I recently met Tsour Shriqui, CEO of Dream Doctors, and Bambi Tzuri, a strategic consultant, to discuss how this remarkable non-profit is transforming Israeli healthcare through medical clowning. But Dream Doctors is more than laughter—it’s about using humor as a therapeutic tool to ease patient stress and support healing. As Tzuri puts it, “It’s not just about making children laugh—it’s about creating a therapeutic experience.”
“It’s not just about making children laugh—it’s about creating a therapeutic experience.”
Since 2002, Dream Doctors has integrated professional medical clowns into hospitals across Israel, proving their impact. These trained professionals reduce stress, ease procedures, and support families, far beyond simple entertainment. Now, they’re advocating for medical clowning to be formally recognized as a healthcare profession, ensuring its place in the system.
As Shriqui says, “Our goal is to establish medical clowning as an official part of healthcare.”
Dream Doctors proves that sometimes, healing starts with a smile.
Our goal is to establish medical clowning as an official part of healthcare.”
The Roots of Dream Doctors: A Family Story
For Tsour Shriqui, Dream Doctors began with a deeply personal moment. His father, a lifelong social activist, witnessed a medical clown transform a young patient’s fear into joy during a hospital visit. Moved by the immediate impact, he turned to Shriqui and said, “This is the next project I want to pursue.”
That moment planted the seed for Dream Doctors, which has since grown into a network of 100+ medical clowns, delivering thousands of hours of therapeutic care across Israeli hospitals. This origin story reflects the heart of their mission: transforming healthcare through compassion and creativity.
Building a Therapeutic Team with Clowns
Dream Doctors was founded with the vision of making medical clowns an integral, paid part of healthcare teams—not simply volunteers. To achieve this, Dream Doctors implemented a unique funding model: each clown’s salary is shared equally between Dream Doctors and the hospital where they work, with each contributing 50%. This structure places the clowns directly on hospital payrolls, formally recognizing them as part of the healthcare staff. Shriqui underscores the significance of this arrangement: “Our success is measured by the fact that hospitals are willing to pay 50% of clown salaries,” demonstrating how indispensable the clowns have become in providing patient care.
“Our success is measured by the fact that hospitals are willing to pay 50% of clown salaries”
Dream Doctors medical clowns come from performing arts backgrounds and refine their skills through intensive training to align with medical care needs. The result is a cohort of clowns equipped to support patients and medical staff alike. They help prepare patients for procedures, reduce anxiety, and offer moments of levity that can make challenging hospital stays more bearable. The organization operates across 32 hospitals in Israel, with clowns working in high-intensity units like oncology, pediatrics, and geriatrics, as well as mental health settings.

Integration, Training, and Research: A Comprehensive Approach
Unlike in other countries, Dream Doctors integrates medical clowns as core members of healthcare teams rather than independent volunteers. In Israel, they work alongside doctors, nurses, and therapists, providing emotional support, assisting with patient prep, and fostering a comforting environment. “This isn’t just a one-off encounter; they’re essential team members,” says Shriqui.
Dream Doctors also invests in rigorous training, research, and trauma-response initiatives.They developed a professional training curriculum and an academic program at Haifa University. Their impact is backed by 35 studies, showing reduced patient anxiety, lower pain levels, and economic savings—$467 saved per child per procedure involving a medical clown. This research strengthens their legislative push to formally recognize medical clowning as a healthcare profession in Israel.
Advancing Medical Clowning Through Research and Education
Medical clowning’s impact on mental health extends beyond hospital walls and into disaster zones, trauma recovery, and extreme emotional distress. Research conducted in the aftermath of the 2015 Nepal earthquake, published in the European Journal of Pediatrics, demonstrated that medical clowns not only alleviated patient anxiety but also supported the mental well-being of medical teams by fostering a lighter, more positive atmosphere amidst chaos. Similarly, as highlighted by Hadassah International in their coverage of the response to the October 7 attacks in Israel, medical clowns are being employed to address trauma in both survivors and soldiers, bridging the gap between emotional trauma and the healing process.
This includes innovative approaches, such as a wounded soldier training to become a medical clown to help others navigate their recovery journey. These instances exemplify how medical clowning is emerging as a vital component of trauma care, using humor and human connection to mend emotional wounds and support resilience in the face of adversity.
Humanitarian Missions: Bringing Laughter to Crisis Zones
Dream Doctors extends its impact beyond Israel, supporting crisis-affected communities worldwide. Their teams have aided Syrian refugees in Jordan and participated in earthquake relief efforts in Nepal, often collaborating with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IDF, and NGOs. These missions have solidified Dream Doctors as a trusted partner in international aid.
Board Member Bambi Tzuri reflects on their global work: “In every mission, we see that even a small moment of laughter can bring a sense of normalcy and peace to those facing unimaginable hardships.”
“In every mission, we see that even a small moment of laughter can bring a sense of normalcy and peace to those facing unimaginable hardships.”
Challenges and the Road Ahead
Dream Doctors is excited to expand its reach, bringing the magic of therapeutic humor to even more healthcare settings, including mental health clinics and elder care facilities. While growth requires resources, the increasing demand for their work is a testament to the profound impact they’ve made on patients and healthcare teams alike.
With a focus on collaboration and innovation, Dream Doctors is building strong partnerships with policymakers and healthcare leaders to support their expansion. They are driven by the vision of spreading hope, laughter, and healing to even more patients, ensuring that the power of joy continues to brighten lives across new horizons.
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