SAR 2015: Reaching across Disciplines to Broaden the Acupuncture Research Network - ¿
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) Conference will be titled "SAR 2015: Reaching across Disciplines to Broaden the Acupuncture Research Network." This international conference will critically examine recent advances in acupuncture research that both have the potential to strengthen the evidence base for its integration with contemporary health care and better define the agenda for cross-disciplinary and translational acupuncture research in the coming years. A key goal of this conference is to actively disseminate important research findings to the acupuncture research community and multiple related fields of biomedical research. Strategically, the timing and location for this conference will coincide with conferences planned by two other organizations, the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) and the Fascia Research Society (FRS). The Conference, scheduled for November 12-14, 2015 in Boston, MA, at Harvard Medical School will be co- sponsored by the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. The venue for the event will be the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, a modern, state-of-the-art facility at the center of the Harvard Medical School campus. The 2015 conference program, in lieu of lengthy keynote lectures, will contain nine 1/2-hour plenary lectures from thought leaders spanning different areas of acupuncture research. These plenaries will be grouped into 3 clusters of 3 talks with complementary content, which will be followed by a moderated and structured panel discussion including audience participation. Workshops scheduled within the conference will provide focused training opportunities targeting researchers and clinicians at a variety of career stages. High quality presentations of original research, including clinical trials, basic science, qualitative studies ad research methodology, will be solicited from junior and established members of the national and international CAM and biomedical research communities for oral and poster presentations. SAR 2015 will culminate in an innovative tri-conference day of cross-disciplinary plenary talks and moderated discussions devoted to the interface of acupuncture, connective tissue biology, and oncology - a coordinated effort led by SAR, SIO, and FRS. Our Aims are to 1) Provide an international forum for researchers to assess acupuncture findings that clarify and strengthen the evidence base and shape future research agenda; 2) Foster interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration between researchers representing multiple East Asian medicine, CAM and biomedical disciplines in order to develop innovative translational strategies to address current challenges in acupuncture research; and 3) Enhance international communication between acupuncture stakeholders (researchers, policy makers, practitioners) and stakeholders of related biomedical research fields (e.g. fascia research, integrative oncology) to build bridges between these communities and expand the impact of acupuncture research in contemporary healthcare administration.