Washington, DC

(Haifa, ISRAEL) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser celebrated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Children’s National Health System, based in Washington, DC, and Rambam Health Care Campus, based in Haifa, Israel, that will encourage collaboration to develop innovative ideas that improve the health and wellbeing of children. Following the signing, Mayor Bowser toured Rambam’s Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital and Sammy Ofer Fortified Underground Emergency Hospital.

“This collaborative effort between Children’s National and Rambam Health Care Campus shows that, in 2019, we can work with partners around the globe to innovate and provide the types of world-class health care our children and families deserve,” said Mayor Bowser. “This trip has been all about building relationships and partnerships that benefit communities in both Washington, DC and Israel.”

During her trip, Mayor Bowser met with the mayors of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing their cities on affordability, housing, transportation, and inclusive prosperity.

“Like Children’s National, Rambam Health Care Campus is committed to promoting the health of children around the world,” says Kurt Newman, M.D., President and CEO of Children’s National. “I am confident our collaboration and commitment to global partnerships will lead to advancements in pediatric care, research, public health and emergency preparedness.”

Rambam Health Care Campus is the referral center for all of Northern Israel and home to the region’s only dedicated children’s hospital, the Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital. The nine-story pediatric center was the first medical facility in Israel built according to “green” standards. All specialized pediatric medical services are housed in one building to effectively address the diagnostic and treatment needs of the hospitalized, daycare, and outpatient pediatric patients in a safe and child-friendly environment.

Leading the collaboration on the Rambam side is Professor Myriam Ben-Arush, Director of the Division of Pediatrics and the Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital. She said, “Children’s health is my personal and professional passion. I am deeply moved by the signing of this agreement, which is laying the foundation for a two-pronged collaboration in the fields of pediatric emergency and pediatric oncology focused on developing new therapies for brain tumors in children. We will be promoting the exchange of biomedical knowledge and collaborations with the ultimate goal of promoting children’s health worldwide.”

Dr. Michael Halberthal, Director and CEO of Rambam and their signatory for the agreement stated, “Rambam Health Care Campus is Northern Israel's tertiary hospital serving a potential population of 2.5 million residents in the region. As a leading academic medical center in Israel, we believe in the intertwining of quality clinical care with education, research, and international collaborations. As clinicians, scientists, and medical innovators, our work has global significance. Today's agreement with Children's National further cements Rambam's role as a hub for medical care with an infrastructure for collaborations that are creating the future of medicine.”

In April, Children’s National Health System announced a collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC to launch “JLABS @ Washington, DC” at the site of the new Children’s National Research and Innovation Campus on the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus. JLABS, a premier life science incubator, is part of Children’s National transformation of 12 acres at Walter Reed into a one-of-a-kind research and innovation hub.