Dr. Ravid is a Bio banker, Brain banker and a neuroscientist; her main expertise’s are in Brain/tissue /Bio Banking (BTB -banking), outsourcing in the pharma sector, international collaboration and partnership between pharma companies, clinicians developing clinical trials and industries specialized in the field of CNS and rare diseases and the use of human specimens for basic and clinical research and the harmonization of global compliance of legal and Bioethics issues in Bio banking.
She started in 1987 as the Coordinator of the Netherlands Brain Bank (NBB) and was since 2001 the Managing and scientific Director of the Netherlands Brain Bank and a Scientific Project leader at the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Dr Ravid was Co-founder and chairmen of the European network of Brain Banking (EBBN), and one of the initiators of Brain-net Europe, as well as member of the Governmental Board of Brain-Net Europe.
Dr. Ravid pioneered the setting up a national donor program in the Netherlands and the basis for the EU Ethical Code of Conduct and Bio/Brain Bank regulations. Her interest in the possible causes and pathologies led her to start a search for Bio markers. R. Ravid has set up together with her colleagues at the pathology department of the Free University of Amsterdam a large and comprehensive collection of both frozen and formalin fixed material, in addition to a large collection of blood and CSF from living patients (>3000 autopsies).
These specimens are currently used worldwide for the extensive international search for Bio- markers and are very helpful in the development of diagnostic tests for early diagnostics. Dr.Rivka Ravid is the founder and director of Brain Bank Consultants (www.brainbankconsultants.com).
Dr.Ravid published and is co-author on 220 papers in peer-reviewed journals, wrote 28 book chapters, is editor of 4 books and presented 250 papers at scientific meetings as key-lectures, plenaries, oral presentations and posters.