Editor’s Note: Article submitted by the Society for Acupuncture Research.
Acupuncture research is vitally important for the advancement of traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM). From basic science research findings to bedside implementation of acupuncture treatment, data on how these practices work provides a strong foundation that elevates patients’ experiences and supports the field.
Toward this goal, the Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) extends an invitation for you to attend our 2025 conference, “SAR 2025: Cultivating Interconnections of Acupuncture and Traditional East Asian Medicine Research,” which will be held in Newport Beach, Calif., from April 3-6th this year. Our mission is to advance patient care by promoting scientific evaluation into acupuncture and allied therapies, as well as dissemination and implementation of these findings, all of which will happen at our 2025 conference.
The event is being co-sponsored by the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute within the University of California at Irvine, a leading academic institution for integrative medicine research, education, and clinical practice. We are also expecting support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
For practitioners, this conference is an opportunity to learn more about the science behind TEAM, and for researchers this will be an important gathering to obtain current information about the state of the science. This conference is also a great opportunity for students, educators, and others who want to learn about acupuncture research to inform their scope of practice and education.
The SAR 2025 conference will present a platform wherein researchers from various disciplines will cultivate novel research hypotheses and strategies. Serving as a nexus for basic, translational, and clinical research communities, the conference will enhance the rigorous investigation of acupuncture and TEAM. By interconnecting mechanisms and clinical efficacy and optimal implementation, we will rigorously explore if and how these treatments can be appropriately integrated into health care to improve the health and well-being of people suffering from pain and other chronic medical conditions.
Practitioners will have ample opportunities for meaningful networking during the conference. Breakfast roundtable discussions will include space for practitioner interests; Special-interest groups (SIGs) include a practitioner-focused SIG to become involved with research from a practitioner perspective; and sessions will also include practitioner perspectives throughout the conference.
Conference Highlights
Symposium 1: “Improving Health Equity in Chronic Diseases Through TEAM Research and Clinical Care.” This symposium will cultivate interconnections between researchers and diverse communities by highlighting current TEAM research to improve chronic disease management in minoritized or marginalized populations. This symposium will highlight research methodologies that can advance health equity in TEAM science, including community based participatory research, frameworks for cultural adaptations of evidence-based interventions, and pragmatic clinical trials. It will be led by: Dr. Maria Chao, Dr. Evelyn Ho, Dr. Lisa Taylor-Swanson, and Dr. Afua Bromley.
Symposium 2: “Implementation of Complementary Health Approaches Into Health Care.” This symposium will have an overview of implementation science, identify gaps between research and real-world practices, highlight the latest implementation research, and discuss challenges and solutions (e.g., billing, referral systems, logistic issues) for incorporating acupuncture and TEAM into real-world healthcare settings. This will be led by: Drs. Crystal Patil, Dr. Judith Schlaeger, Dr. Hongjin Li, and Dr. Jeff Dusek. At the end, we will host a panel discussion featuring patients from underrepresented groups, acupuncturists from the Black Acupuncturist Association, and administrators/leaders from community organizations.
Symposium 3: “Multi-Methods Research to Increase Evidence Base for Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine in Oncology,” presented by Drs. Man-sau Wong of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung-Rong Yen of China Medical University, and Yun Xu of Xiyuan Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences.
Symposium 4: “Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: From Lab to Clinic and Society.” Using pain as an example, which can then be extrapolated to other conditions, this symposium will cultivate interconnections among different research methods to address an important clinical problem with tremendous public health implications. We will discuss how methods in mechanistic research, clinical trials, implementation science and policy research can lead to increased insurance coverage and access by the public for pain management in the United States and around the world. Speakers will include Dr. Ari More, Dr. Jun Mao, and Dr. Molly Candon.
We will also have a number of member-initiated symposia and a junior research panel: “Emerging Pathways in Science: Why Do This Research?” This session will allow emerging researchers to individually speak about their research pathways and what drives their passion for TEAM research. It will include a presentation from Eana Meng, a promising junior MD, PhD candidate researcher from Harvard who will speak about the history of acupuncture with respect to Black Panther movement in the 1960s-70s in the USA and the role of acupuncture within prisons in the U.K. over past 20 years, with a focus on scientific impact.
The conference will also include three keynote presentations by Dr. Luis Ulloa, who will speak about inflammation and the immune system; Dr. Shaista Malik, speaking about cardiovascular health and acupuncture; and Dr. Xiu-Men Li, presenting on herbal medicine for the treatment of eczema. In addition to these, we also highlight multiple oral abstract presentations, poster receptions, mentoring discussions, and much more!
For details about the conference program, visit: https://www.acupunctureresearch.org/program. For registration information, visit: https://www.acupunctureresearch.org/registration. Special student pricing is available. We look forward to welcoming you to the conference in Newport Beach, Calif., in April!
