MIDCAREER INVESTIGATOR AWARD-PATIENT-ORIENTED RESEARCH

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Iris R. Bell, MD MD(H - Arizona) PhD FACN BCIA(C) is applying for a Mid-Career Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24). Her focus area is multivariate design and analysis, with examination of a systems-theory approach as a heuristic tool to study the integration of complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies with conventional medicine. She is well-suited for this award as an accomplished educator/mentor and Clinical researcher. She is presently a tenured Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona and the Tucson VA Medical Center, affiliated as Associate Director for Research with the Program in Integrative Medicine. Her training includes both conventional medicine, neuroscience, and psychiatry and CAM modalities such as biofeedback and relaxation, environmental medicine, nutrition, and classical homeopathy. She is Board- certified in geriatric psychiatry, certified in Clinical biofeedback, honored as a fellow of the American College of Nutrition, and licensed as a homeopath in the State of Arizona. She has been funded as an independent investigator for research in CAM-related areas such as nutrition and environmental medicine continuously from 1984-90 and from 1992 to the present, from federal and private agencies. Her research program in environmental medicine has been widely recognized as significant translational work from basic science into clinical relevance. Her principal long-term goal is to work as a Clinician-scientist and teach at the frontiers of integrative medicine, using the most appropriate theoretical and empirical tools from a range of methodologies, including multivariate statistical methods for health outcomes research and nonlinear psychophysiological techniques for studies of healing during CAM treatments. Objectives for the next five years include: A) acquire new methodological skills in multivariate statistical health outcomes and nonlinear psychophysiological analysis techniques and establish new collaborative networks in preventive medicine and health outcomes; B) implement an ongoing, active research program that will build upon currently funded projects; and C) establish and develop a mentorship program for clinician-scientist fellows in the University of Arizona Program in Integrative Medicine for a rigorous approach to integrative medicine research. Her present studies are on i) environmental medicine and ii) CAM utilization. During the award period, Dr. Bell will add new studies on i) measurement of multidimensional CAM treatment response outcomes; ii) nonlinear biomarkers (e.g. heart period variability; nonlinear as well as linear EEG changes) of CAM treatment effects in healing.