Published: August 18, 2026
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
For Rebekah Israel, M.D., choosing to begin her medical career in Madison, Indiana was a rather easy decision.
“Madison is like coming home,” Dr. Rebekah Israel said.She moved to the Southeast Indiana community along the Ohio River in January 2007 when her father, Michael E. Israel, M.D., accepted a job with what is now Norton King’s Daughters’ Health.
At the time, a young Rebekah was in the middle of her third grade year in elementary school. Her father is now an internal medicine physician with Norton Community Medical Associates.
“I love my connection to the community,” Dr. Rebekah Israel said. “I have family here. I have grandparents here.”
A 2022 graduate of the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, she completed her residency in neurology at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio. She joins Norton Neuroscience Institute, bringing specialized care to her hometown.
Her interest in neuroscience started early, when she shadowed a neurologist when she was still in high school.
“I got to see how he interacted with patients and helped solve problems,” she said. “That intrigued me, and I knew it was something I wanted to do.”
Dr. Michael Israel has practiced internal medicine in Madison for 19 years. Now, the father-daughter duo will serve local families as Norton Healthcare physician colleagues.
“It was exciting when my dad would start talking to me about patient scenarios,” Dr. Rebekah Israel said, recalling conversations during her medical training. “He would ask me things like: ‘If you had a patient with this, what kind of management would you pursue?’ It will be fun working alongside him.”
Developing relationships with her patients is one of Dr. Rebekah Israel’s goals. Often, patients need to see a neurologist for many years, if not decades.
“Many patients with neurological diagnoses experience a lifetime of care,” she said. “Providing care to help them is rewarding. It’s easier to care for patients in a place where you really get to know them.”
While Dr. Rebekah Israel will see a wide variety of neurology patients in Madison, she specifically enjoys helping patients who experience recurring headaches, especially migraine, and those with an epilepsy diagnosis.
“Epilepsy is a disorder that is often overlooked,” she said. “Often, it’s a silent disorder. One day, everything is fine. Then, they can have an episode. Chronic migraine can be a real struggle, but there is a whole spectrum of headache disorders. I like for patients to know that there are a lot of treatment options available.”
According to Dr. Rebekah Israel, local access to care is especially important for neurology patients, because often they can face some type of mobility issue, which makes traveling to appointments more challenging. Developing her practice locally is a great asset for families in the Madison area.
She said she’s also grateful to be working with the Norton Neuroscience Institute team.
“It’s nice to have the support of a team, especially with subspecialties in neurology,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to reach out on complicated cases.”
Norton Neuroscience Institute’s Madison office is in Suite 1D of the Norton Community Medical Associates – Hilltop facility, adjacent to Norton King’s Daughters’ Hospital, 1373 E. State Road. 62, Madison. Call (812) 801-0806 for an appointment.