Shira Kuperman-Segal

Lore & Background

Shira Kuperman-Segal graduated from the Open University of Israel with a degree in Social Sciences while serving in the IDF. She held roles in the IDF Widows and Orphans Division and the Rehabilitation Division at the Ministry of Defense.

In 2015, after meeting Zohar Yakobson, whose daughter Tal died of cancer at age 26, Kuperman-Segal was appalled by the conditions Tal experienced, including misdiagnosis, bureaucratic difficulties, and loneliness. Together they founded Halasartan, an organization serving young cancer patients aged 18–45.

Reader's Guide

Shira Kuperman-Segal's significance lies in her systematic efforts to address the specific needs of young-adult cancer patients, a demographic often overlooked in healthcare systems that treat all cancer patients uniformly. Her work through Halasartan created a large-scale support network that reduced isolation and anxiety among patients, while her research and advocacy led to tangible changes in Israeli healthcare policy, including a new nursing specialization and dedicated clinics. Her legislative efforts, particularly the mortgage reform that forbade refusal of mortgage to disabled individuals, addressed discrimination faced by cancer survivors. By pushing for recognition of young-adult cancer patients as a separate category with distinct biological, social, and emotional needs, she influenced both medical education and government support programs. Her legacy is evident in the institutional changes she helped bring about, from hospital clinics to national curricula, and in her ongoing advocacy for equal rights and improved services for cancer survivors in Israel.

Did You Know?

• She identified eight unique needs of young cancer patients, including sexuality, fertility, and young parenthood.
• Her advocacy led to a new Israeli law forbidding refusal of mortgage to disabled individuals.
• She established young-adult oncology clinics at Rambam, Sheba, Tel Aviv Sourasky, and Rabin Medical Centers.

A Career Spanning Defense, Media, and Healthcare Leadership

Kuperman-Segal's professional trajectory is strikingly varied. She earned a Social Sciences degree from the Open University of Israel while simultaneously serving in the IDF. Her government career included roles in the Ministry of Defense's Widows and Orphans Division and Rehabilitation Division, as well as serving as the ministry's spokesperson—a position that placed her at the center of politically charged discussions, including the West Bank barrier and Knesset Comptroller Committee proceedings. She also worked as a correspondent for Israel's News 10 channel. Later, she became CEO of the Tal Center, an Israeli NGO providing integrative medicine to patients of all ages. In that capacity, she met with President Reuven Rivlin, urging that research and resources extend beyond diagnosis into welfare, employment, and housing support for cancer patients. In 2022, she served on the Ministry of Health's board for the Award for Promoters of Rights in the Healthcare System, and she played a role in shaping Israeli legislation around patient rights, particularly concerning loans and leave days.

The Birth of Halasartan and a Community for Young Patients

In 2015, Kuperman-Segal met Zohar Yakobson, a father whose twenty-six-year-old daughter Tal had died of cancer. What struck Kuperman-Segal was not only the loss but the conditions surrounding it—misdiagnosis, bureaucratic obstacles, and a profound sense of isolation. Together, the two founded Halasartan, a name blending the Hebrew slang "chalas" (stop) with "sartan" (cancer). The organization targets young-adult patients aged eighteen to forty-five, with particular focus on breast cancer, genitourinary and hematological malignancies, melanoma, lymphoma, colorectal cancer, and leukemia. Its digital community quickly grew past thirty thousand participants. External surveys revealed that members valued the network not just as a source of medical information but as a platform for peer mentoring, where cancer survivors guide newly diagnosed patients. The program was designed to ease what Kuperman-Segal described as a "sense of seclusion" and to reduce anxiety among a demographic that often felt invisible within the broader oncology system.

Reshaping Israel's Oncology Nursing and Patient-Rights Framework

Kuperman-Segal identified eight distinct needs of young cancer patients: sexuality and sexual performance, fertility, romantic relationships, young parenthood, physical rehabilitation, education and employment, recognition and rights, and loneliness and depression. She led a research team that compiled these findings into a formal report, challenging the assumption that cancer patients are solely the responsibility of medical professionals and calling for a greater community role. The report prompted the Israeli Ministry of Health to revise the national oncology nursing curriculum, incorporating a new unit built largely around her findings. A dedicated committee was established to investigate the shortcomings she highlighted, ultimately recognizing the need for a new specialized nursing role focused on young-adult oncology patients, and the Ministry created a certification program for these nurses. Kuperman-Segal also pushed for amendments to the government's "Sal Shikum" support program so it would better serve young survivors and facilitate their return to the workforce. She further advocated with the Ministry of Transportation to acknowledge the unique needs of cancer patients and lobbied for mortgage reform, noting that sixty percent of young cancer survivors in Israel are not rehired after treatment.

Building Innovation Ecosystems and Patient-Centered Governance

Beyond advocacy, Kuperman-Segal has worked to create structural mechanisms that keep patients at the center of medical decision-making. She founded the Accelerator for Initiatives in the Field of Cancer Study, a platform that convenes doctors, nurses, high-tech entrepreneurs, and other professionals to develop new tools and interventions in oncology. At the hospital level, she established a joint council of doctors and patients that meets periodically to co-design healthcare programs, with patients themselves proposing improvements. This model reflects her broader vision of a "customized supportive system" providing access to the full spectrum of psychosocial assistance. She has also championed specialized training for medical staff who treat young cancer patients, warning that post-treatment emotional scarring can persist long after physical recovery. Her advocacy extends to the biological research frontier: she has called for deeper study of cancer biology in younger patients and for rigorous examination of the long-term side effects of anti-cancer treatments in this demographic. By linking grassroots patient experience with institutional reform and technological innovation, Kuperman-Segal has built a multi-layered framework for how Israel's healthcare system engages with its youngest oncology patients.