Evidence Informed Practice: Faculty and Curriculum Development

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Project Summary/Abstract The mission of NCCAM is to define, through rigorous scientific investigation, the usefulness and safety of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) interventions and their roles in improving health and health care. The most recent Strategic Plan specifically adds the goal to "Enable better evidence-based decision making regarding CAM use and its integration into health care and health promotion" and the strategic objective to "Improve the capacity of the field to carry out rigorous research". Over the past fifteen years NCCAM has supported research into the efficacy of CAM/integrative medicine producing a rich source of evidence that can be used for clinical decisions. To better utilize this evidence CAM institutions need to improve the quality and quantity of research education for faculty and students. This was the focus of the NCCAM R25 grant program called the 'CAM Practitioner Research Education Project Grant Partnership', which was awarded to a small number of CAM institutions in partnership with research-intensive institutions. The program was specifically focused on evidence-based medicine (EBM) by enhancing understanding and appreciation of biomedical research. This initiative was very successful, and an opportunity for dissemination to other CAM institutions now exists. The goals of this K07 project are to develop evidence informed practice (EIP) for faculty development and in the acupuncture and oriental medicine (AOM) Master's program at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine (PCOM), the largest Oriental medicine college in the US. This project will leverage the two successive R25 grants that were awarded to Northwestern Health Sciences University (NWHSU), in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, which developed EIP curricula for faculty development and their CAM programs (including AOM). The candidate will be mentored by: experts in education research and integrative medical education at Albert Einstein College of Medicine (Einstein), the sponsoring institution; and the R25 co-PI and lead EIP instructor at NWHSU. She will have access to all the NWHSU EIP materials and expertise and will spend four weeks at NWHSU. Coursework will be undertaken in education research at Einstein and Columbia University, and workshops in EBM and CAM research. The specific aims of the K07 project are: 1. To develop the education research skills of the candidate to become an independent researcher and expert in EIP education, 2. To develop EIP faculty training and curriculum by assessing, designing, developing, implementing and evaluating an EIP faculty development program and EIP curriculum within the AOM Master's program at PCOM-NY, and 3. To analyze the outcomes of the EIP curriculum, and impact on institutional culture. After the project the candidate will seek independent funding to implement EIP in all PCOM degree programs across it's three campuses, and disseminate the materials and expertise to other colleges of Oriental medicine. This project will leverage NCCAM's R25 investment, and improve the capacity of the AOM profession to understand and use research in clinical practice.