I met Lea Goldberger, the CEO of the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Israel at a conference in Lisbon, Portugal. The European CF Society Conference.
She was not always in nonprofit leadership; she spent many years working in Israel’s high-tech and product world. She later moved into healthcare and social-welfare organizations, earned a master’s degree in nonprofit and community organization management from Hebrew University, and ultimately became the CEO of Israel’s Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Her perspective is valuable because she has experienced technology, healthcare, advocacy and patient support. And as someone who leads a national CF organization, she has a unique view of what it takes to improve the lives of people with CF, not only through medical advances, but through policy, education, access and community.
The CF community in Israel is diverse. There are approximately 600 to 700 people living with CF in Israel and more than 30% are part of Israel’s Arab community. Lea is a strong advocate for greater awareness, genetic testing, early diagnosis and newborn screening, particularly because earlier diagnosis can be so important now that highly effective CF treatments are available.
At the conference I know she was upset because one of the people she knows in the CF community was very ill. This is not just a job for any of us, everyone is family.
I am glad you get to meet my friend Lea.
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