Research Training Fellowship in Complementary and Integrative Healthcare

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ABSTRACT Building on our initial success, this application requests five years of renewed funding for expanded implementation of the UNC Complementary and Integrative Healthcare (CIH) Research Training Program. The goal of this T-32 Research Fellowship is to cultivate well-trained, independent researchers for leadership in investigating efficacy, effectiveness, safety and mechanisms of action of complementary therapies and integrative health-care approaches. Our program highlights interdisciplinary collaboration, with areas of research and training to emphasize the study of mind-body techniques of healing, manual medicine and CAM natural-product and nutritional therapies and their applications in health promotion, chronic pain, diabetes, cancer and other high impact disorders. The Fellowship provides a rigorous, comprehensive three-year curriculum featuring: 1) formal advanced training in research methods and biostatistics through course work in the UNC School of Public Health; 2) faculty-mentored, hands-on participation in one or more complementary and integrative healthcare-relevant research projects; 3) coursework in concepts and practices of a wide range of CAM therapies and models of integrative care; 4) interaction with other fellows and colleagues for purposes of developing presentation skills, analysis of others’ work and collegial support; and 5) additional training in practical academic skills, including grant preparation, teaching methodology and clinical work. The program will accept two postdoctoral training positions and one pre-doctoral position each year. Key training elements include: a) recruitment of strong, diverse candidates with backgrounds and interests likely to move the field of CIH forward; b) early identification of research mentors with interests consonant with the trainee; c) focus on early and sustained productivity and collegiality via a weekly 1.5 hour CIH Fellows Core Seminar; d) complementary therapies and integrative medicine education via our CAM/IM practitioners lecture series; e) observation of CAM/IM clinical activities; and f) targeted research outcomes - publications, presentations and funding proposals. The newly re-designed CIH Fellows Core Seminar consolidates several key educational components: presentations by core CIH Research Education Faculty (CREF) on “Contemporary Challenges in Complementary and Integrative Healthcare Research”; “Meet the Mentor” and “Meet the Dataset” presentations by senior mentors; journal article reviews; and fellows’ works-in-progress presentations. Trainee performance will be closely monitored by Fellowship Directors and faculty mentors, as well as annual departmental performance reviews. The program will continue to utilize UNC’s institutional strengths and resources in public health, basic science, clinical, and health services research. Experienced faculty mentors will provide guidance in research design, implementation, data interpretation and presentation of results. Career development facilitation will be directed to successful post-fellowship research in CIH-related areas of health care.