prelude---mbw

    Professor Michael Grunebaum (which means “Greenstick”) is undoubtedly the founder of dedicated Pediatric Radiology in Israel. Born in Germany on the 2nd of March, 1932, arrived in Palestine (Israel) in May 1936, at a very young age; however he was always very proud of his “Yeke” (a nickname to a German-born newcomer) heritage. His initial studies in Medicine were in Strasbourg (France) and then at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem at the Hadasa  Medical School. After a year of residency in Pathology, he found  his  real  vocation: Trained  in Radiology at the Beilinson Hospital in Petach-Tiqva, and since 1965, under  the auspice of his mentor, Prof. Hans  Salinger has devoted all his career to the field of Pediatric  Radiology. He was deeply influenced by the “fathers” of Pediatric Radiology: Professors E. Neuhauser and J. Kirkpatrick, who were the heads of the Radiology Department at the Boston Children’s Hospital (USA), where he spent several years, during the Sixties and Seventies for further training and fellowship.

    Prof. Grunebaum’s devotion to the subject of Pediatric Radiology, with the motto that  “A child is not a small adult”, was rewarded in 1972, by the establishment of the first Pediatric Radiology Unit in Israel at the Beilinson Medical Center, and in 1979 he was appointed “Chief“ of the first Pediatric Radiology Department in Israel. From there he strived continuously for excellency and for the well being of the small patients. He was a pioneer in the use of fluoroscopy equipment especially designed for neonates and infants with reduced irradiation. He established dedicated ultrasonography, and subsequently CT and  MRI services for children. He participated actively in planning of the Radiology Department in the new Children’s Hospital, and in 1992 he succeeded in realizing his dreams, with the inauguration of the Imaging Department at the Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel (SCMCI) at the Rabi Campus in Petach-Tiqva, where he served as Radiologist-in-Chief until his retirement in 1997. Prof. Grunebaum also formed the concept for the foundation of the Pediatric Nuclear Medicine Unit at the SCMCI.

    He attained admirable academic achievements, with more than 140 peer-reviewed papers and 3 published books in Pediatric Radiology and Pediatric Ultrasonography. During his stay in Boston he was appointed as Visiting Associate Professor at the Harvard University Medical School, and in 1983 he was nominated Clinical  Professor of Diagnostic Radiology at the Tel-Aviv University. In recognition of his pivotal role in the field of Pediatrics, Prof. Grunebaum served as the first chairman of the Board  Examinations in Pediatrics, and  later-on as an examiner in Pediatric Surgery. With the inclusion of Pediatric Radiology in the curriculum of General Radiology, he served as an examiner in this section on the Board of the Radiological Examinations. In 1996 he introduced the first program for "Pediatric Radiology Qualification Studies" in Israel that was recognized and approved by the Israel Medical Association. Since than, the Imaging Department at the Schneider Children’s Hospital is the only place for this  program in the country.

    All of us who know Prof. Grunebaum, admire him as a teacher. The weekly-rounds, with the various departments in the hospital, were always a vastly instructive experience. His lectures, in the most varied settings, from basics of radiology to medical students, to highly specialized topics in international  meetings – were always meticulously prepared and perfectly organized. His department was always at the cutting-edge of Pediatric Radiology, where generations of pediatricians and pediatric- radiologists came to learn and to consult.

    Prof. Grunebaum is an international figure in the field of Pediatric Radiology, and his contacts were crucial in persuading the European Society of Pediatric Radiology to hold its 39-Meeting in Jerusalem, in 1999.

    Last but not least, Prof. Michael Grunebaum is a European gentleman demonstrating outmost sensitivity for the children’s needs, and respect for their parents. His personality and  his achievements are and will be a model for all of us.