A conference, From Concept to Cure, the inaugural program of the newly established Hadassah National Physicians Council, is scheduled for March 23 to 26 in Jerusalem.

Anchoring the conference — which is sponsored by Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, in association with the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta — will be a series of presentations and panel discussions featuring leading physicians from the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem.

Dr. Jill Schwartz-Chevlin of Princeton Junction, immediate past president of the local chapter of Hadassah, is playing a key role in the conference, serving as one of the planners and moderators. An internist who runs Princeton Home and Primary Care, her own house-call practice, Schwartz-Chevlin will moderate a panel discussion following a presentation by diabetes researcher Benjamin Glaser. She is also serving on the six-member steering committee for the event.

"I think it's a terrific program," Schwartz-Chevlin said during a recent telephone interview. "What's interesting about it is that you don't have to be from any one specific field to feel like the program will be of interest to you.

"We wanted to be able to reach out to all different kinds of doctors from all the different specialties," she said, "and we wanted to be able to include some things closer to bench research and some things closer to clinical application. I think physicians are intrigued intellectually by what's going on in Israel. They will come home and be more likely to want to support the work that's being done there."

First and foremost, the continuing medical education conference is a way to spread the word about the formation of the Physicians Council to the physicians among Hadassah's 300,000 members and 30,000 male associate members, according to Schwartz-Chevlin.
"The bottom line is, we're looking to get our members together," she said.

The conference will also promote collegial exchanges among Hadassah's physician members and associates and their counterparts in Israel, she added.

Participation in From Concept to Cure will provide up to 16 AMA Category 1 continuing medical education credits, according to Schwartz-Chevlin. The conference package includes a Purim celebration in Jerusalem, a walking tour of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center complex in Ein Kerem, and concurrent programs for spouses and guests. Options include pre- and post-conference tours of Israel.

For registration information, contact 212-303-8023 or go on-line.