Mentoring and Research in Placebo Studies, Asian Medicine and CAM

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Goal: This proposal requests a Midcareer K24 award to provide Dr. Ted Kaptchuk with protected time to 1) stabilize and expand his mentoring of junior investigators primarily in the domain of placebo studies and secondarily, in Asian medicine and CAM, and 2) increase his research skills in the basic and social sciences and in bioethics to enhance his capacity to lead innovative projects in placebo studies. Background: The study of the impact of placebo, medical ritual and the patient-practitioner relationship on health outcomes is often marginalized. This grant seeks to strengthen the Pi's agenda of using scientific methodologies to investigate these components of medicine that underlie all healing. Importantly, this grant also seeks to develop multi-disciplinary approaches that incorporate basic, clinical and social sciences to foster clinical translation and to counteract bias or limitations imposed by methods or theories brought to the problem from only a single discipline. Qualifications: The candidate has a unique background and extensive experience as PI or co-Pi on multiple R01s and R21s, as project leader for a P01 and a U19, and co-investigator on other R01s, R21s and U01s. He already has a successful track record in mentoring K01, K23, R21 and U19 grantees and nurturing junior researchers. Environment: Harvard University's rich research environment and the active commitment of such distinguished Harvard professors as Drs. Goldman, Good, Rosen, Kleinman, Pothoulakis, Buring, Harrington, Phillips and Davis create a unique framework for the candidate's agenda. Mentoring Program: As chair of Harvard Medical School's (HMS) cross-departmental Placebo Network and HMS' Program in Asian Medicine, the PI has created unique structures that attract both junior investigators and established senior faculty from Harvard's many research institutions and major teaching hospitals. Also, as associate director of a well-established NCCAM-funded T32 CAM fellowship program at HMS, the PI is a resource for junior researchers across all CAM domains. Training: Hands-on training and formal didactic learning in bioethics and the basic biological and social sciences will strengthen the candidate's ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams. Research: The candidate proposes to extend a large successful RCT (n=287), that evaluates whether placebo effects can be administered in a "dose dependent" manner to explore several testable mechanistic hypotheses on whether placebo response can be attributed to physiological, psychological, genetic, sociological and anthropological variables. Significance: This K24 will support a future generation of investigators and help provide the scientific and institutional framework for future multi-disciplinary P01 and R01 applications in placebo studies by the Principle Investigator.