The Isabel Silverman Canada-International Scientific Exchange Program (CISEPO) - CISEPO was founded in 1984 by Dr. Arnold Noyek, Mount Sinai Hospital's Otolaryngologist-in-Chief, as a charitable, non-governmental organization. It began as a bilateral program between Canada and Israel to promote cooperation in the ear-nose-throat (ENT) specialty, especially in dealing with cancer in these organs. Within two years, however, the Program was broadened to include involvements with countries such as Thailand, Brazil, the Netherlands and New Zealand. In 1996, professional meetings took place between Canadian, Jordanian and Israeli ENT specialists, and in 1997 a trilateral, collaborative relationship among the medical communities of Canada, Israel and the Palestinian Authority was established. The CISEPO Canada-Israel-Palestinian Authority medical and health services program will ultimately extend to dentistry, nursing, public health and other medical and paramedical specialities.
CISEPO has as its primary objectives:
CISEPO's activities are directed by the principle that it is possible to rise above political tensions by concentrating on the broader issues of scientific exchange.
CISEPO currently operates several programs towards the accomplishment of its goals in peace building, a key emphasis since 1995:
This program facilitates year-long fellowships in Canada for Palestinian and Jordanian medical doctors to gain academic and scientific experience in specialties which are not yet well developed in their own countries. The fellowship will be enhanced by interactions with Israeli physicians/scientists.
Continuing Medical Education for Peace
This program organizes workshops to promote continuing medical education under the sponsorship of the University of Toronto for the exchange of information and upgrading of skills and infrastructure in the Middle East. In February and March of 1997 CISEPO organized workshops in the Gaza and Nablus communities in the Palestinian Authority to facilitate screening, diagnosis and treatment of children with deafness, hearing disorders and chronic ear infections - all relatively common in the Middle East. The workshops included the participation of Canadian, Palestinian and Israeli academic and medical professionals.
This program is designed to present a series of public lectures by visiting experts from the Middle East, to provide a focal point for dialogue and community building. These lectures are on medical subjects, but are focused on areas of interest to the community at large rather than on specific medical research.
In the inaugural lecture in May 1997, which was sponsored by CISEPO, Mount Sinai Hospital and the University of Toronto and co-sponsored by the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University, the Israel Medical Association, Canadian Chapter, Bathurst Jewish Centre and Palestine House Canada, Dr. Samuel S. Kottek of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem gave a presentation on "The Hippocratic Oath - the Odyssey of Medical Ethics in Christian, Jewish and Muslim Traditions," which explored the common ethical foundations of all three faiths through the history of medical ethics.
This program is an excellent example of applying an individual's or organization's professional or vocational skills to build peace. For more information please contact Dr. Arnold Noyek, Executive Director, The Isabel Silverman CISEPO Program, Mount Sinai Hospital at cprato@mtsinai.on.ca ; web site http://www.mtsinai.on.ca/9cisepo.html