The latest in our regular feature spotlighting the professional journeys of our alumni and how attending Hebrew U influenced their future career paths.
After attending Hebrew University, did you continue your university studies?
After finishing my MSc in Biomedical Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2021, I began an MD-PhD dual-doctorate at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. I have always had a passion for medicine, and this dual degree will enable me to advance both science and medicine by bridging the gaps between bench and bedside.
What are you currently doing career-wise?
In addition to my MD-PhD studies, I am also the CEO and founder of DECAP R&D, a smart sharps waste management company. We are the creators of NeedleAID, a line of safe, sustainability-focused sharps containers, and NeedleAID Smart, a smart, sensor-based sharps waste management system that improves efficiency and reduces waste in the healthcare system!
We have partners and early adopters across Canada including UBC and McGill, we are currently completing our seed raise of $500,000 CAD to scale our operations up and move to mass manufacturing, and we are excited to get going! Stay tuned for more updates and to see NeedleAID at a hospital or pharmacy near you – check us out at www.needleaid.ca to see what we are up to or if you are interested in investing!
What advice would you give someone interested in getting into your field and who aspires to have a position like yours?
Being a start-up CEO is hard. There’s no two ways about it. And, there’s no manual and no college degree for it. My two best pieces of advice: develop a skill set that’s hard to match and expertise in an area that’s in need of innovation – for me, that meant undertaking advanced degrees in medicine and science in order to build the skill set of a clinician-scientist. Second, find good mentors – they will help you fill in the gaps with what you’re missing, and aid you in your journey.
How did your experience at HU help shape your future career path and personal goals?
The rigorous scientific training I received during my MSc at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been instrumental in advancing my research goals during my MD-PhD at McGill. I am still in close contact with the labs I studied in during my MSc, as I work towards publishing the results of my MSc project with my Principal Investigator from my MSc, Dr. Yuval Dor, and one of his senior scientists, Dr. Miri Stolovich-Rain.
I was also able to access start-up resources through HUJI Innovate and the HUJI 3D and Functional Printing Center at the Givat Ram Campus, which enabled us to quickly iterate and prototype our devices in the early stages of our start-up.
I am also indebted to the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University (CFHU), who awarded me the CFHU Einstein Legacy Scholarship, The Bernard and Elinore Persiko Merit Student Scholarship and The Mona Leith Scholarship that helped me with my studies at Hebrew U.
What was the most exceptional or special thing about your time at HU?
In a unique turn of events, I met my wife at Hebrew U! She was studying at the time to become a pharmacist, and we met in the corridors of Hebrew U, fell in love over mulled wine, and eventually got married here in Canada!
