Prof. Amir Shlomai
Department of Medicine D and the Laboratory of Liver Research
Felsenstein Medical Research Center
Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson campus
The Laboratory of Liver Research
About
Prof. Amir Shlomai. Physician and Researcher
Beilinson hospital and the Faculty of Medicine,
Tel Aviv University
I have earned my MD title from the Hebrew University Medical School and my Ph.D. from the Weizmann Institute of Science. I am Israeli board-certified in Internal Medicine and in Gastroenterology and Liver Disease.
Since 2015, I am heading the Department of Medicine D at Beilinson hospital, engaging with busy clinical duties and with both, clinical and basic research. I am also a senior physician and have an active clinic at the Liver Institute of the hospital.
I am a faculty member at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University with the degree of senior lecturer. I am heading an active laboratory (see under "research") and also engaged in clinical research in the field of liver diseases, with emphasis on viral hepatitis, NAFLD, and liver cancer.
I am honored to closely collaborate with my mentor, the recipient of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Prof. Charles M Rice, in the laboratory of whom I have spent two years of intensive research (2012-2014) in the field of hepatitis B virus.
Research
During the past years, my group has focused on a couple of basic science and translational research projects:
1. Investigating the link between hepatitis B virus infection and resistance to liver cancer therapy. This project (together with Prof. Charlie Rice) is funded by the Binational Science Foundation
2. Investigating the role of GPAT-1 (GPAM) protein in maintaining the metabolic integrity of the liver under physiological and stress conditions
3. Response guided therapy of hepatitis C virus infection, based on mathematical modeling of viral kinetics during treatment (with Ohad Etzion and Harel Dahari).
4. Investigating the role of liver steatosis in long-term outcomes of chronic HBV patients and of chronic HCV patients following SVR.
5. Non-invasive methods to predict long-term outcomes in NAFLD patients
6. Individualization of a follow-up plan in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection
7. The predictive value of elevated liver enzymes in patients with COVID-19 and in other respiratory viral infections.
Teaching
For the last few years, I am in charge of the YAKAR course (introduction to Internal Medicine) at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine. This highly intensive course in taken at the beginning of the 4th year just prior to the clinical rotations and passing this course is a prerequisite for begining the clinical years at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, TAU.
I am also a lecturer at the "systems course" of the 3rd year of Medical school, giving lectures covering the broad subject of viral hepatitis.
My Department is actively and continuously engaged in teaching medical students during their rotations in the Department of Internal Medicine.
Fellowships
Instructor in Clinical Investigation, clinical scholar program, the laboratory of virology and infectious diseases, the Rockefeller University, NYC,USA.
PI: Prof Charles M. Rice.
MARC committee members: Prof Ira M. Jacobson (Weill Cornell Medical Center) and Andrea D. Branch (Mount Sinai hospital) (2012-2014) (http://www.rucares.org/educationtraining/clinicalscholarsprog)
Residency in Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases at the institute of gastroenterology and liver diseases, Tel-Aviv Sourasky medical center (2009-2011).
Residency in Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine B, Tel- Aviv
Sourasky Medical center, Tel-Aviv (2008-2009) and Department of Medicine A, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem (2003-2005).
Awards
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Dean award for excellence in first year studies- The Hebrew University Medical school (1994)
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Dean’s prize of excellence for M.Sc students, Feinberg Graduate
School, Weizmann Institute of Science (2003) -
Adams fellowship for PhD students from the Israeli Academy of Science (2006) (http://adams.academy.ac.il/)
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Distinction in Internal Medicine Board exams (Stage B) (2009)
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Included in the dean’s list of best teachers, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University (2010-2012)
Grants
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A physician-scientist grant, Hadassah Medical Center (2004)
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Zalsberg grant, Hadassah Medical Center (2004)
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Adams fellowship for PhD students from the Israeli Academy of Science (2006) (http://adams.academy.ac.il/)
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The Weizmann-Ichilov joint grant (with Prof Y. Shaul) (2008)
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The Ichilov grant for excellence (2009)
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Israel Cancer Association (ICA) grant (with distinction) (2010)
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Schraiber grant from the
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Maria Ascoli-Rossi grant from the Israeli Ministry of Justice (with Dr EH Sklan, TAU) (2011)
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A young researcher grant from the Israeli Society for the Study of the Liver (with Dr EH Sklan, TAU) (2012)
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CDDS pilot award, the Rockefeller University (2012 and 2013)
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Robertson Therapeutic Development Fund (with CM Rice) (2014)
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Israeli Science Foundation (ISF)/Physician-scientist grant (2014-2017)
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US-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF) grant (with Charles M. Rice) (2016-2020)
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Richard Eimert Research Fund on Solid Tumors of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University (with Ella Sklan) (2018-2019).
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A grant of the chief officer of the Ministry of Health (with O. Etzion) (2019-2020)
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The Israel national institute for health policy research grant (with M. Leshno and E. Sklan) (2020)
Education
A Master (MSc) degree in Clinical and Translational Research, the KL2 clinical scholars program, The Laboratory of Virology and Infectious Disease (Prof. CM Rice) The Rockefeller University, NY, USA. (2012-2015)
MSc degree, June 2015.
Studies for , Feinberg Graduate School of the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. Department of Molecular Genetics.
Research topic: ”PGC-1a- its role in HBV life cycle and its post-translational regulation by a metabolic circuit”. PI: Prof. Yosef Shaul (2005-2008).
PhD degree, September 2008.
Studies for , Feinberg Graduate School of the
Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. Department of Molecular
Genetics.
Research topic: ”Inhibition of Hepatitis B Expression and
Replication by RNA Interference”. PI: Prof. Yosef Shaul (2002-2003).
MSc degree (with distinction), November 2003.
Studies for , The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, Faculty of Medicine (1994-2001).
M.D degree, January 2002.