A Degree at the Height of Her Career
With a successful career in oral and maxillofacial rehabilitation, three daughters, and a husband serving in the military, Dr. Dana Shoshani-Dror chose to begin medical school alongside students two decades younger than her. They gained an older sister—and she gained a personal and academic experience she’ll never forget
This week, the Technion awarded Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees to 217 graduates. The festive ceremony was attended by Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan, Faculty Dean Prof. Ami Aronheim, and guest of honor Dr. Vered Drenger Rappaport.
This year, the degrees were conferred over two days—Sunday and Monday. In total, 217 MD degrees were awarded, 60% of them to women. Thirty-six students graduated with honors, two received commendations for excellence, and 19 completed the demanding MD/PhD track, which combines medical and research studies.
Alongside hundreds of young men and women who received their degrees on Sunday was Dr. Dana Shoshani-Dror, who earned her degree amid an already impressive and respected career in oral and maxillofacial surgery. She began her journey in the field by studying for a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree at Hadassah Ein Kerem, with the clear intention of specializing in surgery. “My initial thought was to work on the reconstruction of congenital facial bone deformities – treatments that can truly change people’s lives – but ultimately, it’s a much broader spectrum of surgical procedures.”
After her studies, she moved north to specialize at Rambam Health Care Campus – she was the only woman among ten residents – under the guidance of Prof. Adi Rachmiel, then head of the department, and his deputy, Dr. Omri Amodi, himself a graduate of the Faculty and now the department head. Afterward, she launched her professional career, working for years as a surgeon in hospitals and clinics.
Then she decided to pursue another degree – this time at the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. “Despite my studies at Hadassah, my residency at Rambam, and the extensive experience I had accumulated, I felt I lacked substantial knowledge in internal medicine. I work on reconstructing congenital defects in infants and on facial and jaw restoration following car accidents, domestic violence, tissue loss due to cancerous tumors, and more. In many cases, we create the grafts from tissue taken from the pelvis, ribs, legs, or other body parts. Sometimes the patient is an adult, and sometimes a newborn whose condition was diagnosed in utero, and the surgery is performed immediately after birth. These are always highly complex procedures that go beyond the facial and jaw area, so I felt I needed broader medical knowledge. My profession is closer to general surgery than to ‘regular’ dentistry, so a comprehensive understanding of anatomy and physiology is extremely important. I taught myself much of this knowledge over the years, but since I work with complex patients and perform complex treatments, I wanted to reach the highest level possible.”
That’s how she found herself at the Technion’s Faculty of Medicine at the age of forty, well above the average student age. “At first, when they saw me, they thought I was just some old thirty-year-old woman coming to study medicine – and that was a compliment because I was forty. They were surprised when I told them that my husband, Snir, a senior officer in the Navy, and I have three daughters (as well as a dog, cats, and rabbits). In a way, I became a big sister to some of them. I had experience in proper patient care, so I think they benefited from learning with me.”
She now works at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center – Ichilov, but she says she will always have fond memories of the Faculty and Rambam Medical Center. “Rambam is home,” she said, “but I believe that at Ichilov I’ll be able to contribute more and continue to grow.”
