Name: Mati Shavit

Israeli Institution: Shaare Zedek Medical Center

North American Institution: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

Fellowship Year: 2025-2026

Description:
Dr. Mati Shavit is pursuing an advanced fellowship in Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD) at the University of Southern California (USC) under the mentorship of Professor Toby Maher, one of the world’s leading experts in ILD research and clinical management. USC is among the foremost academic medical institutions in the United States, and its Keck School of Medicine—through the Hastings Center for Pulmonary Research—serves as a global hub for innovation in pulmonary medicine, integrating cutting-edge clinical care with basic and translational research.
Professor Maher leads internationally influential clinical trials and laboratory-based research in fibrotic lung diseases, an area of rapidly evolving science and urgent unmet clinical need. Training in this environment provides exposure to advanced diagnostic approaches, novel therapeutics, multidisciplinary care models, and research infrastructure that are not currently available at the same scale in Israel.
In January 2024, Dr. Shavit joined the Pulmonary Institute at Shaare Zedek Medical Center (SZMC) with a clear mission: to establish a center of excellence for patients with interstitial lung diseases. Achieving this goal requires specialized training that integrates hands-on clinical care, complex case discussions, and active participation in clinical research alongside global leaders in the field. A U.S.-based fellowship offers precisely this combination, enabling Dr. Shavit to acquire the expertise necessary to build and sustain an ILD program modeled on the world’s most advanced centers.
This fellowship represents a significant professional and personal commitment, undertaken with a defined plan to return to Israel and translate advanced knowledge into local impact. Upon his return, Dr. Shavit will establish an ILD center of excellence within the SZMC Pulmonary Institute, with a particular focus on fibrotic lung diseases. He will promote clinical research, introduce advanced diagnostic and treatment protocols, and develop a multidisciplinary team dedicated to comprehensive ILD patient management.