Michal Schwartz, PhD

Professor Michal Schwartz is the incumbent of the Maurice and Ilse Katz Professorial Chair in Neuroimmunology in the Department of Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. For the last 15 years her primary research interest has been in central nervous system trauma, with the specific focus on neuroprotection and neuroregeneration, using the optic nerve as the model. Her studies have led to significant progress in the understanding of basic aspects of the central nervous system response to injury, particularly those aspects related to dialog with the immune cells and the role of the immune system in regeneration. In neuroprotection, the ultimate goal is to halt or at least reduce the progression of damage following chronic or acute injury regardless of the primary cause of trauma. Here, Professor Schwartz´s primary focus is on glaucoma. Together with her research team she has developed a new concept for the treatment of glaucoma and an animal model for the screening of antiglaucoma drugs. She currently serves on the advisory panels of several pharmaceutical companies and is the chairperson of the Israel Society of Neurotrauma. Professor Schwartz was born and raised in Israel. She received her B.Sc. in Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and her Ph.D. in Chemical Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Professor Schwartz spent two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she first became interested in the field of nerve injury. She is a tenured Associate Professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science. She is married and has four children.