Judy Siegel-Itzkovich

Judy Siegel-Itzkovich is the health and science reporter at The Jerusalem Post. She has been writing for the paper since February 1973.

She has published over 31,000 news stories, features and columns as a Post journalist – more than any other journalist in the world. A Master's degree graduate of Columbia University in New York who made aliyah immediately after completing her studies and within weeks joined the paper, she has a strong background in biology but received her BA and MA in political science because she could not bear to kill animals for lab experiments.

She ravenously reads professional medical and science journals. She was awarded an honorary doctorate from Ben-Gurion University – the first Israeli newspaper reporter to do so – in November 2015 and has received numerous awards such as the Hadassah Women’s Organization Women of Distinction Award in the Knesset, Yeshiva University in Israel’s community service award and Tishkofet’s public service award. She is also a fluent English and Hebrew translator and editor in her specialized fields.


PROF. YIFAT MERBL. Just last year, she received the Rappaport Prize for Biomedical Research in the Promising Researcher category, which is given to scientists for groundbreaking or innovative research that has the potential to advance the health of mankind

Israeli scientist makes ‘Nature’ journal’s top ten list of shapers of science in 2025

 An illustrative image of elderly Israelis.

Frontal-lecture courses don’t work for older adults, Israeli study finds

Comparison of two brain diagrams. Left, normal brain, right, brain of a person with Alzheimer's disease.

'Aging in Wellness and Adversity': Embracing patients coping with old age, dementia - book review


New intestinal transplant procedure will allow patient to truly eat for the first time in 17 years

If the surgery is declared successful, Daniel Haim Biton's stoma will be closed, and he will be able to live normally without medical devices or dietary restrictions.

THE TEAM OF surgeons at Rabin Medical Center during the small intestine transplant surgery on Daniel Haim Biton.

Study shows more walking during commutes can improve health, without increasing travel time

The More Walking Project is a population-based wellness initiative that promotes walking by modifying trip planning to incorporate more active transportation.

People walking and running in the park

Persistent maternal thyroid imbalance may increase autism risk, researchers report

A mother’s persistent thyroid dysfunction while carrying her fetus may increase autism risk in children, according to research from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

PROF. ODED MENASHE

Children with obesity can be metabolically healthy when liver fat remains low, study shows

Tel Aviv University researchers show that diet quality can protect obese teens from illness even without reducing how much they eat.

Metabolic and Dietary Profiles in Adolescents with Obesity

Israel performs its first brain pacemaker surgery to stop seizures in epilepsy patient

“If it weren’t for the pacemaker implantation, we would have had to remove the area in the brain responsible for the seizures, with all the medical consequences that accompany such a case.”

After locating the exact epilepsy focus in her brain, a pacemaker was implanted that detects abnormal electrical activity, neutralizing it before it becomes an epileptic seizure.

Midlife weight loss shows metabolic benefits but sparks brain inflammation in BGU - study

“Our findings show that losing weight in midlife is not a simple copy-and-paste of what works in young adulthood,” Alon Zemer said.

Weight Loss

AI will transform higher education and employment - is Israel ready?

AI will change the lives of mankind forever. But could it be that nothing is being done by Israelis, academics or even the government, to prepare?

THE AI revolution is driven by the ability to perform human-level tasks – reshaping industries.

Hebrew U team opens ‘barn’ door to affordable lab-grown beef as cow cells defy aging

Cultivated meat is grown directly from animal cells in a controlled environment. This may scare some, but it’s a safe and established technology that has been in development for over 100 years.

FLUORESCENT MICROSCOPY of immortalized beef cells, mitochondria labeled green.

Reflexology can reduce patients' anxiety before undergoing surgery, Israeli study finds

Also known as “zone therapy,” reflexology is an ancient practice that began in Egypt, China, and India and made its way to the West a century ago.

DR. SHMUEL ATTIAS treats a patient with reflexology.

Food self-sufficiency unfeasible for Israel, new research shows

While Israel could produce enough plant-based foods for survival, full self-sufficiency would come at a staggering cost and be reliant on vegetative food production.

FARMERS AT Moshav Sde Nitzan, in the northern Negev.