The Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation (PRCCI) and Northwell Health host symposium for healthcare professionals about COVID-19 management success and learnings

  • 320 healthcare professionals shared their experiences and clinical best practices during the pandemic
  • The event is a collaborative effort between the Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation and Northwell Health System’s Center for Global Health
  • The symposium was held free of charge and addressed issues related to education, clinical best practices, and global health inequities, within the context of the pandemic

SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO October 1, 2020– The Puerto Rico Consortium for Clinical Investigation (PRCCI), a subsidiary of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust, which gathers the largest number of clinical research centers in the Caribbean, and Northwell Health/Center for Global Health (NH), the largest integrated healthcare provider network and private employer in the state of New York, held a virtual symposium in which 320 healthcare professionals discussed issues related to clinical research and the medical management of COVID-19.

The COVID 19: Current Concepts and Lessons Learned from the Northwell Health/New York Experience symposium featured over 10 Northwell healthcare industry experts and local professionals to explore NH’s successes and learnings in its handling of COVID-19. Throughout two days of presentations, the panelists discussed issues of best clinical practices and inequities in global health related to the pandemic. The symposium program included keynote presentations such as the epidemiology and biology of COVID-19, the theory and practice of convalescent plasma as therapy and treatment, emergency response methods in cases of coronavirus, resource management, the logistics of clinical trials during the emergency period and clinical research on the virus, among many others. The sessions also included panel discussions so that participants could ask their questions and comment on their experiences in their respective markets.

“As an entity dedicated to clinical research, our commitment is to continue promoting the development of Puerto Rico as a center of knowledge and innovation in this sector. This forum, held in collaboration with NH, provides a valuable source of information and continuing education for those health professionals who face coronavirus every day, either by treating patients or in the field of clinical research. The objective is to partner with experts in the sector and share information and experiences that expand knowledge and save lives, as we continue to develop more alliances in and outside of Puerto Rico,” said Dr. Amarilys Silva-Bochetti, PharmD, executive director of PRCCI. “It is an honor that together we have been able to offer a free activity of this importance for health professionals in Puerto Rico, the continental United States, Central and South America,” she added.

For his part, Eric Cioe Peña, director, CGH, Northwell Health, NY added, “COVID-19 is a matter of great urgency in Puerto Rico and the world. Through focused work and with patients as our priority, at Northwell we have made great strides in the fight against coronavirus and we have the responsibility to share our knowledge with other health professionals. Puerto Rico has the tools and human capital inside and outside the health sector to take the lead in this endeavor.” Cioe Peña also noted that, “NH managed to make a difference in COVID patients in New York by treating them with compassion, respect, listening to and applying advanced therapies and treatments. As part of our next steps in this effort, NH aims to improve community outreach programs and explore further collaborations, as well as address structural determinants, inequality and share the lessons learned with the international community.”

Dr. Silva-Bochetti highlighted that, “It is gratifying to see how the collaboration with NH continues to develop, given that this summer PRCCI had the opportunity to work alongside the Puerto Rican academic Dr. Frances Santiago-Schwarz, immunologist and professor of Molecular Science at the Donald & Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in the initiative Connecting the Research Dots for Therapy and Containment of COVID. This was a highly interactive experience aimed developing critical thinking that leads to scientifically based discussions and recommendations for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Furthermore, four students from medical schools in the US and Puerto Rico participated in the initiative, including one from the School of Medicine of the Medical Sciences Campus and another from the Ponce School of Medicine.”

Silva-Bochetti thanked Dr. Santiago, who was NH’s main link to make the symposium a reality, which drew in participants from the Caribbean, Central America, South America, Europe, the continental United States, and Puerto Rico.

About PRCCI

Established in 2016, PRCCI is a non-profit entity that brings together the largest group of centers of excellence in academic and private clinical research in the Caribbean. Their vision is to promote and improve clinical research for the benefit of patients along with a global scientific innovation approach. PRCCI is a subsidiary of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust. stablished in 2016, PRCCI is a non-profit entity that brings together the largest group of centers of excellence in academic and private clinical research in the Caribbean. PRCCI is a subsidiary of the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust.

 

About Northwell Health

Founded in 1997 in New York, Northwell Health is one of the largest companies in healthcare, serving more than 1.8 million patients a year, empowered by more than 61,000 employees. They train and prepare new professionals in nursing, pediatrics, physiotherapy, among other sectors of medicine. In addition, they offer health insurance through CareConnect.