Prof. Arad Kodesh

My background is in clinical psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology. I hold an MD from the Technion (1985-1991; magna cum laude), specialized in psychiatry at the Gehaa Hospital, a Diploma in Geriatric Psychiatry, and an MA in Health Systems Administration. I am currently the head of Mental health Services in Meuhedet Healthcare, a non-profit Health Maintenance Organization of 1.3 million people.

My primary clinical objective is to treat Serious Mental Illnesses (SMI) by drawing on classic themes from psychiatric rehabilitation, such as empowerment. I do this in an evidence-based manner, accompanying my clinical work with research. I fulfilled this objective as ward director of Lev Hasharon Mental Health Center (Pardessia). Beyond my clinical role there, I conducted research with staff members of the Department of Community Mental Health. To my delight, my educational and clinical background and focus are consistent with those of many other researchers in the Department of Community Mental Health with whom I have ongoing collaborations and publications, including Full Professors Roe and Gelkopf, as well as researchers in other departments, such as Professor Levine. In addition, I have solidly established collaborations with Professors Reichenberg and Sandin from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in the USA, evidenced by, for example, three publications in JAMA Psychiatry (IF= 25.94) NIH grant submissions and authorship on articles with Professors Reichenberg and Sandin for which I did not supply data.

My focus extends to evidence-based policy implementations for SMI which is also my clinical area of specialization. For example, I founded a forum to diagnose and treat persons with eating disorders based on concepts of empowerment and family support. Clinically, I promote Tele-Psychiatric services to enable better national access to treatment and consultation via online video and sound technology.

My current objective is to continue to increase the concordance between my clinical and research interests. In 2012, because of my dual administrative and clinical competencies, I was appointed the Head of Mental Health Services in Meuhedet. In that role I assume the responsibility for the mental health of over a million people. A substantial portion of my work at Meuhedet aims to develop registries for SMI, dementia, Autism and suicide (attempts and completions). These registries are an important clinical resource (e.g., to monitor adherence and continuity of care) and consist of big data on multiple critical aspects of health (e.g., blood tests, medications, diagnoses, treatments), making them a vital research resource (e.g., to examine the risk and preventive factors as well as the course of disorders). From a research perspective, the registry developments lead to a 2 NIH grants on Autism awarded to the University of Haifa that I was a co-investigator of. Indeed, Autism is an area that I published in using NIH clinical trial data too. Furthermore, the SMI registry led to publications on the effects of war on healthcare with Prof. Gelkopf.

As a geriatric psychiatrist, I have particular clinical and research interests in psychogeriatric epidemiology and conditions associated with old-age. Recently as part of my clinical healthcare work, I developed a registry for Dementia. This is the first registry with national coverage of Dementia in Israel. Using this data registry, as sole author I published the first epidemiological study in Israel on the prevalence and risk of Dementia. That study showed that the rates of Dementia in Israel align almost exactly with those in the Western world and highlight risk factors for Dementia. Another two studies on risk factors for Dementia were published, showing that the risk of Dementia increased among holocaust survivors and among people receiving antidepressant medication. 

At the national policy level, I am active in all Knesset proceedings regarding the “Mental Health Service Reform”. I participate and head some of the Israeli Psychiatric organization subcommittees. I was a member of the steering committee that wrote the official paper describing the standard for a community-based alternative to psychiatric hospitalization and a preventive framework to psychiatric hospitalization that was fully adopted and endorsed by the ministry of health. In line with this community-based orientation, I am the initiator of a project together with Meuhedet and Hiram non-profit organization in Harduf kibbutz. This is a community-based alternative and a preventive framework to psychiatric hospitalization. Psychiatric hospitalization can be traumatic yet inevitable event. The new community full day intensive care platform in Harduf kibbutz offers since January 2018 humane psychiatric care combined with a low financial cost and improved quality of care. I lead the promotion of the opening of the second intensive community care platform for the Arab population (opened in November 2019). This population requires specific adjustments owing to its linguistic and cultural uniqueness. This platform forms part of a series of measures to improve the accessibility to mental health services to the Arab sector. Thus far, leaders of the Arab community I have met warmly welcomed this initiative.

I was the chairperson of the steering committee that formulated the standard of care for the Short Term Residential Treatment home for children which is projected to be open in 2023. This unique model for treating children in a severe state of psychiatric crisis will be the first of its kind worldwide.  

I was appointed by the “National Council for Mental Health” as a member of a committee for the revaluation of the “Treatment of Mental Patients, Law 1991”. In addition, I was recently appointed by the Mental Health Division at the Ministry of Health, as a member of the committee for the promotion of innovations in the Israeli mental health system.