Why work with POI?
Our Reputation
Preventive Oncology International President Jerome Belinson MD has over 35 years of medical research experience in the field of gynecologic oncology. Since 1994, he has developed his international research program, conducting research on cervical cancer in areas of the world such as China, Mexico,Peru and the Dominican Republic.. He and his colleagues have collaborated successfully with noted investigators in these countries to bring needed care to the women living there, and to provide sponsors with the opportunity to study their product or technology in a rapid, cost efficient way. Jerome Belinson MD and his collaborators at POI have a world wide reputation for conducting quality research as evidenced by the many publications and presentations that resulted from these projects. POI can be counted on to recruit large numbers of subjects needed for major projects in a short amount of time, work within budgets that are a fractions of what companies would expect to pay for a similar study in the United States, publish findings in international peer reviewed journals and present at prestigious international meetings.
Our philosophy is simple.
Go to where the disease is prevalent. Identify responsible, experienced research physicians in the area. Establish a formal collaboration. Along with our international collaborators, work with the government officials to introduce the study and gain their cooperation. Establish a network of influence to gain trust among the local women. Be prepared, plan meticulously, provide education and training to local medical staff, and provide good oversight throughout the project.
Using these basic principals, our studies have consistently been completed on time and on budget with quality results. Studies that would take many months or years to conduct in the United States, can be completed in these locations in a fraction of the time. Importantly, because we travel to where the disease is prevalent, statistical endpoints can be met enrolling far fewer subjects and at substantial savings. Additionally, we work with local doctors, nurses, health care workers and community promoters, so labor costs are far less than they would be in the United States. Finally, it is important to point out that loss to follow up is substantially decreased in our studies. In the SPOCCS I, 6 year follow-up study, 95% (n=1665) of the patients requested to return did so.
In order to further control costs, when appropriate, we work to secure funding from multiple sources for our studies. In this way, we are able to answer many questions and reduce the cost of the study even further for any single sponsor.
Our research is always conducted using strict ethical research principles. Our projects are approved by the Cleveland Clinic IRB as well as the local or regional IRB/ethics committee in the countries where we work. Our data entry processes are rigorous. Neither the principal investigator nor the corporate sponsor/donor has access to the data base, other than to oversee the data entry process and monitor the progress of the study. Research agreements specify that investigators will freely publish data regardless of the outcome
We are happy to provide you with a list of references from our past sponsors.