Dr. Naomi Friedman

Dr. Naomi Friedman is a senior professor and clinical oncologist at Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer — ranked among the top ten hospitals in the world and Israel's largest and most comprehensive medical center. With 25 years of academic oncology practice, Dr. Friedman is internationally recognized for her work in breast cancer and hereditary cancer syndromes, particularly BRCA1 and BRCA2-associated malignancies.

Israel's Ashkenazi Jewish population carries one of the world's highest frequencies of founder BRCA mutations, making the study and management of hereditary breast-ovarian cancer syndrome a uniquely important focus of Israeli oncology. Dr. Friedman has been at the forefront of this field, leading Sheba's hereditary breast-ovarian cancer clinic and contributing to the development of international guidelines for BRCA mutation carrier management.

Her clinical practice encompasses the full range of breast cancer presentations, from early-stage hormone receptor-positive disease through the most therapeutically challenging subtypes: triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and HER2-positive metastatic disease. She is a principal investigator or co-investigator on multiple active clinical trials at Sheba, including studies of novel PARP inhibitors, antibody-drug conjugates, and immunotherapy combinations.

Dr. Friedman speaks English, Hebrew, and Russian, reflecting the linguistic diversity of Israel's oncology patient population, which includes Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Israeli nationals, and international patients from Europe and the Americas who travel to Sheba for second opinions and cancer treatment.

Dr. Friedman obtained her MD from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University. She completed her Oncology residency at Sheba Medical Center and undertook a Clinical and Research Breast Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York — one of the world's leading comprehensive cancer centers. She holds a PhD in Cancer Biology from Tel Aviv University, with her doctoral research focused on BRCA mutation functional consequences. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO) and holds board certification from the Israeli Medical Association in Oncology.

Dr. Friedman's clinical expertise spans all stages of breast cancer management and the genomic landscape of hereditary breast-ovarian cancer syndrome. She designs neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy regimens, prescribes anti-HER2 therapies (trastuzumab, pertuzumab, T-DM1, T-DXd), CDK4/6 inhibitors for hormone receptor-positive metastatic disease, and PARP inhibitors (olaparib, niraparib) for BRCA-mutated cancers. For TNBC, she manages immunotherapy combinations and advises on sacituzumab govitecan eligibility. She coordinates risk-reducing salpingo-oophorectomy and mastectomy decisions with surgical and gynecologic oncology colleagues for BRCA carriers. She co-leads Sheba's multidisciplinary breast tumor board and participates in molecular tumor board review for complex genomic profiles.

Dr. Friedman has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles in journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Breast Cancer Research. Her research spans BRCA mutation prevalence, PARP inhibitor clinical outcomes, triple-negative breast cancer immunotherapy, and hereditary cancer risk counseling. She has led or co-led multiple Phase 2 and Phase 3 clinical trials at Sheba and is a frequent invited speaker at ASCO Annual Meetings, ESMO Breast Cancer conferences, and international BRCA symposia.

Sheba Medical Center receives international patients from Europe, the Americas, and across the world seeking oncology second opinions and cancer treatment. Dr. Friedman's global reputation in hereditary breast cancer means she is frequently sought for second opinions by BRCA carriers and patients with complex breast cancer diagnoses. She consults in English, Hebrew, and Russian. Sheba's international patient division (Gertner) provides visa support, concierge services, and multi-specialty coordination for international oncology patients. Video second-opinion consultations are available globally.

Dr. Friedman is the recipient of the Israel Cancer Association Research Award, the Sheba Excellence in Clinical Research Award, and multiple ASCO abstract awards. She was named among Israel's leading oncologists by Israel's leading medical publications and is a frequent honoree at the Israeli Society of Clinical Oncology annual awards. She holds the status of Full Professor at Tel Aviv University School of Medicine.