2007 Recipient: Amitai Ziv, MD, MHA

The Charles Bronfman Prize recognized the vision and contribution of an exceptional young medical educator when it named Dr. Amitai Ziv the recipient of its 2007 humanitarian award.

The Prize ceremony took place in New York, in the dramatic setting of the Powerhouse of the American Museum of Natural History. Dr. Ziv was lauded at the standing-room-only ceremony for his innovative use of technology, and for his creativity in addressing a range of medical challenges. He was joined by leaders from the medical, foundation and philanthropic communities who came from throughout the United States, Canada and Israel to pay tribute.

Ziv is the Founder and Director of the Israel Center for Medical Simulation (MSR: www.msr.org.il). His approach to simulation-based medical education improves decision-making while also improving healthcare professionals' ability to deal with difficult situations.

Dr. Ziv is credited by the Prize Founders and Judges with establishing the pre-eminent medical simulation center, which serves as a model for such centers throughout the world. He has made his mark not only in Israel, but worldwide, revolutionizing the health community's views on medical simulation as well as how it is implemented in disciplines as diverse as preparation for mass casualty, military medical preparedness and sexual abuse.

MSR's primary goal is to improve the quality of medical care while also reducing the frequency of medical errors.  In the United States alone, as many as 98,000 people die each year from medical errors, more than those who die annually from car accidents, breast cancer and AIDS combined, and the equivalent of a Boeing 747 crashing every day. "If this were to happen in the aviation industry, no one would tolerate it," Ziv proclaimed. 

He added: "Exposing health professionals to challenging encounters and extreme, even nightmare scenarios where they can err without endangering real patients, can improve outcomes while dramatically reducing the number of medical errors that result in needless deaths." 

Ziv believes that educational simulated experiences – including the realistic enactments of complex medical situations and the use of high-tech mannequins in imitating human reactions to medical interventions – have the power to save many lives. "When coupled with the opportunity for constructive debriefing and self reflection, these experiences implant a deja-vu memory that can be instantly recalled and safely applied in life threatening and emotionally charged clinical situations."

In representing the Bronfman family and Trustees of the Prize, Stephen Bronfman shared with the guests a family motto that played a guiding role as the Prize was established: "Where there is no vision, the people perish." The Prize, he said, seeks out individuals who were able to translate their creative and innovative visions into effective humanitarian endeavors. "Amitai's nomination was presented by an extraordinary team --an indication of the global, institutional and inter-disciplinary effect of Amitai's endeavors."

He continued, "Our Judges have shared in the privilege of considering hundreds of nominations from all around the world -- young women and men whose range of humanitarian efforts includes exciting applications of medicine and science, education, human rights, conflict resolution, social justice, community development and compassionate care.  Some have been working as socially innovative teams across boundaries of culture and religion to make a difference. Their Nominators and Referees come from major international universities, scientific institutions, medical centers, representatives of the public sector, the civic sector, religious institutions, community leaders, and committed philanthropists, just to name a few.  Word certainly has gotten around in the past three years!"

Ziv's vision of applying simulation to medicine came during his medical residency, following training as a pilot in the Israeli Air Force, where simulation was key.  In medical education, he discovered "there was no opportunity to prepare for the nightmares and the unknowns. Health professionals might end their training without ever being exposed to many difficult scenarios."

Ziv, comes from a Canadian family whose parents made aliyah from Montreal to Israel to express their Zionist values. He and his wife Margalit have, two children, Inbar and Ofir, currently serving in the Israeli Defense Forces and a son, Lior, who joined the family at the celebration and will enlist following his high school graduation.

Reflecting on his association with Ziv, Professor William Dunn, Medical Director of Mayo Clinic's Multidisciplinary Simulation Center, and one of his Referees, said, "Amitai Ziv's accomplishments and impact are unsurpassed by any other physician dedicated to medical education. His tireless efforts have given birth to the pre-eminent center in medical education, utilizing the revolutionary and powerful means of experiential education. He has established a facility unlike any in the world and has had an incalculable worldwide impact."

"Dr. Ziv's impressive career has been characterized by outstanding performance, leadership and excellence in all endeavors," said Professor Ze'ev Rotstein, Director General of Sheba Medical Center, and Ziv's Nominator for the Prize.

Lynn Schusterman, an advocate for children's health and President of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, said "Amitai was the first person in Israel to develop simulations that help train doctors to recognize and deal with the physical and sexual abuse of children."

In noting that the Prize was a gift Charles Bronfman's children created to honor their father, Schusterman, a long time friend of the Bronfman family, said "the apple does not fall far from the tree. What Charles planted for his children, they are planting for theirs and for the next generation -- and Charles is living to see the tree bloom."

Visibly moved by the gift of the Prize, Charles Bronfman spoke passionately about young people and paid tribute to his children, saying, "There is nothing that any father can appreciate more than the display of love and affection and respect from his children. The Prize is something that I'll never get over."

Addressing the audience of more than two hundred people, Ellen Bronfman Hauptman said: "For us, the Prize is about our Dad's humanitarian values and the example he sets, which makes us very proud.  He demonstrates his values through his tireless vision of doing good in the world. This Prize is about identifying and nurturing the talents of the next generation."

Another of Dr. Ziv's referees attending the presentation was Dr. Gerry Moses, who served for many years in the US Department of the Army's Materiel Command.  Dr. Moses said Ziv's work with the U.S. Department of Defense helped all three branches of the Armed Forces. When simulation was not yet popular, "his forethought and his ability to predict where simulation would take us captured the attention of the military medical community. We drew upon him as a crucial resource in establishing the US military's own simulation centers."

Accepting the award, Amitai Ziv said, "I am humbled by this honor, especially because the Prize is dedicated to Charles Bronfman, who has devoted his life to supporting the efforts of others in the name of improving the world. I have been blessed with an outstanding team at MSR and countless partners around the world who share a vision for creating a safer and more humane medical environment. This prize, which I share with my colleagues, further validates our work. It provides a tremendous boost to our efforts and will reverberate in numerous ways."

In describing the legacy he wants to leave, Ziv cited one of his sources of inspiration, the verse from Pirkei Avot, (Ethics of the Fathers), which says "he in whom the learning from mistakes overrides wisdom, his wisdom will endure."  Ziv said he wants to see a "cultural shift in the way health professionals self-reflect." Using medical simulation is a "humbling experience" that encourages errors in a safe environment, providing "an unrivalled opportunity for emotional and professional growth and ethical development."

The Honorable Dan Meridor, who served as Israel's Minister of Justice and Minister of Finance, and The Honorable Madame Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, of the Supreme Court of Canada, represented the Prize judges, who also include The Honorable James Wolfensohn, former President of the World Bank and Special Envoy for Gaza Disengagement,. Meridor had high praise for the achievements of the more than 80 international nominees, calling them "remarkable." But, he said, one nominee shone brighter. "In Amitai Ziv," said Meridor, "we found an outstanding scientist, a physician with unique human sensitivity and deep interest in Jewish values, a natural leader and a modest man. What a rare and inspiring combination!"

Dr. Jeffrey Solomon, President of The Andrea and Charles Bronfman Philanthropies and a Trustee of the Prize, was instrumental in guiding the Prize from its conceptual stages through to its third recipient. "Charles' children worked to establish something unique that reflected their father's values," he said. "The Prize sought individuals in their relative professional youth, high achievers below 50 whom we could spotlight as Jewish heroes. The caliber of candidates and recipients is something to behold."

Solomon added, "the Prize is about changing our world, using core Jewish values – affirming life, healing, reaching out to help others. So much of the world's focus is on things that are wrong. It is a privilege to see the exemplary qualities of the nominees. The time and effort spent by their nominators and referees is a reassuring expression of their faith in the future." Reflecting on the place the Prize has in Charles's life, Solomon said that like birthright Israel, "the Prize is so meaningful to Charles because the nominees reflect the same sense of optimism and humanitarianism that he has stood for throughout his life."

Click here to view an inspirational video about Dr. Amitai Ziv (Low Bandwith)

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