The Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) will hold its annual conference, The Status and Future of Acupuncture Research: 10 Years Post-NIH Consensus Conference, from Nov. 8-11, 2007, at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. The conference will mark the 10th anniversary of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Consensus Conference on Acupuncture, which provided the first set of standardized treatment and efficacy guidelines for the use of acupuncture in the United States.
The SAR conference will be an opportunity to review acupuncture methods, efficacy and safety over the past 10 years. Additionally, future challenges and research opportunities in the field of acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM) will be discussed. Pre-conference workshops will focus on the fundamentals of AOM research for practitioners, students and educators new to the field. The conference will be open to AOM practitioners, students and researchers, as well as health care policy-makers. Sponsors include various organizations devoted to AOM, as well as top universities in the United States, China, Korea, Australia and the United Kingdom.
The specific aims of the conference are to:
- critically evaluate, synthesize and disseminate the state of the evidence regarding efficacy, safety and mechanisms of acupuncture for specific indications, as defined in the 1997 NIH Consensus Statement, as well as new indications documented in systematic reviews and clinical trials during the past 10 years;
- provide an international forum for AOM researches, practitioners and policy-makers to assess and strengthen the acupuncture evidence base and stimulate research collaborations; and
- provide unique learning and networking opportunities for those new to AOM research, such as college faculty and students, providers and biomedical researchers.
Abstracts currently are being solicited for original clinical, basic science and methodology presentations. Presentations may be for completed, ongoing or planned research projects. Abstract information and submission forms are available on the SAR Web site at www.acupunctureresearch.org and should be e-mailed to helene.langevin@uvm.edu by April 1, 2007.
To encourage young investigators, SAR and the National Acupuncture Foundation will be sponsoring three Young Investigator Awards of $1,000 each for students and postdoctoral fellows in AOM. Awards will be based on both the abstract and presentation (either oral or poster). Entries will be judged on originality, significance, methodology, validity and conclusions. Further information and submission forms can be found on the SAR Web site. Abstracts should be sent to the above e-mail address and should designate the submitter's educational status (postdoctoral fellow or student).
