The Professional Committee of the Israel Council for Higher Education has unanimously selected Bar-Ilan University to launch the country's newest school of medicine. Final approval is pending from the full Council for Higher Education. The Bar-Ilan medical school, which will be located in the northern Galilee town of Tzfat (Safed), is expected to change the face of the surrounding region. Bar-Ilan intends to build a "university city" which will include the medical school complex, a state-of-the-art medical research facility, and a handsome residential center. "The decision to establish the Bar-Ilan medical school in northern Israel is a testament to the quality of our university as a research institution and will lead to the fruition of our longtime dream," said University President Prof. Moshe Kaveh upon receiving word of the decision. Bar-Ilan University says it has placed the residents of northern Israel high on its agenda in formulating the vision for its school of medicine. The new medical center will provide long-needed health care services, as well as an economic boost to the communities in the region. The new school of medicine will be headed by Prof. Ran Tur-Kaspa, an internationally-renowned specialist in internal medicine who currently holds a senior position at the Rabin Medical Center in the central Israeli town of Petach Tikva.
