Prof. Ran Harel, MD

Top Neurosurgeon — Spine Surgery and Spine Radiosurgery in Israel

Position: Director of Spine and Radiosurgery Units, Department of Neurosurgery

Hospital: Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer

Prof. Ran Harel is in the Forbes list of the best Israeli doctors. He heads the only neurosurgery department in Israel ranked by Newsweek magazine among the best neurosurgery departments in the world, and part of a hospital consistently ranked among the top 10 hospitals globally. Neurosurgeon Harel is an Associate Clinical Professor at Tel Aviv University, has been listed by famous magazines among the best spine neurosurgeons in Israel since 2021, and has been cited over 1,775 times on Google Scholar. He pioneered and established the Spine Radiosurgery Service, using the Novalis system, and regularly performs complex minimally invasive spine surgery, complex cervical spine procedures, and intraoperative CT-navigated spinal fixation using the O-arm system

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Spine Surgery — Degenerative

• Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) for lumbar disc herniation — microdiscectomy, endoscopic approaches
• Lumbar spinal stenosis surgery — laminectomy, decompression
• Cervical disc surgery — anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), anterior approach
• Cervical myelopathy — complex cervical spine surgery (anterior and posterior approaches)
• Complex cervical deformity correction surgery
• Spinal fixation and stabilization — instrumented fusion, posterior, anterior, and combined approaches
• Kyphoplasty — minimally invasive treatment of vertebral compression fractures
• Chiari malformation surgery

Spine Surgery — Oncological

• Surgical resection of primary and metastatic spinal tumors  – cervical, thoracic, lumbar
• Surgical resection of intradural spinal cord tumors
• Combined surgical and radiosurgical treatment of spinal tumors

Spine Radiosurgery, Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy — SBRT

• Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy SBRT/SRS for spinal metastases — using the Novalis system
• Radiosurgery for primary spinal tumors — benign and malignant
• Radiosurgery for tumors resistant to conventional radiotherapy for melanoma, renal cell carcinoma
• Salvage radiosurgery after conventional radiotherapy failure
• Combined surgical decompression followed by stereotactic radiosurgery
• Radiosurgery for intradural spinal metastases

Spine Trauma Surgery

• Surgical treatment of acute spinal fractures and dislocations (cervical, thoracic, lumbar)
• Spinal cord injury management — emergency surgery and decompression
• Penetrating and blunt spinal trauma (including combat-related injuries)

Minimally Invasive Procedures for Pain

• Minimally invasive anterolateral cervical cordotomy for intractable cancer pain — using microtubular retractors

Intraoperative Technology

• Intraoperative CT navigation using the O-arm system — enabling maximal precision in spinal fixation
• Neuronavigation with BrainLab and Medtronic systems
• Intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring
• Intraoperative ultrasound (Maison)

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Education of Prof. Ran Harel

Secondary Education

• Engineering High School — affiliated with Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Medical Degree

• MD — Sackler Faculty of Medicine , Tel Aviv University, Israel — Graduated 2000

Residency

• Residency in Neurosurgery — Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel (2002–2008)
  • Performed approximately 700 neurosurgical operations during residency — including trauma, tumor surgery, spine surgery, shunt surgery, pediatric cases, and pituitary surgery
  • Trained in neuronavigation with BrainLab and Medtronic systems
  • Used intraoperative ultrasound imaging
  • Awarded the prestigious Talpiot Medical Leadership Fellowship  — Sheba Medical Center’s program for future medical leaders

International Fellowship

• Fellowship in Spine Surgery and Spine Radiosurgery — Cleveland Clinic Foundation , Cleveland, Ohio, USA (2008–2010)
  • One of the world’s leading medical centers — consistently ranked #1 or #2 in the USA
  • Mentored by Dr. Edward Benzel, Chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Cleveland Clinic, a global pioneer of modern spinal biomechanics, author of hundreds of papers and dozens of textbooks
  • Performed hundreds of complex spine surgeries: cervical, thoracic, and lumbar — posterior, anterior, and combined approaches
  • Trained in minimally invasive spine surgery, spinal tumor surgery, and spinal radiosurgery
  • Conducted basic science research in spinal cord injuries

Professional Experience of Neurosurgeon Ran Harel

• 2000–2002: Internship (Stazh) — Assaf Harofeh Medical Center, Tzrifin, Israel
• 2002–2008: Neurosurgery Resident — Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer
  • Received the Talpiot Medical Leadership Fellowship during residency
• 2008–2010: Fellowship in Spine Surgery and Spine Radiosurgery — Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio, USA
• 2010 – present: Senior Physician, Department of Neurosurgery — Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer
• 2010 – present: Director, Spine Surgery Unit — Department of Neurosurgery, Sheba Medical Center
  • Established and leads the Spine Surgery Unit within Israel’s only Newsweek-ranked neurosurgery department
  • Performs open and MIS spine surgery for degenerative disease, tumors, trauma, and infections
• 2011 – present: Director, Spine Radiosurgery Unit — Department of Neurosurgery, Sheba Medical Center
  • Founded and established the first Spine Radiosurgery Service at Sheba Medical Center using the Novalis system
  • Performs spine radiosurgery in collaboration with Assuta Medical Centers (radiotherapy department)
• Ongoing: Associate Professor (Clinical), Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University

Selected Research & Publications

Google Scholar citations: 1,775+. Full publications list on PubMed

1. Harel R, Zach L. “Spine radiosurgery: lessons learned from the first 100 treatment sessions.” Neurosurgical Focus.
2. Harel R, Angelov L. “Spine radiosurgery: a review.” Surgical Neurology International.
3. Harel R, Spiegelmann R. Multiple publications on spine radiosurgery 
4. Hadelsberg UP, Harel R. Publications on complex cervical spine surgery 
5. Harel R, Kimchi G, Knoller N. Publications on spinal arteriovenous fistulas 
6. Harel R, Asher I, Cohen O, Israel Z, Shalit U, Yanai Y, Zinger N, Prut Y. Neurophysiological research on spinal cord 
7. Harel R, Knoller N. Publications on minimally invasive spine surgery 
8. Harel R et al. “Minimally Invasive Anterolateral Cervical Cordotomy for Intractable Cancer Pain Using Microtubular Retractors: A Single Institution Case Series.”
9. Harel R et al. SBRT/ESTRO guidelines for spinal metastatic disease — assessment of dose recommendations and local control. 
10. Attia M, Harel R, Harnof S, Zibli Z, Spiegelmann R. “Paradoxical transtentorial herniation in a patient with pseudotumor cerebri.” Israel Medical Association Journal (IMAJ)

Main Research Areas

• Spine radiosurgery (SBRT) — outcomes, learning curve, dose optimization for spinal metastases
• Complex cervical spine surgery — deformity, myelopathy, combined anterior-posterior approaches
• Minimally invasive spine surgery — outcomes and technique development
• Spinal cord injury — basic science (neurophysiology of spinal cord)
• Spinal arteriovenous fistulas — diagnosis and surgical management
• Machine learning and AI for diagnosis of spinal conditions
• Anterolateral cordotomy for intractable cancer pain — minimally invasive approach
• Combined surgical and radiosurgical management of spinal tumors

Academic & Educational Activity

• Regular lecturer and presenter at national and international neurosurgical and spine conferences
• Supervises neurosurgery residents at Sheba Medical Center
• Teaching role in neurosurgery and spine surgery at Tel Aviv University Faculty of Medicine
• Maintains an online clinic (www.harelran.com/on-line-clinic) for remote consultations

Professional Memberships

• Israeli Neurosurgical Association — Member
• Israeli Spine Surgery Association  — Member
• Israeli Medical Association  HMI — Member

Languages

• Hebrew 
• English 

Notable Clinical & Scientific Milestones of Neurosurgeon Harel

• Founded and established the Spine Radiosurgery Service at Sheba Medical Center, using the Novalis stereotactic radiosurgery system — one of the first such services in Israel.
• Introduced the O-arm intraoperative CT system to Sheba’s spine surgery unit, enabling real-time intraoperative CT scanning and navigation for maximum precision in spinal fixation.
• Pioneered minimally invasive anterolateral cervical cordotomy for intractable cancer pain at Sheba Medical Center — offering a minimally invasive surgical option for cancer patients suffering from refractory pain.
• Completed training at Cleveland Clinic under Dr. Edward Benzel — one of the most respected spine neurosurgeons in the world, who developed modern spinal biomechanics theory.
• “The combination of mechanical and physical principles acting on the spine, and their immediate relationship to the patient’s condition, allows the spine surgeon to change the course of the disease and prevent suffering and disability rapidly. The operating room is my preferred place of work.” — Prof. Ran Harel (Doctors Only interview, 2019).

For patients seeking expert neurosurgical spine care in Israel, Prof. Ran Harel provides second opinion consultations and tailored treatment strategies for complex spinal conditions, including cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine disorders, minimally invasive spine surgery, spinal tumors and metastases, spinal oncology, and advanced spine radiosurgery. As a neurosurgeon in operative and non-operative management of degenerative, traumatic, infectious, and oncological spine pathologies, Prof. Harel offers precise, patient-centered care for individuals facing complex spine and spinal cord conditions.