On November 16th, 2021, Professor Amitai Ziv of the Sheba Medical Center was awarded the 2020 Lennox K. Black International Prize for Excellence in Medicine from Thomas Jefferson University. This prestigious prize was awarded on behalf of Professor Amitai Ziv’s contributions to education in the medical field in Israel and worldwide. The Lennox K. Black prize recognizes extraordinary participation that helps to promote scientific discovery in the medical field. Past recipients of the Lennox K. Black prize include other notable individuals in medicine such as two Nobel Laureates.

Professor Amitai Ziv is the director of the Integrated Rehabilitation Hospital at Sheba Medical Center and Founding Director of MSR-Azrieli – Israel Center for Medical Simulation.  Professor Amitai Ziv has founded and been leading the MSR-Azrieli Center for over two decades. It serves as a global model for simulation-based medical training further helping to prepare medical teams with authentic experiences.

“I thank Thomas Jefferson University for the award and deeply appreciate them for selecting me for this prize, along with their leadership’s commitment to global engagement and working with Sheba for the betterment of the world,” said Professor Ziv. “We are proud of how MSR-Azrieli powers Sheba’s global impact and reinforces its messages of innovation, creativity and human dignity in medicine." With this unique educational platform, Professor Ziv is helping to contribute to the advancement of medicine by helping to provide instructional tools.

Sheba’s CEO, Professor Yikshak Kreiss, noted that Professor Ziv is very worthy of this award due to his innovative qualities and creativity. 

Dr. Mark Tykocinski, Provost of Thomas Jefferson University and Dean of the Sidney Kimmel Medical College commented “Dr. Ziv has reimagined medical simulation, positioning it at the frontier of medical education for the mid-21st century. More than simply a tool for redefining technical expertise, medical simulation is being unleashed by MSR-Azrieli as a powerful methodology for cultivating the human dimension of healthcare providers.”

Professor Ziv’s contributions to the medical industry especially within education are vital and extremely recognizable.