Mentoring and Research in Integrative Medicine

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a proposed K24 award for Dr. Frederick Hecht, Professor of Medicine at the University of California (UCSF), and director of research at the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Hecht is an internist with postdoctoral training in clinical epidemiology. He is director of the T32-funded UCSF Training in Research in Integrative Medicine (TRIM) fellowship program, and principal investigator of an NCCAM funded Center for Excellence in CAM Research PO1 investigating the metabolic and immunologic effects of meditation. He has mentored more than 25 postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty and published over 130 peer-reviewed articles. With this K24, Dr. Hecht aims to mentor four postdoctoral and two predoctoral fellows in the TRIM program each year, serving as primary mentor for half. He will mentor a regular panel of five to seven junior faculty with K awards. He will develop his research and mentoring capabilities with advanced seminars on research design and biostatistics. He has assembled an outstanding team to mentor the mentor in specific areas and provide additional enrichment for trainees, including Dr. Peter Bacchetti, director of the UCSF Biostatistics Consult service, and Dr. Bernard Lo, former director of the UCSF Program in Medical Ethics. UCSF provides an extremely rich and supportive scientific environment for Dr. Hecht's research and that of his mentees; including the second largest NIH funded CTSA, which is closely integrated with Dr. Hecht's K24 plans. The specific research aims of Dr. Hecht's research program are: Aim 1: Test the health benefits of mind-body interventions. Aim 2: Apply innovative approaches to test the mechanisms of action of integrative medicine therapies. Aim 3: Develop and test new models of integrative medicine approaches to lifestyle interventions. Aim 4: Develop models of integrative medicine research in medically underserved settings. Overall, Dr. Hecht's research program aims to bring integrative medicine approaches to bear on some of our most important chronic health problems, including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. This K24 application aims to provide mentoring and a research environment to develop an exceptionally strong and diverse group of researchers who will play leading roles in the future of integrative medicine research.