Diversity and inclusion in science

Dr. Amarilla Mandola was born in Budapest, Hungary, and completed her general medicine training at the Semmelweis University, Budapest. She improved her English over the years, and worked as a teacher and tutor for pre-med foreign students in medical English and medical terminology. She started her pediatric residency at the 1st Department of Pediatrics, Semmelweis University, and subsequently moved to Israel with her husband where she completed her pediatrics residency at the Soroka University Medical Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. She was awarded resident of the year in 2012. Between 2013 and 2017, Dr. Mandola worked as a staff Pediatrician at the Pediatric Department A, Soroka University Medical Center, and took on an active role in the Pediatric Immunology and Allergy Clinic treating primary immunodeficient children from across southern Israel. Due to the diverse population in this geographic region (Jewish origin, immigrants from around the world, refugees from Africa, and the vast majority of the Arabic speaking Bedouin population in Israel), Dr. Mandola gained exposure to various immunological pathologies and conditions, some of which are unique and rare. To attain a more thorough and in-depth understanding of disease mechanisms and treatments pertinent to immunology and allergy, she pursued and completed a 3-year combined fellowship in Clinical Immunology and Allergy at the Hospital for Sick Children and University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. To gain skills in wet lab research, she also took part in investigations unravelling the causes of multiple novel primary immunodeficiencies, under the supervision of Prof. Chaim Roifman. Currently, Dr. Mandola is a staff physician in the Pediatric Department A, Soroka University Medical Center, and undertakes a leading role in the team of the Pediatric Primary Immune Deficiency Clinic and the Pediatric Allergy Clinic, together with Prof. Amit Nahum and Prof. Arnon Broides, serving patients in Southern Israel from Beer Sheva to Eilat. By combining her expertise in Pediatrics and Immunology, Dr. Mandola advocates for immunodeficient patients and their families, to promote early diagnosis and ensure optimal access to medical care, secure patients’ interest, and improve patient’s medical care by adopting new treatments and follow-up strategies. With a strong foundation in clinical research, she has the opportunity to integrate research into her clinical work in order to better understand the mechanisms of the disease in her patients. Dr. Mandola is also involved education in the postgraduate and undergraduate education of residents and medical students in the field of Clinical Immunology, Allergy and Pediatrics.