Dr. Lael Anson Best is Professor and Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Chief of Surgery at Rambam Health Care Campus, Meyer Children's Hospital, Israel. He completed his both Bachelor’s Degree in Medicine, 1975, and his Master’s Degree in Surgery, 1978, at the University of Gujarat, India.

In 1985, after qualifying as a Cardiothoracic Surgeon, he joined the Israel Defense Forces. From 1987-88 Professor Best worked as a General Thoracic Fellow at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Soon after his return to Israel, at the age of 38, he was appointed Chief and Head of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Rambam Medical Center. In 2005 he took over as Chief of the Division of Surgery.

His special interests are surgery of the esophagus and trauma of the chest, lung cancer, pediatric thoracic surgery, surgery of the mediastinum, lung and pleura. He also teaches residents and medical students and has earned numerous awards in his respective fields.

Thoracic surgery; Pediatric thoracic surgery; Heparanase; Empyema; Chronic inflammation; Transgenic mice.