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NCCIH-Funded Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Institutional Training Grant Programs (T32s)

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University of Arizona

Title: Arizona Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Training Program
Principal Investigator: Iris R. Bell, M.D. Ph.D.
Applicant Organization: University of Arizona

Location:

University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine
1249 N. Mountain Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85719
URL: integrativemedicine.arizona.edu

Contact:

Heather Fulton
Phone: 520-626-3512
Email: fultonh@email.arizona.edu

Description:

This program offers training in interdisciplinary clinical research to prepare trainees for research careers in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and/or integrative medicine (IM). The conceptual base for the training is complex adaptive systems theory and its relevance to whole systems and whole person healing research. A faculty with expertise in diverse scientific disciplines will train predoctoral and postdoctoral students in areas such as qualitative methodology, outcome tool development and validation, observational designs, psychophysiological and biophysical techniques, and randomized controlled trials. Predoctoral fellows will have completed at least one year of graduate course work and be enrolled in a Ph.D. program relevant to CAM/IM prior to acceptance. Postdoctoral fellows who have a clinical doctorate will be enrolled in a set of coursework focused on clinical research. Postdoctoral fellows with research doctorates, such as a Ph.D., will take individualized courses to enhance their research program as needed. All fellows will take part in a seminar program and receive individual supervision on career development, professional paper-writing, and research grant writing. In addition, fellows will work closely with a mentoring committee of at least three members, including their primary research advisor, a biostatistician/methodologist, and a CAM/IM practitioner. Finally, short-term research experiences are available for undergraduates.

Bastyr University

Title: Training in Complementary and Alternative Medical Research
Principal Investigator: Leanna Standish, N.D., Ph.D.
Applicant Organization: Bastyr University

Location:

Bastyr University
14500 Juanita Drive NE
Kenmore, WA 98028-4966
URL: bastyr.edu/research

Contact:

Leanna Standish, N.D., Ph.D.
Phone: 425-602-3166
Email: ljs@bastyr.edu

Description:

The purpose of this program is to prepare scientists for careers as research scholars and clinical investigators in the field of CAM. Over a 5-year period, this program will train eight postdoctoral fellows, each for a period of 3 years, plus thirty predoctoral students in short-term positions. Faculty mentors have been assembled from five preeminent research and educational institutions in Washington state: Bastyr University, University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, The Center for Health Studies at Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, and Washington State University. These mentors share a common interest in exploring the efficacy of CAM in the treatment of cancer and cancer-related pain. Fellows will engage in a combination of research, didactic, and clinical activities. Fellows will be primarily engaged in the execution of a research project, under the co-mentorship of one faculty member whose expertise is in epidemiology, basic laboratory research, or research design plus one mentor whose expertise is in CAM modalities. In addition, each postdoctoral fellow will be expected to take coursework at Bastyr and at the University of Washington to augment their prior academic training, with the goal of generating researchers who are both knowledgeable about CAM therapies and rigorously trained in research design and scientific method. In addition, fellows will attend seminars, conferences, journal clubs, and an annual 1-day research retreat. N.D. and M.D. fellows will spend one half day per week in clinical training at the Bastyr University Natural Health Clinic. Each predoctoral fellow will spend an intensive 2- to 3-month period, most likely during the summer, engaged full-time in research activities.

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Title: UNC Research Fellowship in Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Principal Investigator: John Douglas Mann, M.D.
Applicant Organization: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Location:

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Department of Neurology
2115 Physicians Office Building CB#7025
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7025

Contact:

Becky Coble
Phone: 919-966-8586
Email: rcoble@med.unc.edu

Description:

Individuals holding a doctorate degree, or anticipating a doctorate within a year, who have an interest in the efficacy and mechanisms of complementary and alternative medical therapies and techniques, are recruited to spend 2, or optionally 3, years as fellows in preparing for a career in academic research. A mentored training program is provided, tailored to the needs and interests of the fellows. Fellowship activities are conducted on site at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A broad range of biological, psychological, and sociological activities at the University are available to the fellows.

Course work in research design and statistics is an integral part of the training. Multilevel mentoring provides skill building in all research endeavors.

Harvard Medical School

Title: Fellowship Training Program in Alternative Medicine Research
Principal Investigator: Russell Phillips, M.D.
Applicant Organization: Harvard Medical School

Location:

HMS Osher Institute
401 Park Drive, Suite 22A
West Boston, MA 02215

Contact:

Patricia Wilkinson
HMS Osher Institute
401 Park Drive, Suite 22A
West Boston, MA 02215
Phone: 617-384-8551
Email: patricia_wilkinson@hms.harvard.edu

Description:

This 3-year program prepares general internists and family physicians for successful and rewarding careers as academic research faculty and educators. The program is based within the Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Harvard Medical School, an inter-institutional program set up to facilitate the development of research and education in this emerging field across the Harvard teaching hospitals. Qualified trainees earn an M.Sc. or M.P.H. degree over the course of the first two years of fellowship through enrollment at the Harvard School of Public Health. This program includes the Program in Clinical Effectiveness, an intensive summer core curriculum in epidemiology, biostatistics, health services research, and decision sciences, all courses developed specifically for physicians. Much of the trainees' time is devoted to their own research. Each uses skills learned in the classroom to develop, conduct, and analyze at least two original investigations on complementary medicine under the direction of an experienced faculty preceptor. Research focuses on the risks and benefits of complementary medicine, mechanisms of action, and use of CAM therapies using methods of outcomes research, epidemiology, health services research, and clinical trials.

Fellows attend weekly program-wide research seminars and participate in an educational curriculum designed to provide teaching skills and content within the area of complementary medicine. Fellows also have many opportunities to participate as teachers in the field of complementary medicine in undergraduate courses at Harvard Medical School and continuing medical education programs sponsored by the Division. Fellows develop clinical skills in integrative medicine through training courses and application of skills in an affiliated primary care integrative care clinic and the Division's integrated care center at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Each fellow's development is supervised by a principal mentor, preceptors, and an advisor at the Harvard School of Public Health. Mentorship will be provided by faculty in general medicine and integrative medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Morgan State University

Title: Morgan State University Center for Minority Training in CAM
Principal Investigator: Prof. Yvonne Bronner, Sc.D., R.D., L.D.
Applicant Organization: Morgan State University

Location:

Morgan State University
1700 East Cold Spring Lane/343 Jerkins Bldg.
Baltimore, MD 21251

Contact:

Prof. Yvonne Bronner, Sc.D., R.D., L.D.
Phone: 443-885-3238
Fax: 443-885-8309
Email: ybronner@moac.morgan.edu

Description:

Morgan State University's (MSU) training program offers scientific research opportunities to pre- and post-doctoral fellows as well as short-term trainees (2 to 3 months). Working in partnership with the Departments of Biology, Physics, and Chemistry at MSU, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and the Tai Sophia Institute for the Healing Arts in Laurel, M.D., the goal is to recruit underrepresented minorities and train them in high quality scientific research methods and approaches that address the increasing questions posed by the practice and application of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). In doing so, MSU hopes to continue contributing to both the knowledge and the practice of CAM by minority public health practitioners in minority communities so as to contribute to many health issues being experienced in the country.

The scientific research of the fellows is focused on the CAM treatments for conditions that disproportionately impact on African Americans. Modalities studied include exploring the relationship between yoga and variability of heart rate; the use of medicinal plants as potential substances for chemotherapy in treating diabetes and cancer; the role of the African-American faith community in promoting good health; the use of acupuncture for the treatment of substance abuse; and finding an alternative remedy to hormone replacement therapy in the management of the symptoms of menopause.

MSU is also developing strategies for integrating CAM into conventional medical systems and undertaking cross-cultural studies through sharing. These initiatives benefit from the cultural and geographic diversity of the student body and provide unique opportunities to share information across continents and cultures of the African Diaspora. The African-American scholars within the program work with the CAM scholars from East and West Africa and the West Indies to explore collaboratively the indigenous healing methods and develop ways and means to share and integrate CAM information into conventional medical practices.

Oregon Health & Science University

Title: CAM Research Training in Neuroscience & Stress
Principal Investigator: Barry S. Oken, M.D.
Applicant Organization: Oregon Health & Science University

Location:

Oregon Health & Science University
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road
Portland, OR 97239
URL: ohsu.edu/orccamind

Contact:

Andy Fish Oregon Health & Science University
3181 SW Sam Jackson Park Road
Portland, OR 97239
Phone: 503-494-9519
Email: fisha@ohsu.edu

Description:

The Oregon Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Neurological Disorders is a T32 institutional training grant, CAM Research Training in Neuroscience and Stress, from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at NIH. This training grant provides funding for predoctoral students in the Behavioral Neuroscience Department at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and for postdoctoral fellows with an interest in complementary medicine and either neurology or stress, including oxidative/nitrative and toxicologic stress. Complementary medicine is a broad area and includes treatments such as dietary supplements and mind-body medicine as well as others (see What Is CAM? for a fuller description of CAM).

Post-doctoral fellowship positions

The post-doctoral fellowships will be for two years with the possibility of extending them depending on the fellow's success and funding availability. Fellows conducting clinical research will be expected to participate in the Human Investigations Program at OHSU. Fellows will be primarily located at either OHSU or the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Collaborative opportunities are also available with Western States Chiropractic College, the National College of Naturopathic Medicine and the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine. Potential mentors are listed at ORCCAMIND, although some of the mentors may only be able to act as a co-mentor, depending on their experience in mentorship and research.

Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Title: Training in Botanical Approaches to Combat Metabolic Syndrome
Principal Investigator: Phillip J. Brantley, Ph.D.
Applicant Organization: Pennington Biomedical Research Center

Location:

Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Division of Education
6400 Perkins Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70808
URL: www.pbrc.edu

Contact:

Phillip J. Brantley, Ph.D.
Phone: 225-763-3046
Email: phil.brantley@pbrc.edu

Description:

The objective of this proposed training grant is to train both Ph.D. and M.D. postdoctoral fellows to become productive research scientists capable of establishing scientific careers that further efforts to understand the role of botanicals on the complex interactions between genetic, molecular, and physiological aspects of the metabolic syndrome. Many qualified scientists in the areas of molecular biology, genetics, physiology, and metabolism have been attracted to the study of the metabolic syndrome, but lack the expertise or resources to expand their research to the study of how botanicals may affect these physiologic or molecular processes. Conversely, individuals who may be well versed in plant discovery, characterization and standardization may need to have their approach complemented by molecular, genetic, and physiologic approaches. We aim to bridge the divide between the plant discovery/characterization approach and the molecular biology/physiological approach by providing training in these areas and by encouraging postdoctoral interdisciplinary research efforts to understand the effect and action of botanicals on components of the metabolic syndrome. This training program will take advantage of the staff and resources of our NIH—sponsored Botanicals Research Center (BRC), a joint venture between Pennington Biomedical Research Center, the LSU Agricultural Center, and the Rutgers University Biotechnology Center for Agriculture and the Environment. Most fellows will be based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana but some will be based in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Live video conferencing, secure internet access and visits to all training sites will allow for multidisciplinary training. Along with laboratory mentoring, fellows will complete formal coursework, seminars in grant writing, and training in the responsible conduct of research.

University of California, San Francisco

Title: UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Training in Research in Integrative Medicine (TRIM) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
Principal Investigators: Fredrick Hecht, M.D., and Shelley R. Alder, Ph.D.
Applicant Organization: University of California, San Francisco

Location:

University of California, San Francisco
Box 1726
San Francisco, CA 94143-1726
URL: osher.ucsf.edu/education/trim

Contact:

Yvette Coulter
Phone: 415-353-7991
Email: yvette.coulter@ucsf.edu

Description:

The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Osher Center for Integrative Medicine is committed to searching for the most effective treatments for patients by combining both conventional and complementary approaches that address all aspects of health and wellness—biological, psychological, social and spiritual.

The center has three major programs: research, education, and patient care, all focused on integrative medicine. The postdoctoral fellowship for training in research in integrative medicine (T.R.I.M.) overlaps all three programs. Trainees are accepted for a three-year interdisciplinary program designed for physicians, behavioral and social scientists, and doctoral-level CAM practitioners. The program consists of required seminars and formal course work, individual mentoring, research and creative activity, elective seminars and classes, teaching, and a number of optional activities.

Our training program will provide an interdisciplinary clinical and research environment that brings together physicians, credentialed CAM practitioners, behavioral scientists, social scientists, ethicists, and health services researchers; exposure to diverse complementary, alternative, and integrative approaches to patient care involving patients in all age groups from early childhood through adolescence, adulthood and geriatric patients; access to practitioners with clinical expertise in CAM and integrative approaches to care; access to advanced training in biological and psychological research methodologies to support clinical research in CAM and integrative medicine; and academic training in clinical research. All program participants will be encouraged to complete the UCSF Advanced Training in Clinical Research Certificate program. They will also have the opportunity to conduct original research. Participants will receive training in research ethics and mentoring by an experienced and diverse research faculty.

University of Virginia

Title: Training Program in Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Principal Investigator: Ann Gill Taylor, M.S.N., Ed.D.
Applicant Organization: University of Virginia

Location:

Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies
University of Virginia Health System
1224 West Main Street, Suite G113
Charlottesville, VA 22903
URL: csc.virginia.edu/content/school-nursing

Contact:

Ann Gill Taylor or Jewel Holmberg, Administrative Assistant
Phone: 434-924-0113
Email: cscat@virginia.edu

Description:

The overall goal of the CAM training program at the University of Virginia (UVA) is to train talented individuals with selected pre-doctoral and doctoral-level degrees in the full range of clinical and medical practices, including those with CAM doctorates, to meet the challenges of rigorous clinical research. This goal is met through an interdisciplinary training and research collaboration between several components of the UVA Health System. Some of the clinical research units include the General Clinical Research Center training program, components of the master's of science degree program in the Department of Health Evaluation Sciences (DHES), and other clinically oriented Ph.D. programs. A diverse faculty, most of whom are collaborating with the Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies, is available to mentor trainees.

The core curriculum includes an array of clinical research-related topics, from clinical trial design and research methodologies to biostatistics. CAM coursework and CAM research experiences are also part of the curriculum. Participants receive special training in the regulatory and ethical challenges surrounding clinical trials, including bioethics, FDA INDs, and inclusion of women, children, and minorities in clinical research projects. Scientific writing skills are honed for grant and manuscript preparation.

Together, these courses enable trainees to bring the perspective of this content to future research and to assume leadership roles on CAM protocols. Included in the curriculum are the responsible conduct of research, including scientific integrity and ethical principles in research, conflict of interest, responsible authorship, policies for handling misconduct, policies regarding the use of human and animal subjects, data management, special issues and concerns in conducting CAM research, and discussion about complementary and alternative therapies.

Weill Cornell Medical College

Title: Complementary and Integrative Medicine Fellowship Training Program
Principal Investigator: Mary E. Charlson, M.D.
Applicant Organization: Weill Cornell Medical College

Location:

Weill Cornell Medical College
1300 York Avenue, Box # 46
New York, NY 10065

Contact:

Alison Kenny, Administrator of Clinical and Educational Programs
Phone: 212-746-1608
Email: alh2006@med.cornell.edu

Description:

The Complementary and Integrative Medicine Fellowship Training Program prepares post-residency physicians with the knowledge, skills, and experience to conduct scientifically rigorous research in complementary and integrative medicine. The two-year program focuses on complementary approaches that may be useful in the prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses and can be integrated with conventional medicine. It emphasizes two areas: the evaluation of the effectiveness of natural products (botanicals and herbals) and mind-body approaches.

The fellows enroll in the Master of Science Program in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research in the Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University and complete the 20 required courses. Additionally, they enroll in seven courses focused on CAM modalities taught by CAM practitioners. Fellows are expected to successfully complete each of the courses and to use their resultant knowledge and skills to design and conduct their own research project under highly structured mentorship. This program is research intensive and the research projects are the core of each fellow's work. The CAM practitioners form a collaborative research network to provide the foundation for fellows' projects in different disciplines.

The program builds on the strengths of our multidisciplinary faculty, who have had a 15-year history of collaboration, extensive experience in research training and mentoring, and an outstanding research track record. This multidisciplinary team, drawn from clinical epidemiology, health services research, behavioral science, biostatistics, health economics, and medical informatics, has developed a collaborative partnership with CAM practitioners expert in mind-body medicine including meditation, guided imagery, yoga, tai chi, and practitioners expert in acupuncture. Importantly, the team includes experts in natural products—pharmacologists, phytochemists, plant biologists—that provide the foundation for evaluation of herbals and botanicals. This program employs a multidisciplinary model of mentorship that has been successful in training fellows who have subsequently become independent investigators.