Dan Shanit
Rotary Club: Jerusalem Rotary Club
District 2490

Following his last post of 14 years as Deputy Director General and Director of Medicine, Healthcare and Biotechnology of the Peres Center for Peace, Tel Aviv, – Dan maintains his interest as social and medical entrepreneur.

Undertaking his role as Chairman of the Israeli registered NGO the Rozana Initiative, he dedicates time to support the development of Palestinian health infrastructure in partnership with Israeli medical institutions. He also serves as consultant to two other NGOs in Europe.

Guided by the idea of harnessing medicine in the service of peace, Dan has initiated and developed a comprehensive strategy that combines humanitarian efforts and infrastructural development as part of a peace-building initiative. In partnership with prominent Palestinian physicians, directors of hospitals and other champions of healthcare – and supported mainly by European Governments, local governments and foundations, the US State Department and American foundations– the Medicine & Healthcare Department of the Peres Center, under his leadership, offered vital humanitarian assistance through the “Saving Children” initiative.

In parallel, the Department was extensively involved in the building of capacities of the Palestinian medical system, including the training of Palestinian medical personnel and the development of independent Palestinian medical institutions.

Some of Dan’s previous positions include: Founding Chairman, Israel  Center  for Telemedicine and Telecare, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel; Director of Cardiovascular Research, Edgware General Hospital, London, U.K.; Director of Research & Development and Managing Director of a number of corporations in the UK.

Dan is the President for 2016-17 of the Jerusalem Rotary Club and the initiator of the Global Grant supported Rotary Jewish-Arab Peace Education Initiative. The project is aimed at inspiring dialogue, tolerance and hope among Jewish and Arab youth while developing a youth leadership team so as to contribute towards development of a joint society.