Received Sylff fellowship in 2025
Current affiliation : Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) & BGU - Regional Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research (RADAR) Center
Shai-li Romem Porat is an MSW-student in the BGU social work department and works as a research assistant and gaming disorder research associate at the BGU Regional Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research (RADAR) Center. He finished his BSW studies with excellence in the BGU-social work department in 2023 and worked in research from the 3rd semester of his Bachelor’s studies.
His main research area is Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), which involves understanding its association with psycho-emotional factors and substance use. Moreover, he explores the relationship between IGD and culture using cross-cultural and cross-country compressions to enhance the understanding of this maladaptive coping strategy.
Other fields of research include the psycho-emotional well-being of university "help" profession students (e.g., social work and nursing), medical cannabises, and post-disaster resilience enhancement.
Academic Achievements, Social Engagement Initiatives
2024 – 2025: living stipend scholarship - master’s program of the Ben Gurion’s social work department named after Charlotte B. & Jack j. Spitzer.
2024: Scholarship for research excellency in the master’s program of the Ben Gurion’s social work department named after Charlotte B. & Jack j. Spitzer.
2024: “Negev project vision” reward for research excellence.
2023: The Charlotte B. & Jack j. Spitzer competitive scholarship for academic excellency of the Social Work Department (BGU).
9th International Conference on Behavioral Addictions, 2024.
Presented research: Romem Porat, S. L., Reznik, A., Masuyama, A., Sugawara D., Kubo, T., & Isralowitz R. – “Cross-national study of post Covid gaming disorder and psycho-emotional well-being among Israeli and Japanese young adults”.
Academic publications:
Romem Porat, S. L., Yehudai, M., Dagan, A., Reznik, A., & Isralowitz, R. (2024). Fear, religiosity, well-being, and substance abuse among Israeli female social work students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Discover Global Society, 2(1), 1-10.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s44282-024-00097-x
Zolotov, Y., Edelstein, O. E., Temple, L. M., Kogan, M., Romem Porat, S. L., Reznik, A., & Isralowitz, R. (2025). Education, Training, and Perceptions of Physician Competency Among Medical Cannabis Patients in Israel. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 103172. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2025.103172
Reznik, A., Pavlenko, V., Kurapov, A., Zavatska, L., Korchakova, N., Pavlova, I., Romem Porat, S. L., & Isralowitz, R. (2025). War impact on mental health and wellbeing among Ukrainian and Israeli women: A cross-national comparison. Cambridge Prisms: Global Mental Health, 1–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/gmh.2025.30
Konstantinov, V., Mynbayeva, A., Gritsenko, V., Stelmakh, S., Reznik, A., Porat, S. L. R., & Isralowitz, R. (2024). Gaming disorder among Russian and Kazakh university students. Discover Global Society, 2(1), 93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s44282-024-00101-4
Yehudai, M., Clark, M., Azzopardi, A., Romem Porat, S. L., Dagan, A., Reznik, A., & Isralowitz, R. (2023). COVID-19 Fear Impact on Israeli and Maltese Female “Help” Profession Students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(5), 3968. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20053968
Isralowitz, R., Romem Porat, S. L., Zolotov, Y., Yehudai, M., Dagan, A., & Reznik, A. (2022). Gaming Disorder and Psycho-Emotional Wellbeing among Male University Students and Other Young Adults in Israel. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(23), 15946. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315946
Isralowitz, R., Yehudai, M., Sugawara, D., Masuyama, A., Romem Porat, S. L., Dagan, A., & Reznik, A. (2022). Economic Impact on Health and Well-Being: Comparative Study of Israeli and Japanese University “Help” Profession Students. Social Sciences, 11(12), 561.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/socsci11120561
Resent Social Engagement Activity:
2025: Co-organizing the 2025 internal conference of the BGU social work department.
2023–… Volunteers in Children Playing Chess (CPC–NGO). Teaching chess to elementary school children while incorporating educational values and merits.
2021 – 2022: An elected member of the Student Council of the BGU Student Association. Promoted mental health programs in cooperation with the university’s psychology services and advocating for< discriminated groups.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Shai-Li-Romem-Porat
