This K07 application seeks 5 years of support for a candidate interested in: (1) sustaining long-term the Center for the Study of Complementary and Alternative Therapies and its Complementary and Alternative Medicine Clinical Research Training Program (CAM CRTP) at the University of Virginia; (2) sustaining the momentum of interdisciplinary CAM interests at UVA after funding for the CAM CRTP has lapsed; and (3) balancing the needs and interests of independent schools/departments and other components of the University interested in CAM research. Thus, the candidate's 5-year leadership goal is to acquire additional leadership skills to address these three areas through nurturing clarity of her vision and personal leadership to inspire others to extraordinary performance in the field of CAM research. Under the mentorship of faculty members in the Garden Graduate School of Business Administration, the candidate will engage in leadership training that uses a powerful leadership model with a focus on personal characteristics, strategic thinking skills, abilities in influencing others, creating inspiring organizational designs, and principles of leading change. She will also visit CAM centers that remain exemplary post federal funding for the centers' infrastructure. The candidate's second focus is directed toward sustaining a program of CAM-related research that investigates mind-body interventions, body-based practices, and electromagnetic and other energy modalities. Specifically, in Year 1 she will continue to contribute to studies already in progress to bring closure to these studies. In Year 2 she will begin to implement a multi- site trial to test a novel 7-week massage therapy intervention for patients with cancer undergoing autologous stem cell transplant to assess changes in symptoms and quality of life over time. In Year 3, the candidate will continue implementation of studies; in Years 4-5, research activity will include data analyses and manuscript development. Also, in Years 1-5, the candidate will continue to mentor predoctoral trainees in conducting CAM-related dissertations and postdoctoral fellows in planning either K-awards or competitive exploratory studies. The relevance of the leadership training component of this K07 application is that it addresses the candidate's commitment to develop a cadre of CAM investigators (a NCCAM goal) through providing career development opportunities and increasing the knowledge, experience, and capacity of a diverse group of practitioners to conduct rigorous CAM research. Relevance of the research to public health is that many patients use CAM practices and products in hopes of reducing adverse symptoms and improving quality of life, making this research consistent with the identified need to develop a greater knowledge base on the effects of CAM modalities in various populations. ? ? ? ?
