Shai Efrati

Dr. Shai Efrati is a professor at the School of Medicine and the Sagol School of Neuroscience at Tel Aviv University. He also serves as the director of the Sagol Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Research at Shamir (Assaf-Harofeh) Medical Center in Israel. Under professor Efrati’s leadership, the center has grown to become the largest hyperbaric center worldwide, currently treating over 300 patients per day.

Dr. Efrati’s expertise extends to internal medicine, nephrology, hyperbaric and diving medicine and he holds the position of director of research & development at the Shamir Medical Center, affiliated with Tel-Aviv University. Driven by the passion for physiology and thermodynamics, particularly in understanding the physiological barriers that hinder organ function, he initiated a research program focusing on neuroplasticity – the regeneration of damaged brain tissue. The research aims to treat the brain as a tissue, identifying and characterizing non-healing brain wounds and the bottlenecks that impede recovery.

Among the various potential interventions studied for inducing neuroplasticity, the most promising approach involves the use of dedicated Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) protocols. This newly developed HBOT protocol stimulates brain and tissue repair by generating fluctuations in oxygen and pressure, initiating a regenerative biological cascade akin to hypoxia under hyperoxic conditions – a phenomenon known as the Hyperoxic-Hypoxic Paradox (HHP). Clinical studies and ongoing research have demonstrated that HHP can induce neuroplasticity in various types of brain injuries, including stroke, traumatic brain injury, post-COVID syndrome, age-related cognitive decline, central pain syndromes such as Fibromyalgia syndrome, and in patients suffering from long-term treatment-resistant PTSD.

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Shai Efrati has employment relationships with AVIV scientific, Sackler School of Medicine, Sagol School of Neuroscience, and the Tel-Aviv University. He receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. He has no relevant financial relationships with ineligible organizations.
Non-financial: Dr. Shai Efrati has no relevant non-financial relationships.