Ephrat Levy-Lahad. Photo: Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Ephrat Levy-Lahad

Medical researcher

All women of Ashkenazi origin should be screened for two breast-cancer predisposition genes from the age of 30, said Prof. Ephrat Levy-Lahad, the head of a leading research team at Shaare Zedek Medical Center. Levy-Lahad’s 2014 announcement, which received international attention, was a departure from the previous guideline of testing for the two BRCA genes only if a close blood relative contracted breast or ovarian cancer. The finding will likely change screening practices in Israel and in Jewish communities worldwide, ultimately saving lives.