TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH IN ACUPUNCTURE: BRIDGING SCIENCE, PRACTICE AND COMMUNITY -
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) 2010 Conference, entitled "Translational Research in Acupuncture: Bridging Science, Practice and Community", aims at advancing inquiry into the emerging concept of translational research as it applies to the acupuncture field. This conference will focus on addressing paradoxes emerging from the acupuncture research evidence to-date, harnessing the momentum generated by the SAR 2007 conference, which marked the 10 years since the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Conference in Acupuncture. In addition, the 2010 Conference will be guided by themes originating from a White Paper, written by the SAR Board of Directors, which summarizes the present state of the evidence on acupuncture basic and clinical research and identifies the emerging paradoxes. The overarching aim of the SAR 2010 conference is to highlight bi- directional translational research in acupuncture as a means of resolving these paradoxes in the field. The SAR 2010 conference is scheduled for March 19-21 2010 in Chapel Hill, N.C. and will be co-sponsored by major academic institutions in the surrounding area and nationwide. The program includes four keynote lectures which will directly address the translational research theme and three symposia, each illustrating a different aspect of translational research. Presentations of original research, including clinical trials, basic science, and research methodology, will be solicited from members of the national and international acupuncture research communities. The Conference objectives are: 1. To evaluate and differentiate strategies that can address challenges in three areas of acupuncture research: understanding the effects of acupuncture treatment components, assessing the effectiveness of acupuncture care, and differentiating specific from non-specific factors; 2. To educate the acupuncture research community in the meaning and application of translational research; 3. To provide an international forum in which AOM researchers, practitioners, and policy makers can assess translational research strategies to broaden the acupuncture evidence base and to stimulate collaborations/drive future research; 4. To foster interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration in order to develop innovative strategies to address current challenges in acupuncture research.
PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Translational research that bridges basic science findings to the way that acupuncture is practiced in the community will improve the validity of acupuncture and increase its availability to those in need. As an example, the burden of chronic pain patients on the US health care system is significant and growing. The adoption of a cost-effective intervention such as acupuncture could both improve pain patient outcomes and reduce the burden on society. This conference and its follow-up will advance those aims exponentially.
