Prof. Karl Skorecki, was born and educated in Toronto, Canada, excelling academically and graduating with the highest grades in Ontario in 1971. After earning his MD from the University of Toronto in 1977 and completing postgraduate clinical and research training in Internal Medicine, Nephrology, and Molecular Biology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard Medical School at Harvard, he became a leading nephrologist and academic, serving at institutions in Toronto, and later in Israel.
In 1991, Prof. Skorecki and his family made Aliyah to Israel, where he joined Rambam Health Care Campus and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology’s Faculty of Medicine in Haifa. From 1995 to 2005, he directed Rambam’s Nephrology Department, later serving as Director of Medical and Research Development. Between 2000 and 2015, he also led the Rappaport Research Institute, where he spearheaded major initiatives in stem cell and human genetics research, established the Institute’s technology transfer company, and managed its budget and strategic growth. From 2018 until 2023 he served as Dean of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine at Bar-Ilan University in Safed.
Prof. Skorecki’s research focuses on human population and molecular genetics, beginning with studies on founding patrilineal and matrilineal lineages among Near Eastern and Jewish populations. His work has expanded to genome-wide studies across diverse global populations, with a particular emphasis on genetic disparities in kidney disease. His findings have been published in leading scientific and medical journals and books, resulting in over 300 publications.
A frequent keynote and endowed lecturer at premier universities and international scientific conferences, Prof. Skorecki has served on numerous institutional, national, and international advisory boards and committees, including the Council of the Israel Science Foundation. He has received several prestigious research and teaching awards, and has mentored over 60 graduate students and supervised hundreds of medical residents. His research has attracted wide media attention, including features on 60 Minutes, Newsweek, NOVA, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and others.
Prof. Skorecki and his wife, Linda, are proud parents of five children and grandparents to 20 grandchildren, all living in Haifa.
