The upcoming Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) Conference, titled SAR 2019: Acupuncture research, health care policy and community health? will be held at the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT. A key goal of this conference is to actively disseminate important research findings to the acupuncture research community and multiple related fields of biomedical research, including T1 and T2 translation from basic to clinical and health series research. The primary co-sponsor of this conference will be the University of Vermont and the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Brigham and Women?s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Additional sponsors will be Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont, the American Society of Acupuncturists and the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. Each of these organizations will contribute to promotion, outreach and marketing, as well as participate in the conference program. An innovative aspect of the SAR 2019 conference will be the inclusion of one whole day devoted to a series of eight complementary short (10 minutes) talks, each followed by a 20-minute panel discussion. These presentations will highlight the role of acupuncture health services research as it interfaces with ?real world? stakeholders including insurance carriers, policy makers, practitioners and patients. The 2019 conference program will also include four plenary symposia from thought leaders spanning different areas of acupuncture research including 1) Patient-oriented research, 2) Neuromodulation, 3) Acupuncture as a bio-psycho-social intervention and 4) Member-initiated symposium. These symposia will each include two complementary 30- minute plenary presentations followed by a 30 minute panel discussion including audience participation. In addition, as in past SAR conferences, high quality presentations of original research will be solicited from junior and established researchers for oral and poster presentations. Workshops scheduled prior to the conference will offer guidance for a range of experience levels. An international Scientific Review Committee, composed of SAR Board members and multiple external reviewers, will employ a rigorous peer review process to assure quality and relevance of original research and to advise the Program Committee in the selection of oral abstract presentations. Broad marketing efforts will target researchers, students, healthcare administrators and health policy analysts.
Our Aims will be to 1) Provide an international forum for researchers to disseminate and assess acupuncture findings, clarify and strengthen the evidence base and shape the future research agenda. 2) Foster interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration to develop innovative strategies that address current challenges in acupuncture research, including its dissemination and implementation.
The Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) 2019 Conference will provide an international forum for researchers to disseminate acupuncture research findings, clarify and strengthen the evidence base, and shape the future research agenda. It will foster interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration to develop innovative strategies that address current challenges in acupuncture research, including its dissemination and implementation. The conference format along with co-sponsorship and participation by a major insurance payer and two leading clinical societies will foster increased understanding of how to improve the translation of acupuncture research to patients and communities. This is especially timely during an opioid crisis that has focused attention on the need for evidence-based non-pharmacologic treatments for pain. The target audience for this event includes researchers, clinicians, policy makers, funding agencies, and patients.
