Dr. Ari Raphael, M.D
Head of Translational Oncology, Senior Physician, Thoracic Malignancies Unit, Davidoff Comprehensive Cancer Center
About
Dr. Ari Raphael is a thoracic oncologist and physician-scientist, heading the Translational Oncology Service at the Davidoff Comprehensive Cancer Center. His work bridges cutting-edge research with clinical care, aiming to bring the promise of precision oncology into everyday practice.
"I focus on immunotherapy, immunogenomics, and the development of cell-free biomarkers to better understand – and ultimately predict – how patients respond to treatment," he says. "My passion lies in turning science into meaningful outcomes for real people."
At Davidoff, Dr. Raphael is leading the development of a cell therapy program for solid tumors, with an emphasis on CAR-T and TIL-based approaches. He also serves as principal investigator on several investigator-initiated trials, including those evaluating T-cell receptor repertoire profiling as a tool for monitoring immunotherapy efficacy in NSCLC.
In addition to his clinical and research roles, Dr. Raphael is actively engaged in advancing oncology in Israel. He teaches at the Tel Aviv University School of Medicine, serves as a national board examiner, and previously led the oncology day care unit at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. He is also a co-founder of the Israeli Society for Acute Oncology.
Positions and Honors
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2025–Present – Head, Translational Oncology, Davidoff Cancer Center
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2024–Present – Head of Oncology at Leumit Health Services, Representative to the National Council for Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Malignant Diseases, and Medical Innovation Advisor
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2023–2024 – Member, Helsinki Committee, TASMC
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2021-2024 Director of Oncology Day-Care Unit, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
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2022 & 2021 – Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Tel Aviv University
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2018 – ISCORT Research Grant Recipient
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2013 – Cum Laude, M.D., Semmelweis University
Contribution to Science
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Co-Founder, Israeli Society for Acute Oncology
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Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University
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National Board Examiner for Oncology, Israel
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Principal Investigator, Investigator-Initiated Trials (NSCLC, immunogenomics, cell-free biomarkers)
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Contributor to national oncology education programs and guideline development
Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications
1. Raphael A, Onn A, Holtzman L, et al. Impact of CGP in ALK+ aNSCLC. Front Oncol. 2022.
2. Raphael A, Dudnik E, et al. FGFR fusions and resistance to EGFR TKIs. J Clin Med. 2022.
3. Raphael A, Salmon-Divon M, et al. Alpelisib after Everolimus in HR+ BC. Genes. 2022.
4. Raphael A, Sonnenblick A. Genomic Profiling in Luminal BC. Harefuah. 2022.
5. Asher N#, Raphael A# et al. Misconceptions in trial participation. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2022.
6. Jhaveri K, Raphael A, et al. HER2-mutant BC – SUMMIT trial. Ann Oncol. 2023. IF 50.5
7. Shachar E †, Raphael A † et al. Alpelisib toxicity and body composition. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2024.
8. Agbarya A†, Raphael A†, et al. Cardiotoxicity with Osimertinib. J Clin Med. 2025.
Medical Association
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Israeli Society for Clinical Oncology and Radiation Therapy (ISCORT)
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The Israeli Lung Cancer Group (ILCG)
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European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO)
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International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)
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The International Society of Liquid Biopsy (ISLB)
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Israeli Medical Association (IMA)
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Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC)
Additional Education and Training
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Bar-Ilan University, Israel – MSc (expected 2025) – Computational Biology
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Israeli Society for Health-Tech – Fellowship by IMA – Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Medicine and Health-Tech
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Sheba Medical Center and Bar-Ilan University – Basic Science – Genomics and Biomedical Informatics
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Executive Leadership Development Program, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center
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iTranslate program by 8400
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Point-of-Care Ultrasound
