Prof. Arnon Blum has recently been appointed to head the internal division of Laniado Hospital. The division includes four internal departments, a large cardiology unit, a hematology department, and an infection prevention unit and more. The internal division treats thousands of complex patients, suffering from various diseases. The division has a multi-professional team that includes doctors with various specialties, nursing teams with advanced basic courses, paramedical teams and aidmen.
In his last position, Prof. Blum served as the head of research and academia department in the management of the North Medical Center. Prof. Blum is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion, specialized in internal medicine at Hadassah University Hospital, and then specialized in cardiology at Ichilov Hospital. He served in the IDF as an aviation doctor (Lieutenant Colonel), and served as the director of the internal medicine department at the North Medical Center for about 20 years.
Prof. Blum specialized in specializing in cardiology and later on in invasive cardiology, as well as in vascular biology and vascular stem cells at the US National Institute of Health (Bethesda, MD, USA, National Institute of Health). The purpose of the studies was to examine means for non-invasive monitoring of the function of the heart and blood vessels and the regeneration of blood vessels damaged by arteriosclerosis, and a failing heart damaged by a heart attack or other reasons.
A few years ago, Prof. Blum was invited as a visiting professor to lead a complex clinical trial at the University of Miami for adult (mesenchymal) stem cell transplants for patients with severe heart failure. There he discovered a key mechanism explaining the beneficial effects of cell transplantation on the failing heart.
In addition, the professor specialized in medical innovation (including a Master of Science degree) at the University of Galway in Ireland.
Prof. Blum has published nearly 200 articles in journals, as well as chapters in invasive cardiology textbooks, the last of which deals with heart stem cell transplantation (Grossman & Baim). He also serves in the editorial board of 15 journals in cardiology, internal medicine and translational medicine and is the chief editor of one of them.
Prof. Zvi Shimoni, the medical director of Laniado Hospital, said: “We are recruiting renowned doctors for all departments and units. There is no doubt that the position of the director of the internal department is a position of tremendous significance, which affects thousands of patients who receive treatment in the internal departments”.
Mr. Nadav Chen, CEO of Laniado Hospital, congratulated Prof. Blum on his assumption of office and said: “The internal division is the most challenging division in any hospital, certainly in Laniado Hospital, which serves about half a million residents of Netanya and the Sharon Area. Development of the division depends on high-quality, professional, experienced and empathetic personnel. Prof. Blum’s extensive experience as director of an internal medicine department, as well as a student instructor, along with his deep knowledge of the health system, will allow him to move the department forward and to maintain dedicated and empathetic care from the entire heart”.
