The OECI is a non-governmental, Organisation founded in Vienna in 1979 and remodelled in 2005 into OECI-EEIG, a European Economic Interest Grouping.
The OECI regroups 123 Members, which include some of the most prominent European Comprehensive Cancer Centres. Several major cancer centres from the Chile, Colombia, Jordan, Russian Federation, Tanzania, Turkey, Ukraine and Viet Nam are also members of OECI.
The OECI aim is to accelerate the application of multidisciplinary personalised care approaches to reduce morbidity and to guarantee an equitable access to care to all cancer patients avoiding the collapse of the National Health Systems all over Europe and supporting parallel initiatives outside the EU and in other continents.
This goal is being achieved by promoting and enhancing the concept of “comprehensiveness” and “multi-disciplinarity”, supporting quality in cancer care and dynamically working in crosscutting expertise by involving our Working Groups, our Members and promoting synergies with other cancer Organisations.
The OECI is currently geared towards improving quality and internal organisation of our Members, support basic, translational & clinical research, collaborate for good practices with patients, improve molecular pathobiology approaches, perform studies on cancer economics and on real world data to produce evidences.
The above goals are also jointly realised thanks to the OECI participation to some EC activities related to the European Cancer Mission and the Europe’s Beating cancer Plan.
OECI Involvement in UNCAN
OECI will mainly focus on mapping disparities in research areas between Central and Eastern Europe and Northern and Western Europe using the OECI A&D metrics in WP6. OECI will perform data analysis for the OECI A&D metrics and benchmarking between cancer centres in Europe.
OECI will also support the UNCAN communication and dissemination activities
Biographies of team members
Simon Oberst
Simon Oberst is the Director of Quality and Accreditation of the Organisation of European Cancer Institutes (OECI). He was until recently Director of Clinical Development, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre; and concurrently Chair of the Accreditation and Designation Board of the OECI.
Simon is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales, and a specialist in quality systems and organisational development in cancer. After graduating from Trinity College, Cambridge, he was a consultant with KPMG and PricewaterhouseCoopers. After spells in industry and charities, he moved to being Director of Improving Cancer Services with the UK’s leading cancer patient charity, Macmillan Cancer Support.
As chair of the Accreditation Board of OECI since 2015 he has overseen the accreditation of over 50 of the leading Cancer Centres in Europe, as well as establishing consensus quality standards for cancer centres and networks. He has been a key author on subjects such as: bridging research and clinical care – the comprehensive cancer centre. As Director of Quality and Accreditation for OECI, he fosters OECI’s involvement with some of the EU Actions in cancer arising from Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan and Horizon Europe. Within UNCAN his role is to lead OECI’s tasks in mapping cancer research inequalities in Europe.
Simon Oberst’s role is to lead the OECI involvement in the tasks within WP6 to map the inequalities of cancer research capacities and capabilities in the EU.
Claudio Giuseppe Lombardo
Graduating in 1974 with “laude” in Biology. In 1978 obtained his license to the teaching of Natural Sciences and Chemistry (professor) and admitted to the profession of biologist (PhD). Working experience at the Giannina Gaslini Institute for Pediatrics in Genoa as pathologist, mutagenist, and experimental oncologist on tumor stem cells assays. Starting from 1980 leader scientist on prenatal diagnosis of lysosomal diseases defining the methodology for the prenatal diagnosis on chorionic villi. In 1984 he moved as visiting professor to the University of California in L.A. In 1987 he moved to the National Institute for Cancer Research of Genoa to take the position of Deputy Director of the Clinical Pathology Department. IN 1999 he was appointed Head of the Scientific Secretariat of the Institute managing also international and ethics services. From 1994 to 1998 he covered the position of Visiting Professor of “European Research Policy” – University of Genoa.
In 1998 he was appointed Scientific Counselor to the Italian Embassies in Brussels, Luxembourg and to the Italian Delegation to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). From 2008 to 2012, he covered the position of Head of the International Scientific Affairs Department of the National Institute for Cancer Research of Genoa. He was also called to chair the Focal Point for International Affairs of the Italian cancer network “Alleanza Contro il Cancro”, and the coordinating secretariat and liaison office of the Organization of the European Cancer Institutes “OECI”, and appointed Visiting professor of European Union Policies and Research Programmes at the Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Bio-Engineering – University of Genoa.
Actual Position
2011 – CEO and Scientific Director of the SME “Sustaining Oncology Studies in Europe Srl
2012 – General Manager of the Organisation of the European Cancer Institutes
2016 – Visiting Professor at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Cluj Napova – Romania.
2017- Member of the European school of Oncology Core Faculty
2021 – General Manager Digital Institute for Cancer Outocome Research
Author/co-author of more than 210 scientific articles and 20 books.
Claudio Lombardo, in collaboration with Simon Oberst, will supervise all the tasks assigned to OECI. He will always coordinate the communication and dissemination activities to be performed as part of the UNCAN.
Jolanda van Hoeve
Senior scientist at the Integraal Kankercentrum – The Netherlands (IKNL).
As part of UNCAN she will mainly focus on mapping disparities in research areas between Central and Eastern Europe and Northern and Western Europe using the OECI A&D metrics in WP6. I will perform data analysis for the OECI A&D metrics and benchmarking between cancer centres in Europe.
Roxana Plesoianu
University degree in Languages. She collaborated for 5 years with the company Sustaining Oncology Studies in Europe (SOS Europe) and she is now full employee of the Organisation of European Cancer Institute, assigned to the OECI office in Brussels.
Roxana Plesoianu, will collaborate for the tasks assigned to Jolanda van Hoeve and to the OECI participation to the communication and dissemination activities.
Daniela Garbarino
Daniela Garbarino is responsible of the administration, finances and interaction with the EC Research Portal.
Daniela has a twenty-year experience as Executive Secretary & Administrative Assistant at the Regenerative Medicine Laboratory of the University of Genoa. She has an extensive skills in congress organisation, admin coordination and management of National Research Projects, as well as European Projects. From 2020 she is an employee of the Sustaining Oncology Studies Srl – Italy.
Currently, she collaborates with SOS Europe Srl where she is appointed as Executive Assistant and Project Officer for National & European Projects. Daniela is also tasked with assisting the CEO of the company to organise finances and bookkeeping, implementing good practices and overall ensuring the smooth running of the office.