Palomar Pomerado Health,
UC San Diego Medical School
Partnership Improves North
County Access to Clinical Trials

November 10, 2008

By Jackie Carr

Palomar Pomerado Health (PPH) and the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego) School of Medicine have entered into an innovative partnership that enhances options for patients needing leading-edge therapy, expands clinical research at UC San Diego and strengthens the clinical research program at PPH.

The new agreement creates greater coordination between the Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) – committees that review and approve research trials of promising new therapies and procedures – at the two institutions. More than 400 open clinical trials include studies for complex diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and many more. IRB approval of clinical research is required before any study can begin.

“We are excited about this new relationship with Palomar Pomerado Health, a leading provider in North County, because it will increase access for patients at both institutions to promising new approaches to preventing and treating disease and injury,” said Gary S. Firestein, M.D., Dean of Translational Medicine and Professor of Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “We are also enthusiastic about the new opportunities for collaboration with an outstanding group of health care providers.”

Under this agreement, a study approved at one institution can also be performed at the other. This dramatically decreases administrative delays for collaborative studies between UC San Diego and PPH without sacrificing safety and oversight.  Thus, PPH patients will have greater access to UCSD clinical trials and vice versa. As a result, it will be easier for patients in North County to receive novel therapies for diseases for which existing options are inadequate.

Richard Just, M.D., Medical Director of the PPH Research Institute and Chairman of the Investigational Review Committee at Palomar Pomerado Health, and Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director of the Research Department at San Diego Pacific Oncology & Hematology Associates, Inc., has led the effort to bring high-caliber clinical research activities to the community hospital setting.

“Traditionally, community physicians have had little involvement in clinical trials, yet medical knowledge and therefore medical care only progress through research,” said Just. “We’re pleased to join forces with UCSD in the quest to advance medical knowledge while increasing the number of patients who will have access to important and potentially lifesaving investigational therapies.”

The agreement also enhances educational programs in which UC San Diego provides training and symposia for PPH physicians and staff in all aspects of clinical research. It will provide access to the university’s core facilities and other important research resources such as sophisticated imaging methods, and analysis of patient samples (such as blood) with leading-edge technology to monitor the treatment for safety and effectiveness.

Media Contacts:
Jackie Carr, UCSD, 619-543-6163
Andy Hoang, PPH, 858-675-5018