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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