SAR 2019: Acupuncture Research, Health Care Policy and Community Health - Closing the Loop - The upcoming Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) Conference, titled "SAR 2019: Acupuncture
research, health care policy and community health” will be held at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT.
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, including T1 and T2 translation from
basic to clinical and health series research. The primary co-sponsor of this conference will be the University
of Vermont and the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard
Medical School. Additional sponsors will be Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, the American Society of
Acupuncturists and the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. Each of these organizations will
contribute to promotion, outreach and marketing, as well as participate in the conference program.
An innovative aspect of the SAR 2019 conference will be the inclusion of one whole day devoted to a series
of eight complementary short (10 minutes) talks, each followed by a 20-minute panel discussion. These
presentations will highlight the role of acupuncture health services research as it interfaces with “real world”
stakeholders including insurance carriers, policy makers, practitioners and patients. The 2019 conference
program will also include four plenary symposia from thought leaders spanning different areas of acupuncture
research including 1) Patient-oriented research, 2) Neuromodulation, 3) Acupuncture as a bio-psycho-social
intervention and 4) Member-initiated symposium. These symposia will each include two complementary 30-
minute plenary presentations followed by a 30 minute panel discussion including audience participation. In
addition, as in past SAR conferences, high quality presentations of original research will be solicited from
junior and established researchers for oral and poster presentations. Workshops scheduled prior to the
conference will offer guidance for a range of experience levels. An international Scientific Review Committee,
composed of SAR Board members and multiple external reviewers, will employ a rigorous peer review
process to assure quality and relevance of original research and to advise the Program Committee in the
selection of oral abstract presentations. Broad marketing efforts will target researchers, students, healthcare
administrators and health policy analysts. Our Aims will be to 1) Provide an international forum for
researchers to disseminate and assess acupuncture findings, clarify and strengthen the evidence
base and shape the future research agenda. 2) Foster interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration to
develop innovative strategies that address current challenges in acupuncture research, including its
dissemination and implementation.
