Prof. Kerem is a Professor of Genetics in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. Prof. Kerem was part of the team that discovered and characterized the CFTR gene. Upon establishment of her own research laboratory in the Hebrew University, she established the national CF center, which developed population-screening methods for identification of CF among Jewish and Arab populations worldwide. Prof. Kerem further studied genotype-phenotype correlations in CF and the molecular basis underlying the genetic defect and the severity of the CF disease. Her research laboratory in recent years is focused on developing personalized medicine approaches for patients carrying rare CFTR mutations.
Prof. Kerem received numerous prizes, including the Teva Prize for Excellence in Human Genome (1993), the Julodan Prize for Contribution to Medicine (1993), the Joels Senior Lectureship for Excellence in Science (1996), the Abisch-Frenkel Prize for Excellence in Life Sciences (2003) and the Emet Prize in 2008.
During 1997-2014, Prof. Kerem established and chaired the National Genomic Knowledge Center at the Institute of Life Sciences at the Hebrew University. She served as the Head of Department of Genetics (2004-2006) and as the Head of the Authority for research students (from 2007-2011). During 2013-2020 Prof. Kerem was the university’s president advisor for promotion of women in science.
Prof. Kerem has published over 135 papers.