Interview with Professor Ilana Kaplan, Head the Department of Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine and Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging at Tel Aviv University, Israel
Prof. Ilana Kaplan graduated from the School of Dental Medicine at Tel-Aviv University in 1982, and from the post- graduate program in oral pathology in 1995. She has served as Head of the Oral Pathology services in Rabin Medical Center since 1996, and between 2009-2021 as Head of Oral Pathology services in Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Cente. During this period, she also worked in the schools of medicine and dental medicine at Tel-Aviv University, teaching general pathology and oral pathology to students and residents.
Her work in research in the fields of oral pathology resulted in over 100 scientific publications, and international recognition. Since October 2020, Prof Kaplan has been chosen Head the Department of Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine and Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging at TAU.
- Professor Kaplan you are back in Cyprus once again. What is the purpose of your visit?
My specialty is in oral pathology and oral medicine which is a very rare in Israel and unfortunately there is nobody with this specialty in Cyprus. I have many colleagues in Cyprus, and I love the country and its people. For over 30 years I collaborate with Dr. Zoe Nicolaou, who is a Maxillofacial Surgeon, and she sees a lot of patients who need my specialty, thus, my visiting in Cyprus every few months.
So, I am here to see the patients and give them consultation, in coordination with Dr. Nicolaou. Part of my job requires the monitoring of biopsies, if need to be taken, so when I see them, I report back to Cyprus, having in my availability the state-of-the-art Oral Pathology Department from Israel, something that yet is not available in Cyprus and thank God our countries are so close to one another in many ways.
- How did you meet Dr. Zoe Nicolaou?
I met Dr. Zoe Nicolaou, 30 years ago, when she was a young motivated young doctor, who came to Israel for her specialty, and had such a passion and energy to learn and be the best, that I took her under my wings and kind of adopted her, allow me to say. I am so proud of the way she evolved and how she is so precise on diagnosis! She does not allow any details to slip away, and she has such strong intuition. When she started her clinic, she immediately informed me that she had so many patients and she needed my help, so of course I joined.
- You are a professional with such an amazing career! Publications, experience, knowledge, students. What would you say, has been the greatest challenge of the students you mentored over the years?
I would say the language! Hebrew is a very difficult language to learn and although, you can write in the reports of patients in English, the communication with the patients is in Hebrew. Plus, the culture. The Cypriots are very close to our culture, especially in the way we communicate, with our hands, and facial expressions. But for other students coming from around the globe sometimes this is very hard to adjust.
- What has been your greatest personal challenge as a woman and a professional?
For me, personally, the greatest challenge was to manage to balance my career and being a mother and a wife! And allow me to share a secret! I removed the mommy guilt once and for all, when we had to spend a couple of years in USA due to my husband’s work and I had no permission to work, as per laws, so I had no choice but to be a home-stay mother and wife. I hated it and I think I was not such a good mother at the time, although my children never complained about it. I realized that I was happy when I was practicing medicine and I had my schedule, as much as it was overloaded. I did not realize at the time, but seeing my 3 children avoid following the career of their parents, made me realize that we did work so many hours over the years. But I love what I do, and even though at some point I will retire, I know how to keep myself active in my profession.
- How do you see the evolution of Dr. Zoe Nicolaou over the years at the Cyprus Maxillofacial Centre?
What Dr. Nicolaou has done over the years is magnificent. She has reached such high levels of conducting orthognathic surgery which on an international level she is among the best. She has given Cyprus a service which is much needed, and I think people here have not realized that yet, and what special abilities she has as a doctor. And allow me to say, that her skills in removing cancer are exceptional and she always follows what we also do in Israel, an interdisciplinary method and treatment. In cases of cancer patients, you must have a team of doctors around the patient either for their nutrition, or for their psychology or for their radiotherapy, for their well-being and fitness. It is not so simple, and Dr. Nicolaou acknowledges this, while other doctors fail to do so.
- You have two specialties, and you are unique in Israel. How is that?
Oral pathology and oral medicine are two parallel specialties that go along together. In other countries it is different. That is why I see the patients and I see their biopsies as well, and I am the only person in Israel that I do this. One third of the cases of patients that step in my office, do not necessarily need a surgeon but an oral pathology doctor so as diseases that are chronic, or need medication, or a follow up by a specialist in oral medicine which again in Cyprus you don’t have, they need to visit me and it is essential for Cyprus to have such specialties. You know, sometimes, you cannot save the life of patients but with the right treatment, you can improve their lives. I think this is where Dr. Zoe feels that there is a gap in the system, and I think it is important to keep Cyprus in the frontline of this kind of medical practice.
- How do you think our countries, Cyprus and Israel can collaborate in such a way that the Maxillofacial Medicine, Oral Pathology and Medicine are promoted more?
I believe that by creating an international public dental school with the above-mentioned specialties in the field, would be the first step to put Cyprus in the forefront of our medical practice because it would attract students and patients from Europe and from around the world. The fact that English is the language of communication here, is very important. At the same time, being neighbouring countries, offers so many opportunities for doctors and professors to visit, to do lectures and workshops. The horizon is big and wide and the possibilities endless if we just start the effort!
