DALLAS, December 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- UT Southwestern Medical Center and Rabin Medical Center, Israel, two of the world's top academic medical centers, announced today that they have entered into an innovative affiliation agreement for the next five years.

The internationally recognized institutions will collaborate on faculty and student exchange programs, as well as the development of joint studies, research and training activities, and other educational programs of mutual interest.

"This agreement between UT Southwestern at Dallas and Rabin Medical Center in Israel represents an exciting new era of cooperation, research and teaching for both of our institutions and our two countries," said Dr. Daniel K. Podolsky (http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,2356,103382,00.html), president of UT Southwestern Medical Center.

"Rabin Medical Center and UT Southwestern believe that international understanding and educational opportunities for students, post-graduate trainees and faculty will be greatly enhanced by international academic and scientific cooperation," said Dr. Eyran Halpern, CEO of Rabin Medical Center, which is located just east of Tel Aviv.

Dr. Podolsky announced the affiliation agreement on the UT Southwestern campus, where he was joined by Dr. Greg Fitz (http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,2356,62094,00.html), executive vice president for academic affairs and provost, and dean of UT Southwestern Medical School, and Dr. Joseph Hill (http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,2356,57069,00.html), chief of cardiology and director of the Harry S. Moss Heart Center at UT Southwestern.

Dr. Halpern was accompanied by Dr. David Hasdai, director of the Cardiac Care Unit at Rabin Medical Center and professor of cardiology at Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine and Mrs. Judit Solel, head of the Office for Development.

Also present was Wendeline Jongenburger, director of UT Southwestern's Office of Global Health. The newly established office reflects one of the university's strategic priorities and is headed by Dr. Fiemu Nwariaku (http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/findfac/professional/0,2356,22867,00.html), associate dean for global health and associate professor of surgery. UT Southwestern recently entered into an affiliation agreement with Sun Yat-sen University and First Affiliated Hospital in Guangzhou, China, to foster scientific training between the institutions.

In celebration of this strategic collaboration, Rabin Medical Center will fund a fellowship to be awarded to a student selected by UT Southwestern to attend RMC.

Established in 1996 in memory of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by combining two existing hospitals, Rabin Medical Center has Israel's only dedicated transplant facilities capable of performing kidney, lung, heart and liver transplants. Rabin Medical Center's Cardiothoracic Surgery Department and its Oncology Institute are the largest in the country, and its heliport and Level 1 Trauma Center provide vital emergency services throughout the region.

Founded in 1943, UT Southwestern Medical Center has had four Nobel Prizes awarded to its faculty since 1985. In the 2010-2011 edition of U.S. News & World Report's Americas Best Hospitals, UT Southwestern is nationally ranked in six specialty-care areas: urology, diabetes/endocrinology, gynecology, kidney disorders, neurology and neurosurgery, and ear, nose and throat. The medical center is also among the nation's best performers in biology and biochemistry research in achieving clinical breakthroughs.

The joint agreement calls for UT Southwestern and Rabin to collaborate on:

- Joint research conferences and symposia; - Reciprocal exchange of students, post-graduate trainees or faculty in the areas of medicine, nursing, collaborative research projects, exchange of publications, reports or other academic information; - Exchange of cooperation regarding the organization, delivery and management of health care services; and - Professional development.

This is the first agreement between UT Southwestern and Rabin Medical Center, and it is extensive in that it covers aspects ranging from joint development of intellectual property, joint publication of research and special assistance for participating students, researchers and faculty in securing required visas, work permits and housing in both countries.

The new program takes effect Dec. 15, 2010, and continues through Dec. 15, 2015, and annually thereafter if both institutions choose not to opt out of the agreement.

This news release is available on our World Wide Web home page at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/home/news/index.html.

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