Dr. Michal Mekel, 52, has been appointed director of Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, becoming the first woman to lead the largest hospital in northern Israel. She succeeds Professor Michael Halberthal, who held the position since 2019.
Mekel, who has served as Rambam’s deputy director since 2017, competed for the post against Professor Salman Zarka, director of Ziv Medical Center in Safed. “Rambam is home for me, the place where I grew up and trained professionally,” she said following her appointment. “I’m proud to be part of its legacy of excellence and look forward to leading the medical campus to new heights.”
A Haifa native, Mekel earned her medical degree from the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion, completed her residency in general surgery at Rambam and pursued a two-year clinical and research fellowship in endocrine surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard University in Boston. Upon returning to Israel, she founded and developed Rambam’s endocrine surgery unit.
Mekel acknowledged the challenges facing Rambam and Israel’s broader health care system, including budget cuts, staff shortages and rising demand for mental health services. “We face demographic changes, growing rates of chronic illness, and severe pressure on hospital capacity,” she said.
Rambam, which operates with 1,100 beds and serves over two million residents, also faces unique local pressures, such as space limitations that require vertical expansion and regional competition from Carmel Medical Center’s planned relocation from Haifa proper.
“Our guiding principle is the well-being of our patients, our hospital and our health care system,” Mekel told Ynet. “We’re working on a long-term strategic plan focused on enhancing patient experience, improving staff integration and attracting top medical talent. Solutions have to include innovative models of care, such as our home-hospitalization project.”
Mekel also highlighted Rambam’s growing investment in research and innovation, noting that its new Discovery Tower is expected to open partially next year, creating a hub linking medical research, industry and technological development.
As the first woman to lead Rambam, Mekel described her appointment as both meaningful and natural. “Women can and should reach the roles they aspire to, based on merit,” she said.
Halberthal, the outgoing director, praised her leadership: “She knows Rambam inside and out, has grown within the system and has the full support of the staff. I’m confident she’ll take the hospital to new heights.”
Throughout her career, Mekel has combined management with hands-on clinical work and expressed hope to continue performing surgeries one day a week despite her new responsibilities. “Staying connected to patients, doctors, and nurses has always been important to me,” she said.
Mekel has played key roles in crisis management, including overseeing Rambam’s operational shift during the COVID-19 pandemic, managing emergency hospital operations during the ongoing war in Gaza and leading medical readiness during fighting on Israel’s northern front. She also headed Israel’s delegation to a field hospital in Mostyska, Ukraine, in 2022, where over 6,000 patients were treated in six weeks.
Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov welcomed her appointment, calling Mekel “a highly respected professional bringing extensive management experience and a deep familiarity with Rambam. I’m confident her leadership will strengthen healthcare services for northern residents, especially in these challenging times.”