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Education

EIOH Forms Partnership with Galilee Medical Center

Jul. 21, 2022
Drs Karayanni and Wang standing in the lab
Staff Scientist and Lab Manager Dr. Qian Wang (right) shows Dr. Hala Karayanni-Matanis the western blot images in Dr. Eli Eliav and Dr. Junad Khan’s lab.

As part of the new collaboration between Eastman Institute for Oral Health and the Galilee Medical Center’s Galilee College of Dental Sciences, Dr. Hala Karayanni-Matanis is participating in a fellowship at EIOH this summer.

Earlier this year, Dr. Karayanni-Matanis finished her residency in Oral Medicine at the Galilee College of Dental Sciences. During the three-month program at EIOH, she is working closely with the educational, clinical and research components of the Orofacial Pain Division, as well as Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

“I am really enjoying my fellowship and I am learning a lot every day,” she said. “The faculty here are amazing, and everyone likes to teach and share their knowledge.”

Dr. Eliav and Dr. Barhoum sign the MOU
Galilee Medical Center CEO and Professor Masad Barhoum and EIOH Director and Professor Dr. Eli Eliav sign the Memorandum of Understanding.

Like Dr. Maryam Altuhafy, Orofacial Pain assistant professor, and Dr. Qian Wang, a staff scientist who also manages the lab of Dr. Eli Eliav and Junad Khan, are working with her on a protein isolation process, the final steps in a complex study. Their work will help determine the molecular mechanism associated with exercise-induced hypoalgesia.

“We’re delighted to have this formal collaboration and pleased to host Dr. Karayanni-Matanis as our first faculty exchange initiatives,” said Eli Eliav, DMD, PhD, director and professor, Eastman Institute for Oral Health. “We look forward to many future activities that will benefit faculty and residents at both of our institutions.”

Dr. Karayanni-Matanis plans on incorporating everything she is learning as a faculty member when she returns home, as well as continuing collaboration activities between both institutes.

Doctors working together in the lab
Dr. Maryam Altuhafy, Orofacial Pain assistant professor (center), works with Dr. Karayanni-Matanis and Orofacial Pain resident Dr. Jitin Mathew in the lab.

During the recent signing ceremony at Galilee Medical Center, CEO and Professor Masad Barhoum offered congratulations and was followed by remarks from EIOH Professor and Director Dr. Eli Eliav, Professor Kark Skorecki, Dean of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine Bar Ilan University, Professor Samer Srouji, Head of the Galilee College of Dental Medicine at the medical center and Professor Oded Nahlieli, head of the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Department’s Minimally Invasive Surgery Unit.

In addition, Raya Strauss-Ben Dror, president of the medical center’s Friends Association, Michael Illouz, the association’s chair, and members of the medical center’s board and representatives from the College of Dentistry and the University of Rochester were also present at the signing ceremony.

Hala's family taking a selfie in front of Niagara Falls.
Dr. Hala Karayanni-Matanis and her family are having fun exploring the area. She and her husband, Dr. Elias Matanis, sons Yosef (left) and Yasar visited Niagara Falls this summer.

EIOH has increased its partnerships and collaborations with universities around the world to help students and residents become the next generation of leaders. In addition to its sister Institutions in Paris, Rome, London, and Sweden, EIOH now has formal partnerships with Meharry Medical College in Tennessee, and with universities in Italy, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Israel, India, Argentina, Poland and China.

When Dr. Karayanni-Matanis isn’t in the lab, clinic or classroom, she is out exploring the region with her husband and two sons. “The Rochester area is beautiful!” she said. “Every weekend we explore the region and visit new places. It's such a great experience for all of us!”