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Making Connections
Israeli med students at OUWB medical school learn medicine and more.
Ruthan Brodsky
I
Contributing Writer
year of studies in September 2014. Our
plan is to send our students to Hadassah
during the 2014-2015 school year"
As part of its mission to promote diver-
sity, OUWB also has partnerships with
Emek Medical Center at Afula, Israel;
Yonsei University College of Medicine,
Seoul, South Korea; and the University of
West Indies at St. Augustine, Trinidad and
Tobago.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
"I want everyone to know how much
we all appreciate the efforts to make us
feel comfortable in Detroit," says Lori
Plonski, who grew up in Ramat Gan, just
east of Tel Aviv. "Here we are, a group of
complete strangers, yet we've been invited
to homes for Friday night dinners, for
Thanksgiving and Chanukah celebra-
tions, and attended a college football
game and concerts."
The goal of the host families is to make
sure the students feel welcomed and to
help them to be as comfortable as pos-
sible. For example, after the students
arrived from Israel, the host families met
them at the airport, made sure their cell
phones were USA-activated, took them
to grocery stores to stock their kitch-
ens, and made sure they were settled in
their apartments across from Beaumont
Hospital in Royal Oak that first day. The
students also were given a JCC mem-
bership to use until Dec. 24 when they
return to Israel.
The three host couples are available to
each exchange student.
"We wanted to provide a home away
from home said Barbara Kappy. "I loved
being their tour guide, showing them
parts of Detroit. When we had them over
for dinner with our cousins who are the
same age, they were a fun group. They fit
in so well with our family and are always
so grateful for the things we do for them:'
Elaine Robins said, "Rob and I enjoy
being hosts for Israeli exchanges. We've
hosted for the Tamarack program and for
Israeli soldiers.
"These medical students are truly enjoy-
able people. They are independent, bright
young adults who each have their own
story and are doing their best to get the
most out of these few months of training at
OUWB medical school. They joined us for
Thanksgiving, and it was wonderful"
The host families also help out when the
students needed anything special.
"I wish I could have done more for
Daniel [Even-Zohar], but he and the others
are a very independent group" said Michal
Korman. "We did get Daniel and one of the
others a bike as requested because they had
no transportation. I thought it was a crazy
idea riding around on a bike given the cold
weather, but that's what they wanted and
it worked:'
12
December 12 • 2013
MI
Israeli med students Lori Plonski, Netta Sternbach, Daniel Even-Zohar and Michel
Nisnboym of Yehud celebrate Chanukah at the home of Elaine and Robert Robins.
"I want everyone to know how much we
appreciate the efforts to make us feel
— Lori Plonski
comfortable in Detroit."
Netta Sternbach of Tel Aviv said, "I'm
amazed and impressed with the huge
amount of support the Detroit Jewish
community has shown us. That support
continues at Beaumont Hospital, where
the medical professionals, staff and other
students are all very friendly and helpful:'
Robert Folberg, M.D.,
founding dean, OUWB
School of Medicine, and
chief academic officer,
explained how this
exchange program came
about in 2012.
"I have a long history
with Hadassah Hospital Dr. Robert
Folberg
so that establishing
a medical student
exchange program with them was a natu-
ral choice for me he said. "I've collabo-
rated in research projects with Hadassah
physicians for many years and taught at
the hospital a few times.
"Hadassah Hospital offers world-class
health care in Jerusalem" he said. "Even so,
there are slight differences in our schools'
medical training. At Hadassah, the students
already have completed their two years of
military service. In addition, medical school
requirements in Israel are usually five or six
years as compared to our four-year require-
ment for most programs"
OUWB also expects its students to par-
ticipate in community projects, ranging
from teaching about health and wellness
to Detroit fifth-graders to partnering with
the Downtown Youth Boxing Gym, to
mentor students who want to become sci-
entists and physicians.
"Additionally, our teaching staff includes
both physicians in private practice and
physicians employed by the hospital"
Folberg said. "Medical student exchanges
are part of our medical school fabric.
"This is the second year a group of stu-
dents from Hadassah Hospital have spent
time at OUWB medical school. Our first
medical school class will reach their fourth
Training Differences
To be accepted for the exchange program,
Israeli students must be in good academic
standing, complete a formal application
to enter the program, and be interested in
doing part of their rotations at a medical
school outside of Israel.
"This has been a great experience for
me professionally and personally" said
Plonski. "It is very interesting to experi-
ence the difference in training.
"For example, OUWB is very good at
making sure medical students have good
communication and social skills. I was also
more involved in a surgical procedure here
than I have been in Israel. After spending
a week in the operating room with a hand
surgeon at Beaumont Hospital, I was able
to participate in a surgical treatment for
carpel tunnel. Training is more hands-on
here then it is in Israel."
Daniel Even-Zohar of Jerusalem is
a sixth-year senior at Hadassah who is
thinking about specializing in pediatrics or
internal medicine.
"It's interesting to see how the American
medical system works and how our medi-
cal cultures differ" he said. "I was sur-
prised that everyone was so nice — the
doctors, nurses and the patients. Everyone
seemed to be smiling, and I felt we were
respected. I also learned that the profes-
sional medical staff at OUWB is very
diverse; many weren't born in the U.S.
"Our medical equipment at Hadassah
is similar to the material here. One of the
differences is that American physicians
are more aware of the economic impact of
what they do. They pay attention to treat-
ment costs, insurance costs and whether
the treatment is cost effective:'
Rachel Yoskowitz, OUWB's community
liaison for medical exchange programs,
said, "Although OUWB is a new medical
school, it is one of only five listed outside
of Israel that Hadassah Hospital will send
its students to for an exchange.