Specialized Hospitals 2022 category.