WASHINGTON (JTA) — Shelley Berkley, the former Nevada congresswoman known for her pro-Israel and health care reform advocacy, will helm Touro College’s Western campuses.

Touro announced Berkley’s appointment as CEO and provost on Wednesday, noting that the New York-based university’s campuses in Nevada and California have a focus on medical training.

“I have spent my entire career dedicated to issues related to education and health care and am honored to have been given this remarkable opportunity to lead Touro’s Western Division,” the statement quoted Berkley as saying.

Berkley, a Democrat who represented a district that included Las Vegas from 1999 to 2013, was known as a pro-Israel hawk during her tenure, but was considered liberal on domestic issues. She lost a U.S. Senate bid in 2012.

Touro was established in California in 1997 and now has three campuses in the state with a total of 1,400 students. The Nevada campus, in Henderson, was launched in 2004 and now has 1,300 students.

According to the college’s website, Touro was established in 1970 “to focus on higher education for the Jewish community.”