The President’s advancement:
Dr. Yair Goldberg, a biostatistician known for his expertise in statistical theory and applied research across public health domains, played a pivotal role as a lead statistician supporting policymaking for the Israeli Ministry of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this crisis, Yair put everything aside to join a national task force composed of top academics and clinicians, in which, for more than a year, he conducted intensive policy-shaping analyses on vaccination strategies. In particular, the analyses Dr. Goldberg led on the waning immunity of the vaccine given at the time, provided critical real-world evidence that the Delta wave outbreak in Israel was driven by decreasing protection of the vaccine. These findings were presented to the Israeli Management team of Epidemics, and led to Israel’s decision to begin administering a booster dose to the elderly population. This work was presented to the FDA and provided the basis for its decision to endorse booster shots, which dramatically reduced the potential mortality and severe disease of the Delta wave. Additional countries that followed Israel’s lead also had greater success in mitigating the Delta wave. A series of the teams’ studies, corresponded by Dr. Goldberg, were published in the most prestigious medical journals, and are among the most impactful papers published in the medical literature in recent years. For Dr. Goldberg’s selfless efforts, and their enormous influence on human health in Israel and the world at large, we are pleased to announce that Dr. Goldberg is to receive the Technion President’s Award for Exceptional Achievement.
