Dr. Rivka Carmi. Photo: Ben – Gurion University.

Rivka Carmi

Doctor

Rivka Carmi is an innovative Israeli pediatrician and geneticist, who has served since 2006 as president of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Her accolades are many; in 2015, she received an honorary Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in the name of Queen Elizabeth II. She was honored for her work to deepen scientific and academic relations between the United Kingdom and Israel.

Before she became the first woman president of a major Israeli university, Carmi’s research focused mainly on delineation of the clinical manifestations and molecular basis of genetic diseases in the Negev Arab-Bedouin population. Her work resulted in the identification of 12 new genes and the delineation of three new syndromes, one of which is known as the Carmi Syndrome.