Research and Mentorship in Alternative Medicine

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dr. Phillips is a clinician-investigator dedicated to patient-oriented research. He directs the Harvard Medical School Fellowship Program in Alternative Medicine Research, supported by an NIH T32 institutional training grant awarded by NCCAM. Dr. Phillips has a long history of successful mentorship, having mentored more than 40 trainees, nearly all of whom are productive clinician-investigators. During the first four years of his K24 award, he has provided mentorship to 12 fellows; six fellows are currently in the program, and six have completed the fellowship program. Of the six program graduates, five are currently academic faculty, and four have been awarded K series Career Development Awards. The research fellowship program was recently renewed for an additional five years, and includes mentored patient-oriented research, master's level training at the Harvard School of Public Health, training in clinical integrative medicine and regular conferences. In addition to directing an exemplary training program, he has developed his own federally funded research program in integrative medicine, and serves as Principal Investigator on an R01 from NCCAM to perform a randomized trial of Tai Chi for patients with heart failure, and an R21 from NCI to examine the feasibility of performing a randomized controlled trial of massage for patients with cancer. Both grants resulted from work supported by his initial K24 funding. He has obtained training in complementary and integrative medical therapies (CIMT), with an emphasis on mind-body techniques used to manage chronic illness. In this K24 continuation application, he proposes to provide continued leadership of the T32 fellowship program, to mentor young investigators seeking to perform patient-oriented CIMT research, and to prepare these trainees for careers as independent investigators. Additionally, Dr. Phillips will provide mentorship to program graduates as they seek academic positions and compete for career development awards both locally and nationally. He will continue his own funded work which involves clinical trials of interventions designed to improve outcomes for patients with chronic illness, and proposes a pilot study of Tai Chi for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. His own work, as well as other research being performed in CIMT at Harvard Medical School, will provide research opportunities for fellows in his program.