Full Text PA-96-056 POSTDOCTORAL TRAINING IN COMPLEMENTARY/ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE NIH GUIDE, Volume 25, Number 18, June 7, 1996 PA NUMBER: PA-96-056 P.T. 44 Keywords: Biomedical Research Training Biomedical Research, Multidiscipl Office of Alternative Medicine National Institutes of Health Application Receipt Dates: April 5, August 5, and December 5 PURPOSE The Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM) is planning to fund, through the various Institutes and Centers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Research Service Award (NRSA) individual postdoctoral fellowships (F32). The purpose is to provide a cadre of investigators capable of conducting systematic studies on safety, efficacy, cost-effectiveness, or mechanisms of action of unconventional methods for treating major diseases and promoting well-being. This training is expected to attract postdoctoral candidates who are in the early stages of their careers. They will have obtained expertise in conventional research methodology and some familiarity with/or interest in alternative medical procedures. Prospective trainees will be expected to form an alliance with established researchers to provide a mutual learning experience. This program announcement (PA) on Alternative Medicine is based on a larger, NIH-wide PA on NRSA Individual Postdoctoral Fellowships, which should be requested from the contact person listed under INQUIRIES. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2000 The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2000," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This PA, Postdoctoral Training in Complementary/Alternative Medicine, is related to the priority area of complementary and alternative medicine. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2000" (Full Report: Stock No. 017-001-00474-0 or Summary Report: Stock No. 017-001-00473-1) through the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402-9325 (telephone 202-512-1800). ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS Individuals must be citizens or noncitizen nationals of the United States, or have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. for permanent residence (i.e., in possession of a currently valid Alien Registration Receipt Card 1-551 or in possession of other legal verification of such status.) Prior to beginning the award the applicant must have received a Ph.D., M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.V.M., O.D., D.P.M., Sc.D., Eng.D, Dr. P.H., D.N.S., D.Pharm., D.S.W., or D.Psy. or equivalent doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution. Before submitting a fellowship application, the applicant must arrange for appointment to an accredited university, hospital, or other institution with research facilities including staff for postdoctoral training. This may include institutions that train in areas such as acupuncture, naturopathy or homeopathy that are outside conventional medicine. The candidate must be accepted by a sponsor who will actively supervise the training. The sponsor must have research experience in clinical medicine and/or basic pre-clinical research along with an involvement in the evaluation of alternative medicine. Thus, the sponsor must be qualified to supervise in the application of rigorous study design to the assessment of individual alternative therapies. Because of the novelty of some procedures, it is recognized that the sponsor may not have reached the level of "senior" investigator in a particular field of alternative medicine. The Office of Alternative Medicine has recently funded ten clinical research centers in complementary/alternative medicine. Prospective post-doctoral applicants may wish to contact one or more of these centers to learn if suitable training opportunities exist. The list of these centers can be found at the end of this program announcement. Applicants proposing training at their doctorate institution or at the institution where they have been training for more than a year must document thoroughly the opportunity for new training experiences that will increase their scientific background relating to Alternative Medicine. MECHANISM OF SUPPORT The mechanism of support is the Individual National Research Service Award (F32). Individuals may request up to 3 years of aggregate NRSA support at the postdoctoral level. The stipend level for the first year of NRSA support is determined by the number of years of relevant postdoctoral experience at the time the award is issued. The range of support is from $18,600 (less than l full year of experience) to $32,300 (7 or more years of experience). Relevant experience includes research experience, teaching, internship, residency, and clinical duties. Supplementation, when provided, must not require obligation from the fellow. Under no circumstances may PHS grant funds be used for supplementation. NIH will provide an institutional allowance of $3,000 per 12-month period to non-Federal nonprofit sponsoring institutions to help defray such awardee expenses as research supplies, equipment, travel to scientific meetings, and related items. For individuals sponsored by Federal laboratories, or for-profit institutions, beginning with fellowship awards made in fiscal year 1997, the NIH will also provide funds to off-set the combined costs of tuition, fees, and health insurance. These funds will cover 100 percent of such combined costs up to $2,000 and 60 percent of such combined costs above $2,000. Fellows in the first twelve months of postdoctoral NRSA support will incur a service obligation of one month for each month of support. Additional information is contained in the NIH Guide, Vol 22, July 30, 1993. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The OAM was established in 1992 to evaluate and determine the efficacy of various unconventional, alternative, and complementary medical practices. A recent survey demonstrated that as many as 34 percent of adults utilized at least one alternative therapy for the treatment of a serious or bothersome medical condition during the previous year (Eisenberg, D. et al, New England J. Med. 328: 246-252, 1993). The cost for services provided by alternative practitioners is estimated to be more than $13 billion a year. Many of these interventions have not, however, been subjected to scientific scrutiny using conventional research methods. Existing research in this area is limited by a paucity of well designed trials, and there are few research databases which allow for systematic review or meta-analysis of treatment efficacy. OAM feels that it is important to better understand if any of these therapies benefit the patients that use them. Unconventional practices include medical interventions that are not widely taught at medical schools or are not generally available at hospitals within the United States. For the most part, such treatments are not reimbursable by third party (insurance companies) payers. Examples of areas of interest include, but are not limited to: acupuncture; homeopathy; structural manipulation including chiropractic/massage; visual imagery, relaxation techniques, meditation, herbal therapies, or diet and life style. The OAM is especially interested in alternative procedures in the treatment of life threatening diseases, e.g., women's breast cancer, or HIV-AIDS, and cardiovascular problems the subsequent impact on either/and: a) course of disease; b) wellness/quality of life/ prevention; c) statistical/population disease trends; d) basic, pre-clinical biological systems. However, any particular health problem such as arthritis, depression, drug or alcohol addiction is acceptable. Research evaluating the use of alternative therapies in focused populations such as women, children and minorities is also encouraged. APPLICATION PROCEDURES Applicants must submit a completed Application for Public Health Service Individual National Research Service Award (PHS 416-1 rev. 8/95). Included with the application must be at least three letters of recommendation. Application kits are available at most institutional offices of sponsored research and may be obtained from the Office of Extramural Outreach and Information Resources, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 6207, Bethesda, MD 20892, telephone (301) 710-0267, email: asknih@odrockmi.od.nih.gov. Applicants must carefully follow all instructions and mail the original and two copies of the completed application to: DIVISION OF RESEARCH GRANTS NATIONA INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 6701 ROCKLEDGE DRIVE, ROOM 1040, MSC 7710 BETHESDA, MD 20892-7710 BETHESDA, MD 20817 (for express/courier service) Applicants and sponsoring institutions must comply with policies and procedures governing the protection of human subjects, the humane care and use of live vertebrate animals, and the inclusion of women and minorities in study populations. To identify the application as a response to this PA, enter PA-96- 056, and the title of this program announcement in item 3 on the face page of the application form. REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Applications will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines. The review criteria are: a) the applicant's academic preparation; b) the scientific merit of the proposed research including the clarification of treatment efficacy of a particular alternative medical procedure; c) training potential for the student; d) the training resources and environment, including the sponsor. A second level of review will be provided by a committee or staff from the relevant institute and the OAM. AWARD CRITERIA The following criteria will be used by the NIH in making awards: a) individual review group (IRG) recommendation of the overall merit of the application; b) relevance of the application to the research priorities and program balance of the institute and the OAM; c) availability of funds. INQUIRIES Written and telephone inquiries concerning this PA and requests for the F32 progran guidelines are encouraged. The opportunity to clarify any issue or question(s) from potential applicants is welcome. Direct inquiries regarding programmatic issues to: Dr. Richard L. Nahin Office of Alternative Medicine National Institutes of Health Building 31, Room 5B36 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 496-4792 FAX: (301) 402-4741 Email: nahinr@od31em1.od.nih.gov AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS NRSAs are made under the authority of Section 487 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 288) and Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 66. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Centers Bastyr University, Center for CAM Research in HIV/AIDS Leanna J. Standish, N.D., Ph.D. (Principal Investigator) Director of Research Bastyr University 144 NE 54th Street Seattle, WA 98105 Telephone: (206) 517-3522 FAX: (206) 517-3599 Email: ljs@bastyr.edu Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Center for CAM Research in Women's Health Fredi Kronenberg, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator) Director, Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University 630 West 168th Street New York, NY 10032 Telephone: (212) 305-4755 FAX: (212) 305-1495 Email: FK11@columbia.edu University of California Davis, Center for CAM Research in Asthma, Allergy and Immunology Merrill Eric Gershwin, M.D. (Principal Investigator) Jack and Donald Chia Professor of Medicine; Chief University of California, Davis Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine TB 192 Division of Rheumatology-Clinical Immunology Davis, CA 95616 Telephone: (916) 752-2884 FAX: (916) 752-4669 Email: megershwin@ucdavis.edu Harvard Medical School, Center for CAM Research in General Medical Conditions David M. Eisenberg, M.D. (Principal Investigator) Director, Center for Alternative Medicine Research Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School Department of Medicine 330 Brookline Avenue, LY-314 Boston, MA 02215 Telephone: (617) 667-3995 FAX: (617) 667-7070 Email: deisenbe@bih.harvard.edu Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Center for CAM Research in Stroke and Neurological Conditions Samuel C. Shiflett, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator) Director, Alternative Medicine Research Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation 1199 Pleasant Valley Way West Orange, NJ 07052 Telephone: (201) 243-6972 FAX: (201) 243-6984 Email: shiflesc@umdnj.edu University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Center for CAM Research in Pain Brian M. Berman, M.D. (Principal Investigator) University of Maryland Division of Complementary Medicine 2200 North Forest Park Kernan Hospital Mansion Baltimore, MD 21207-6697 Telephone: (410) 448-6871 FAX: (410) 448-6875 Email: bberman@umabnet.ab.umd.edu Minneapolis CAM Research Center, Center for CAM Research In Addictions Thomas J. Kiresuk, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator) Chief Clinical Psychologist, Professor of Health Psychology Hennepin County Medical Center and University of Minnesota Medical School Director, Program Evaluation Resource Center 914 South Eighth Street, Suite D917 Minneapolis, MN 55404 Telephone: (612) 337-7377 FAX: (612) 347-7669 Email: caamr@ulysses.net Stanford University, Center for CAM Research in Aging William L. Haskell, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator) Professor, School of Medicine Stanford University 730 Welch Road, Suite B Palo Alto, CA 94304-1583 Telephone: (415) 725-5012 FAX: (415) 723-7018 Email: haskell@scrdp.stanford.edu University of Texas Health, Science Center Center for CAM Research in Cancer Guy S. Parcel, Ph.D. (Principal Investigator) Professor and Director, Center for Health Promotion Research and Development The University of Texas, Houston P.O. Box 20186 Houston, TX 77225 Telephone: (713) 792-8547 FAX: (713) 794-1756 Email: guy@utsph.sph.uth.tmc.edu University of Virginia School of Nursing, Center for CAM Research in Pain Ann Gill Taylor, EdD. (Principal Investigator) Professor and Director, Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies (CSAT) University of Virginia School of Nursing McLeod Hall 15th and Lane Street Charlottesville, VA 22903-3395 Telephone: (804) 924-0113 FAX: (804) 982-1809 Email: agt@Virginia.edu .
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