The specific aims of the HCD are as follows:

• Improved diabetes health care delivery stressing integrated, multidisciplinary approach
  
  
• Establish infrastructure to make the Hadassah Hospital the national referral center for diabetes care
  
  
• Develop basic and clinical research programs in diabetes with emphasis on translating advances in basic research to clinical practice
  
  
• Formulate cooperative relationships with other internationally-recognized diabetes centers to conduct large-scale clinical trials
  
  
• Establish a Diabetes Education Center (DEC) to provide continuing education to health providers and define state-of-the-art treatment guidelines for all facets of diabetes care
  
  
• Cooperate with biotechnology companies in the development of new technologies as well as procure new technologies for clinical applications
  

Organization of the HDC

The HDC was established by a Steering Committee of nine members representing both physicians and basic scientists. The HDC is headed by a Director and a Scientific Coordinator. The Director is responsible for coordinating the overall activity of the HDC, and the Scientific Coordinator oversees research strategic planning. Decisions made by the HDC require majority approval by the members of the Steering Committee. All officers are elected for a two year term.

HDC Officers
Director: Itamar Raz, MD Scientific Coordinator: Rafael Nesher, PhD Scientific Advisor: Erol Cerasi, MD. PhD Steering Committee: David J Gross MD, Bejamin Glaser MD, Itamar Raz MD, Rafael Nesher PhD, Nurit Kaiser PhD, Ehud Ziv PhD, Gil Leibowitz MD, Isaiah D. Wexler MD, PhD, and Danielle Melloul, PhD

HDC Committees
To accomplish the goals of the HDC, selected committees have been instituted. The following is a list of the committees and their structure.

Committee for Islet Cell Transplantation

• Organize an operational Islet Transplant Unit
  
• Recruit personnel and provide advanced training
  
• Oversee regulatory issues
  
• Coordinate basic science and clinical interface
  

Members: Ziv (Chairman), Leibowitz, Melloul, Raz, Nesher

Committee for Clinical Diabetes Practice

• Develop multi-disciplinary integrated diabetes health care service ("one-stop patient care")
  
• Establish a diabetes database and computerized charting
  
• Provide central referral address for in-house consultations
  
• Organize specialists conferences to discuss challenging patients
  
• Oversee diabetes educational programs, residency training, and good clinical practice seminars
  

Members: Leibowitz (Chairman), Ziv, Gross, Raz, Mevorach, Bar-On, Glaser

Committee for Diabetes Basic Research

• Formulate strategies for basic research
• Enhance cooperation between clinical researchers and basic scientists
• Facilitate translation of advances in basic research to clinical practice
• Form core research facilities
• Develop a comprehensive program for recruitment of research funds
• Improve the infrastructure at Hadassah for basic science research
  

Members: Gross (Chairman), Kaiser, Ziv, Cerasi, Melloul

Tel: (02) 6778021