Shani Shilo

In 2014, after her husband was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, Dr. Shilo identified critical gaps in support for patients and caregivers. This prompted her to founded the Israel Lung Cancer Foundation (ILCF), the country’s first patient advocacy organisation dedicated to lung cancer. The organisation’s programmes include patient and caregiver communities, mental health support, mentoring, awareness campaigns and the dissemination of scientific information.

Dr. Shilo is a dentist, and received a PhD in biochemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her postdoctoral research at the Ohio State University Medical Center focused on molecular tissue repair and angiogenesis, earning her the Heart and Lung Institute’s Distinguished Postdoctoral Award. Prior to her advocacy work, she led groundbreaking R&D initiatives in the biotechnology industry, specialising in tissue repair solutions.

As an advocate for lung cancer awareness, Dr. Shilo spearheaded efforts to integrate lung cancer screening into Israel’s health system. Her leadership culminated in 2022 with the launch of the Tiger programme – a pioneering national lung cancer screening pilot study that has now been approved in the health system. Internationally, she is Chair of the Patient Advocates Committee at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) and contributes to the World Conference on Lung Cancer.