SAR 2023: From Mechanism to Patient-Centered Care: Research in Acupuncture and Traditional East Asian Medicine - Project Summary:
The 2023 Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) International Conference, “From Mechanism to Patient-
Centered Care: Research in Acupuncture and Traditional East Asian Medicine,” is an exceptional platform to
present the state of the science of basic, translational, and clinical research in acupuncture and Traditional
East Asian Medicine (TEAM). Over 100 million individuals in the United States are afflicted with chronic pain
and conventional treatments such as opioid medications have failed many patients. Acupuncture is an
integrative health intervention that has an emerging biological basis and growing clinical evidence for
management of chronic pain. As we make progress in acupuncture and TEAM science, this conference will
facilitate discussion of new research methods and findings and inform future directions of TEAM research.
Additionally, it will promote the timely and equitable dissemination and implementation of emerging evidence in
diverse clinical settings. The conference will occur May 18-21, 2023, in New York City. The event will be co-
sponsored by the Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and the
Harvard Medical School Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, two academic leaders in integrative medicine
research, education, and clinical practice. In planning this conference, we will harness the momentum
generated by our many highly successful past SAR conferences and symposia and leverage our experience
from nearly three decades of organizing major acupuncture research conferences within the United States and
internationally. The SAR 2023 conference will highlight four symposia: 1) Anatomical basis of acupuncture:
Understanding the physiological basis of needling; 2) Translational acupuncture research: Bridging basic
mechanisms with clinical practice; 3) Cycle of clinical acupuncture research in oncology: From efficacy trials to
implementation science; and 4) Addressing health disparities: Acupuncture for sickle cell disease pain. As in
past SAR conferences, we will also solicit high-quality presentations of original research (e.g. basic,
translational, clinical trials, dissemination and implementation science) in TEAM (e.g. acupuncture, herbs, Tai
Chi, Tui Na massage) as well as member initiated symposia and workshop on research methods, research
training, and dissemination of research findings. Our specific aims are: 1) To provide an international forum for
researchers to present novel findings and methods in the field of acupuncture and TEAM; 2) to facilitate the
timely dissemination of emerging clinical evidence of acupuncture and TEAM to diverse stakeholders of
researchers, clinicians, educators, and patient advocates; and 3) to foster interdisciplinary dialogue and
collaboration to develop innovative strategies that address current challenges in acupuncture and TEAM
research, shaping future research directions. The SAR 2023 conference will bridge basic science, translational
research, and clinical research to enhance the understanding of the mechanisms of acupuncture and translate
such understanding into patient-centered care.
