This proposal is for a five-year continuation of the Harvard Medical School research fellowship program in complementary and integrative medical therapies (CIMT). This three year program prepares physicians for successful careers as academic research faculty and educators. The program is based within the Division for Research and Education in CIMT at Harvard Medical School (HMS), an inter-institutional program set up to facilitate the development of research and education in this emerging field. The training program focuses on mind-body therapies (including yoga, tai chi, meditation, and placebo phenomenon), Asian medicine (including acupuncture and Ayurveda) and dietary supplements (including botanicals), all areas of faculty expertise. Faculty mentors have funded research programs in CIMT research and track records of successful mentoring. Trainees earn an MPH degree during the first two years of fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). The master's program includes the Program in Clinical Effectiveness, an intensive summer curriculum in epidemiology, biostatistics, and health services research, developed for physicians. Throughout the fellowship, weekly programs created specifically for fellows, including a didactic core program in CIMT, provide specialized clinical, research and scholarly skills in CIMT. Fellows also take in-depth courses in CIMT in order to acquire practitioner skills/certification to inform their research. Most of the trainees'time is devoted to their own research. Each uses skills learned in the classroom to develop, conduct and analyze at least two original investigations in CIMT under the direction of experienced faculty mentors. Research focuses on risks and benefits of CIMT using methods of outcomes research, the mechanism of action of CIMT, epidemiology, and health services research. All fellows are encouraged to perform a secondary data analysis, a systematic review, and a pilot randomized controlled trial. Fellows also participate in retreats on teaching skills and cultural competence. Fellows have opportunities to participate as teachers of CIMT at HMS. Fellows develop clinical skills in CIMT in both an affiliated primary care integrative clinic and the Division's newly opened integrated care center at Brigham and Women's Hospital. A principal research mentor, clinical preceptors, and an advisor at HSPH supervise each fellow's development. Over the first 7 years of the fellowship, 10 fellows have completed the program and earned an MPH. Nine of 10 graduates continue in academic medicine;4 are currently supported by K series career development awards. All graduated fellows have published peer reviewed research manuscripts.

Public Health Relevance

This training program is relevant to public health because it trains individuals to perform scientifically based research in complementary and integrative medical therapies, an area of clinical care that is used widely by the public but requires further research to define risks, benefits, and mechanism of action.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
2T32AT000051-11
Application #
7629346
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAT1-LD (28))
Program Officer
Khalsa, Partap Singh
Project Start
1999-09-30
Project End
2014-07-31
Budget Start
2009-08-01
Budget End
2010-07-31
Support Year
11
Fiscal Year
2009
Total Cost
$347,224
Indirect Cost
Name
Harvard University
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
047006379
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
Luberto, Christina M; Park, Elyse R; Goodman, Janice H (2018) Postpartum Outcomes and Formal Mindfulness Practice in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Perinatal Women. Mindfulness (N Y) 9:850-859
Hall, Daniel L; Lennes, Inga T; Carr, Alaina et al. (2018) Lung Cancer Screening Uncertainty among Patients Undergoing LDCT. Am J Health Behav 42:69-76
Luberto, Christina M; Chad-Friedman, Emma; Dossett, Michelle L et al. (2018) Characteristics of adult smokers presenting to a mind-body medicine clinic. J Health Psychol 23:860-870
Luberto, Christina M; Shinday, Nina; Song, Rhayun et al. (2018) A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effects of Meditation on Empathy, Compassion, and Prosocial Behaviors. Mindfulness (N Y) 9:708-724
Polich, Ginger; Iaccarino, Mary Alexis; Kaptchuk, Ted J et al. (2018) Placebo Effects in Traumatic Brain Injury. J Neurotrauma 35:1205-1212
Thibaut, Aurore; Russo, Cristina; Morales-Quezada, Leon et al. (2017) Neural signature of tDCS, tPCS and their combination: Comparing the effects on neural plasticity. Neurosci Lett 637:207-214
Hall, Daniel L; Lattie, Emily G; Milrad, Sara F et al. (2017) Telephone-administered versus live group cognitive behavioral stress management for adults with CFS. J Psychosom Res 93:41-47
Vasquez, Alejandra C; Thibaut, Aurore; Morales-Quezada, Leon et al. (2017) Patterns of brain oscillations across different electrode montages in transcranial pulsed current stimulation. Neuroreport 28:421-425
Hall, Daniel L; Lennes, Inga T; Pirl, William F et al. (2017) Fear of recurrence or progression as a link between somatic symptoms and perceived stress among cancer survivors. Support Care Cancer 25:1401-1407
Vallender, Eric J; Goswami, Dharmendra B; Shinday, Nina M et al. (2017) Transcriptomic profiling of the ventral tegmental area and nucleus accumbens in rhesus macaques following long-term cocaine self-administration. Drug Alcohol Depend 175:9-23

Showing the most recent 10 out of 118 publications