Irene
Unterman

Irene Unterman is an MD student in the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a PhD student in the Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research (IMRIC) at the Institute for Medical Research Israel–Canada. She is co-supervised by Prof. Benjamin P. Berman (IMRIC) and Prof. Benjamin Glaser (Hadassah Medical Center).

Her research focuses on DNA methylation, a chemical modification informing cell identity and function. She is developing novel computational tools to analyze methylation sequencing.

These tools correct cell composition differences and infer methylation changes in individual cell types. By applying them to pancreas samples from diabetic and healthy individuals, Irene aims to expose the genetic underpinnings of type 2 diabetes. She hopes to improve current methods for identifying the origin of DNA molecules in blood samples and contribute to cancer screening.

Irene was born in Jerusalem, where she currently lives with her husband, Ido, and their dog, Nimbus. She became fascinated with science while pursuing a high school matriculation project at the Hebrew University supervised by Prof. Hermona Soreq. Her experience as a community first responder led her to the field of medicine. During her army service, she served in the 8200 intelligence unit and participated in the Atidim program, tutoring high school students from underprivileged backgrounds in STEM. Following her discharge from the army, she helped children with special needs at Alyn (a hospital for children with a wide range of congenital and acquired conditions) and worked as a research assistant for Prof. Yuval Tabach. She completed her BSc in medicine at the Hebrew University and embarked on a joint MD-PhD program. In her spare time, Irene enjoys hackathons, where she learns coding skills and works with her team on real-life problems. She is also a certified Pilates instructor and especially enjoys working with the elderly.