Brazilian Government and Hadassah Enter Partnership to Combat COVID-19 and Other Infectious Diseases

With the goal of tackling the high levels of COVID-19 within Brazil, as well as fostering scientific exchange in the life sciences, the Hadassah Medical Organization and the Federative Republic of Brazil have formed a collaborative partnership in research, protocol sharing, and innovation.

(l to r) Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Ernesto Araújo and HMO Director-General Prof. Zeev Rotstein

Meeting at Jerusalem’s King David Hotel on March 9, a delegation of high-level representatives from the Government of Brazil, the Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO), Hadassah International (HI), and the Hadassah Offices in Israel (HOI), formalized this strategic alliance, which will facilitate innovation in diagnostic tools and therapies—specifically zeroing in on infectious diseases and newly emerging viruses.

The delegation from Brazil included Minister of Foreign Affairs H.E. Ernesto Araújo, Secretary of Science and technology Marcelo Marcos Morales, Secretary of Communication Fabio Wajngarten (a former president of Hadassah Brazil), special advisor of the Government on Foreign Affairs Filipe Martins, members of the Chamber of Deputies Eduardo Bolsonaro and Helio Lopes, and Ambassador of Brazil to Israel Gerson Menandro García de Freitas. Director-General Prof. Zeev Rotstein led the Hadassah Medical Center delegation, which included Prof. Dror Mevorach, head of internal medicine at Hadassah and chief scientific and medical officer of the Israeli biotechnology company Enlivex (which is showing very positive results with its COVID-19 treatment Allocetra™), and Prof. Yossi Karko, head of Hadassah’s Center for Clinical Research. HI was represented by Executive Director Jorge Diener and HOI was represented by Director for Development Gidon Melmed. Also part of the distinguished delegation was Eran Zahavy, technology innovation manager at the Israel Institute for Biological Research, which developed the Israeli-made COVID-19 vaccine Brilife.

A “Letter of Intention” between HMO and Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation was signed, expressing the dedication of both Hadassah and the Brazilian government to this joint initiative. The partnership is particularly important at this time, as the number of COVID-19 infections continues to rise among Brazilians, while vaccination rates remain low.

The strong relationship that exists between the people of Brazil, Israel and the Hadassah Hospitals in Jerusalem will reach new levels with this partnership, resulting in significant benefit to both countries.