SAR 2017: Advancing the Precision Medicine Initiative through Acupuncture Research

Society For Acupuncture Research, Inc., Winston-Salem NC

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract The upcoming Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) Conference, titled SAR 2017: Advancing the Precision Medicine Initiative through Acupuncture Research,? is an international-targeted conference that will critically examine recent advances in acupuncture research that both have the potential to strengthen the evidence base for its integration with contemporary health care and better define the agenda for cross- disciplinary and translational acupuncture research in the coming years. Held in the San Francisco Bay Area, 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. The theme of the SAR 2017 conference will explore how the recent focus on personalized medicine can benefit from research on acupuncture and traditional East Asian medicine. Conversely, we will also explore how ideas emerging from personalized medicine can help us better explore individual variability and responders / non-responders that have been a hallmark of clinical and mechanistic acupuncture research studies. This focus will be reflected in specific symposia at the 2017 Conference. However, our key goal has always been to provide a forum to actively disseminate important research findings across the research spectrum, and this conference will continue to do just that. In fact, a new initiative will be to solicit not just abstracts, but also symposia topics from the research community, with the most meritorious submission chosen as a plenary symposium. The primary co-sponsor of this conference will be the Department of Anesthesia at Stanford University. The 2017 conference program will include fifteen 30-minute plenary lectures from thought leaders spanning different areas of acupuncture research as well as precision medicine. These plenaries will be grouped into 5 clusters of 3 talks with complementary content, each of which will be followed by a moderated and structured 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. The West Coast locale will in fact encourage attendance by researchers from Asia and Australia. Our Aims will be to (1) Provide an international forum for researchers to assess acupuncture findings that clarify and strengthen the evidence base and shape future research agenda; (2) Foster interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration between researchers representing multiple East Asian medicine, CAM and biomedical disciplines in order to develop innovative translational strategies to address current challenges in acupuncture research; and (3) Enhance international communication between acupuncture stakeholders (researchers, policy makers, practitioners) and both junior and senior researchers to provide mentoring and build bridges between different research communities. Our SAR 2017 meeting will explicitly explore connections between acupuncture and precision medicine, allowing acupuncture research to inform current clinical mandates.