Under the leadership of John J. Sciarra, MD, Ph.D., past President of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics who for many years served as Professor and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, IL, and as Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, a group of fifteen OB/GYNs from across the U.S. and the Bahamas visited Israeli's Rabin Medical Center. They were hosted by Prof. Moshe Hod, Director of the Maternal Fetal Division of the Helen Schneider Hospital for Women at Rabin Medical Center who more than twenty-five years ago met Dr. Sciarra while undergoing a fellowship at Northwestern, and the two have since remained both colleagues and friends.

The group was part of a People to People Citizen Ambassador Program, which provides a unique opportunity for professionals to network, learn, and serve other countries through humanitarian efforts. The People to People Movement dates back more than half a century to its founding by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956. Since this particular delegation came from the area of Obstetrics and Gynecology their professional activities in Israel were related to this field.

During their visit they were given a presentation by Prof. Hod on his global activities on diabetes in pregnancy and also toured the hospital and its facilities. Here they met with the IVF staff, saw the delivery rooms, the operating theaters and the nursery. They were impressed by both the modern beautiful facilities and by the unique wide ranging medical care, including the extensive OB/GYN services available.