The proposed Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) Conference, entitled """"""""SAR 2013: Impact of Acupuncture Research on 21st Century Health Care"""""""", aims to critically examine recent advances in research that have the potential to strengthen the traditional practice of acupuncture as a contemporary health care option. This conference will focus on disseminating important findings from acupuncture research that span the translational continuum from basic science, clinical trials, to patient care. In planning this conference, we will harness the momentum generated by our successful SAR 2010 conference as well as draw on our almost 20 years of experience in sponsoring major acupuncture research conferences. The overarching aim of the SAR 2013 conference is to highlight the """"""""state of the science"""""""" of acupuncture research in the 21st century and to explore how this evidence base can impact modern health care trends. The Conference, scheduled for April 18-21, 2013 in Ann Arbor, MI, will be co-sponsored by the University of Michigan Department of Anesthesiology and the University of Michigan Program for Integrative Medicine. Additional sponsors are expected from major national and international academic institutions and organizations, based on sponsorship in prior SAR conferences. The 2013 program contains three keynote lectures that will directly address current research in acupuncture including: 1) the role of Traditional Chinese medicine in combat-related stress disorders, 2) neuroimaging markers to evaluate acupuncture efficacy and mechanism, and 3) the discordance between acupuncture research and acupuncture practice. In addition to keynote lectures, a special panel discussion will directly address the conference theme, the impact of acupuncture research on 21st century health care. We will also hold two symposia, one focusing on heterogeneity of acupuncture techniques and its impact on research conclusions, and the other focusing on contextual and patient-practitioner interactions in acupuncture research. Workshops scheduled within the conference will offer guidance in designing clinical trials in the emerging area of comparative effectiveness research and in incorporating a range of physiological biomarkers into clinical research. Presentations of original research, in acupuncture and allied traditional East Asian modalities, including clinical trials, basic science, and research methodology, will be solicited from members of the national and international research communities for oral and poster presentations. The Conference aims are to: 1. Provide an international forum in which researchers can assess acupuncture findings that clarify and strengthen the evidence base, 2. Foster interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration in order to develop innovative strategies for addressing current challenges in acupuncture research, and 3. Enhance international communication amongst acupuncture stakeholders (researchers, policy makers, practitioners) to assess the potential impact of acupuncture research in contemporary health care administration and decision making.
The environment in which biomedical research is performed and how health care is administered is changing within the United States. Amidst this changing landscape, research within the field of acupuncture that bridges basic science findings to the way that acupuncture is practiced in the community is emerging. This is significant as the adoption of acupuncture as a cost-effective intervention could both improve patient outcomes and reduce burden on society. This conference and its follow-up will advance these aims exponentially.
