A Word From Our Latest Visiting Fellow Shirly Yanai

Dear Friends,

First, I want to thank you for this great opportunity to view a few of the most successful medical centers in the U.S.

During my three-week observation, I joined the liver transplantation team at both Columbia University Medical Center and Cornell Medical Center in New York City. In each center the teams provide multidisciplinary service, which includes outpatient clinics, a specialized inpatient ward, and consultations on inpatients who are staying in other wards.
  
Coming as an intern from one of the leading internal wards for liver disease at Rabin Medical Center, which is Israel's leading transplant center, it was very important and informative to see how a large scale transplant center in the US works.

As part of the team, I was exposed to a variety of interesting clinical cases. I had the opportunity to see how each doctor from a team cooperates one another and how the entire team strives to do the best for their patients.  

The most educational time for me was the rounds at the transplant wing at Columbia’s hospital, which hosts all the pre- and post-transplantation patients. During rounds I had a chance to observe a large portion of the liver transplantation process between patients and their donors, which we don't get to a see a lot of in our center. I also learned about the criteria to receive a live liver transplantation at both Cornell and Columbia.
 
It was very impressive to see the team, which include very professional doctors, maintain a personal and compassionate approach to each patient despite seeing thousands of patients.

I am glad that I had the privilege to observe the teams at Columbia and Cornell, and the chance to see the wide variety of patients in New York City.

This program helped me learn and make connections with exceptional doctors in the liver disease field and I am sure that if I need their help with a patient or want to collaborate with them on research their door will be open for me.  

I want to thank again the American Friends of Rabin Medical Center for making it possible for me to experience how the American health system works, meet colleagues and see a variety of disease and treatments.

When I return to Israel my plans are to complete my internship in internal medicine and to stay as an attending at my ward. After that I will probably start my fellowship in infectious disease. My goal is to specialize in infectious disease in liver transplantation patients.

Lastly, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of this program, which exposes us to a different health care system and gives us the opportunity to make contact with new colleagues.

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