The Henry Cohen Visiting Professorship scheme was founded in memory of Lord Cohen, who was one of Britain’s most distinguished neurologists, and who was for many years President of the General Medical Council.
Lord Cohen took a keen interest in the development of the Israeli medical schools, and of Israeli medicine. Therefore the aim of the Henry Cohen Visiting Professor scheme is to promote links between medicine in the two countries.
The Professorship is awarded annually to one of the leading members of the medical profession in Britain.
The Professor has two tasks during his / her year of office:
(i) to visit Israel;
(ii) to deliver a lecture on an agreed topic to the members of the Jewish Medical Association (UK) at their Annual General Meeting
The precise details of the visit to Israel may vary from year to year, but the principles are:
(i) that he / she will spend between three and five days in Israel;
(ii) that appropriate meetings would be arranged for him / her with the Israeli Ministry of Health, public health authorities, Israeli Academy of Sciences and Humanities, and Israel Medical Association officials;
(iii) that visits would be arranged to as many as possible of the Israeli medical schools, research institutes and major hospitals, as well as to centres for medicine in the community.
(iv) that several alternative possibilities for engagement with Israeli peers – usually small group meetings and seminars, but also lectures and one-to-one meetings – will be considered and arranged as appropriate.
[This scheme was initiated in Lord Cohen’s death by the British Friends of the Hebrew University (BFHU). Since 2009 the Jewish Medical Association (UK) has been responsible for co-ordinating the scheme together with the BHFU, and with the co-operation and support of the Israeli medical and academic communities].
Henry Cohen Visiting Professors since 2009 are:
Professor Dame Parveen Kumar – 2017
Professor Sir Robert Lechler – 2016
Professor Terence Stephenson – 2015
Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz – 2014
Professor Michael Arthur – 2013