Six regional health systems have announced the founding of a nonprofit clinical research consortium – Partners in Innovation, Education and Research (PIER Consortium™) – a streamlined clinical trial system that will span New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The founding members of PIER Consortium include Atlantic Health System, Drexel University, Einstein Healthcare Network, Geisinger, including AtlantiCare, Main Line Health and Thomas Jefferson University.
Clinical trials have traditionally been offered at academic medical centers and through affiliated hospitals to ensure patients are treated safely and effectively with the best standard of care. Unfortunately for patients, this can mean traveling many miles, sometimes across the country, for novel treatment. The PIER Consortium will bring new clinical trial sites to larger numbers of patients, while also bringing new treatments to market faster.
“Atlantic Heath System has a long history of conducting clinical trials, enabling many of our patients to participate in new cutting-edge treatments in their community,” says Jan Schwarz-Miller, MD, MPH, SVP, chief medical and academic officer for Atlantic Health System. “PIER will allow Atlantic Health System to add to its portfolio and assist in moving research studies along faster. We also have the opportunity to work within the consortium to develop and lead studies that will have greater impact to the patients we serve. With all of the health systems participating in PIER, we can enroll the needed number of study participants faster and the benefit of the treatment can be determined sooner."