The Helmsley Health Discovery Tower
The Future of Medicine
The Helmsley Health Discovery Tower is an entirely unique concept: a world-class hub of innovation for the life sciences, public health, biomedical engineering, and pharmaceutical research. The 20-story Tower now rises over Rambam’s campus on the shores of the Mediterranean, at the heart of one of the most visionary expansion plans in Israel’s history.
“There is no place on earth where such a convergence of talent driven by real-life medical challenges is brought together for the benefit of human health.”
– Prof. Karl Skorecki, former Director of Research and Development at Rambam
A World-Class Hub for Discovery
The Tower will house state-of-the-art laboratories for Rambam’s Clinical Research Institute and its academic and industry affiliates, with space allocated for dedicated healthcare, teaching, and research activities, and several floors set aside for biomedical and medical-device startups.
Situated at the heart of Haifa’s biomedical research community, close to the MindUP Biomedical Incubator and a host of biomedical startups, the Tower will be a powerful catalyst and driver for healthcare innovation.
New Homes for World-Class Care
The Tower will encompass leading clinical institutes, providing new homes for world-class services:
- Ophthalmology: The Eye Institute, on the fourth and fifth floors, is internationally recognized for trauma and eye-disease treatment, advanced diagnostic and therapeutic technology, and translational research. It examines over 30,000 patients and performs more than 3,000 surgeries a year, with a dedicated Eye Surgery Center for round-the-clock vision preservation. Its director, Professor Eytan Blumenthal, is renowned for his expertise in glaucoma and cataract surgery and for inventing surgical devices such as the Volk Blumenthal Suturelysis lens.
- Gastroenterology: The Gastroenterology Center of Excellence, on the first and second floors, uses minimally invasive techniques and advanced endoscopy to diagnose and treat diseases of the digestive tract, with an emphasis on real-time detection and multidisciplinary collaboration.
- Pulmonology: Also on the first floor, the Pulmonology Institute diagnoses and treats respiratory disorders such as asthma, COPD, lung tumors, and sleep apnea, using advanced bronchoscopy and specialized clinics.
- School of Graduate Dentistry: On the third floor, this major academic teaching center is the only hospital-based dental program in northern Israel offering specialized pediatric dental services, alongside research in oral, dental, and cranio-maxillofacial health.
An Engine of Collaboration
The Tower is already home to the Leir Foundation Clinical Research Institute, and will be the future home of the Wolfe Center for Translational Medicine and Engineering, the Uzia Galil Innovation Center, and biomedical companies. Integrating clinical care, research, and education within a single facility creates a powerful synergy for medical breakthroughs.
Rambam’s research culture is rooted in a tradition of excellence, exemplified by its association with Nobel Prize-winning scientists Professor Aaron Ciechanover and Professor Avram Hershko. That reach extends worldwide: Rambam and Stanford Medicine have signed a cooperation agreement spanning medical innovation, big-data research, drug development, and trauma and emergency preparedness.
The Helmsley Gift
The US-based Helmsley Charitable Trust awarded an $18 million grant for the initial construction of the Health Discovery Tower. It is the largest grant ever committed to Israeli institutions by the Helmsley Charitable Trust to date.
By bringing together Israel’s most gifted researchers, physicians and entrepreneurs, and placing the most advanced facilities and equipment at their disposal, the Helmsley Health Discovery Tower can be expected to change the face of modern medicine.
A Founding Role in Discovery
There are many ways you can help Rambam complete the Helmsley Health Discovery Tower and secure Israel’s position as a global leader in medical innovation. Naming and support opportunities are available across the Tower’s institutes and laboratories.
To learn more, request research or program proposals, or arrange a briefing with Rambam’s clinical and scientific leadership, please contact American Friends of Rambam at (212) 292-4499 or info@aforam.org.