Director's Message from Helene M. Langevin, M.D.
November 1, 2023

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is full of exciting funding opportunities designed to power ground-breaking scientific research. But even with support from NIH, likeonline resources,technical assistance webinars, andprogram staff available to answer questions, navigating the process of applying for and winning grants can be a tall mountain to climb. The hike can be steeper for clinician-scientists, and steeper still for complementary and integrative health professionals aspiring to become clinician-scientists. Schools devoted to training professionals on complementary and integrative health practices often do not have the infrastructure to navigate the grant submission process, nor are they usually equipped to offer resources to support interdisciplinary collaborations or partnerships with large, research-intensive institutions.

This is why Im so excited about a newly funded effort at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) tocreate a virtual resource center for clinician-scientists focused on complementary and integrative health. The project, awarded to the RAND Corporation, will be called the RAND REsearch Across Complementary and Integrative Health (REACH) Center (REACH Center). It will foster partnerships and collaborations among institutions and provide resources for faculty working at complementary and integrative health institutions in the United States.

Emmeline Edwards, Ph.D.
October 30, 2023

Promoting equity and inclusion in biomedical research and eliminating health disparities are high priorities for everyone at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). These goals are especially important to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) because bringing together varied perspectives is central to an integrative approach to health. By drawing on knowledge from different cultures and learning about the experiences of diverse populations, we can more effectively promote the health of the whole person and understand barriers that may stand in the way.

October 2023 Issue of Clinical Digest

Its important for patients to know the science of health. As you know, there is a lot of inaccurate or misleading information circulating about healthfrom anecdotes disguised as evidence to excessive claims made by supplement manufacturers to TV doctors touting the latest miracle cure. Reliable health information is key to making good health decisions, but it can be difficult to tell the difference between facts and myths, particularly in the area of complementary and integrative health approaches.

November 11, 2023; Bethesda, MD

This investigator meeting, hosted by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), on November 11, 2023, will highlight recent advances in interoception research as relevant to the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Functional Neural Circuits of Interoception Initiative.

Invited speakers will focus on basic and human subject research related to functional neural circuit analysis of interoception. The overall goal of this investigator meeting is to review the recent scientific advances on interoception research, facilitate the building of collaborations, and brainstorm future research.

Register to attend online. The registration deadline to attend in-person has now passed.

December 6, 2023, 12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m. ET; Virtual

Ahmed Tawakol, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, will deliver the 2023 Stephen E. Straus Distinguished Lecture in the Science of Complementary Therapies. In his talk, Dr. Tawakol will review how neural pathways related to stress and depression result in cardiovascular diseases.Many studies have shown that stress and depression are associated with heightened amygdalar activity relative to regulatory activity in the cortex. Multisystem research has shown that increased stress-neural network activity triggers sympathetic system activity and induces leukopoiesis, resulting in systemic inflammation, hypertension, and other cardiometabolic abnormalitiesculminating in cardiovascular disease events. Register now.

The annual Stephen E. Straus Distinguished Lecture in the Science of Complementary Therapies is presented by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and supported by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health with a generous gift from Bernard and Barbro Osher.

December 14-15, 2023; Virtual

Thisworkshop aims to highlight accomplishments from the last 6 years in advancing scientific research on music and health, develop a blueprint for the next phase of research, and further build the research community.The workshop is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and jointly organized by NIH, the NEA, the Rene Fleming Foundation, and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The workshop is cochaired by Dr. Francis Collins, former NIH director, and Ms. Rene Fleming, a renowned American soprano, both of whom will deliver keynote speeches.There will be six scientific sessions during the 2-day workshop: (1) Research on the Science of Music; (2) Research on Music Therapy and Music Medicine; (3) Research on Music Education and Health; (4) Future Research Directions; (5) Networks and Capacity-Building of an Integrative Health Research Community; (6) Integration of Music-Based Interventions Into Health Care Systems. Each session will feature a short musical performance highlighting the scientific theme, followed by scientific talks and discussions with eminent speakers and panelists to enrich the content and perspectives for general discussions. Register now.