Meet Our Team
Izhar Laufer — Founder and Director
Izhar Laufer brings over 20 years of experience in Healthcare IT, with a strong focus on digital health and AI innovative solutions. He founded and established Leumit’s Telemedicine & Remote Monitoring services and has held senior roles including CTO, Director of Data & Digital Channels, and Chief Architect of Leumit’s EMR. He led the technology group of the Israeli Telemedicine Community and has lectured in Health IT at Ariel University. Izhar is a member of the 8400 Health Network and holds an MBA and a BA in Logistics and Economics.
Orna Appelman — Collaborations Manager
Orna Appelman brings extensive management experience in the insurance and healthcare sectors, specializing in leading complex projects. She managed Leumit’s Telemedicine Project within the IT division and currently leads a range of collaborations with startups, academic institutions, researchers, and entrepreneurs through Leumit Start. She focuses on fostering partnerships in the R&D field and managing complex multi-stakeholder innovation projects within Leumit from initiation through completion. Orna holds an MBA with honors from Ono Academic College and a BA in Political Science from the University of Haifa.
Amit Eshel — Innovation Project Manager
Amit Eshel combines expertise in research, medicine, and project management to advance healthcare innovation. He holds a B.Sc. in Biology and an M.Sc. in Neuroscience, and is currently pursuing an MD at Tel Aviv University. At Leumit Start, he leads collaborations with entrepreneurs, startups, healthcare organizations, and academic partners, evaluating clinical potential and helping translate innovation into practical healthcare solutions. His experience spans both hospital and community settings, as well as the private sector and healthcare industry.
Nuriel Burak — Data Infrastructure Manager
Nuriel Burak is a data expert with more than a decade of experience in data analysis, data infrastructure, and business intelligence, primarily within the healthcare sector. He holds a degree in Industrial and Management Engineering with a specialization in Information Systems. He leads Leumit Start's data infrastructure operations, managing research environments and medical data platforms. His expertise includes cloud systems, data mining, and transforming complex datasets into accessible platforms that support research, innovation, and AI development.