Society for Acupuncture Research Plans to Hold 2007 Conference at the University of Maryland

Lixing Lao, Ph.D., L.Ac., and Rosa Schnyer, L.Ac. Co-Presidents, SAR Sherman Cohn, President, NAF, Tierney Tully, MSOM, Dipl.Ac.(NCCAOM), Executive Director, NAF

The Society for Acupuncture Research (SAR) will hold its annual conference at the University of Maryland in Baltimore on November 8 - 11, 2007. The conference will mark the 10th anniversary of the 1997 National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference on Acupuncture that established acupuncture as a medical modality worthy of research. SAR’s mission is to improve the quality and increase awareness of research in acupuncture, herbal therapy, and other modalities of Oriental medicine. The conference is open to everyone interested in research in acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM).

The conference will celebrate the NIH consensus anniversary, attracting national and international AOM and biomedical researchers, practitioners, students of AOM, and health care policy analysts. SAR’s annual conference is an international forum for Oriental medicine researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to assess acupuncture rigorously as evidence-based medicine and to pursue collaborations that will drive future research.

This year’s conference offers the opportunity to review the state of the evidence regarding efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of acupuncture based on the research of the last ten years and to discuss the status and future of acupuncture research. It will provide unique learning and networking opportunities for those interested in AOM and AOM research. As in past years, researchers are invited to submit abstracts for oral and poster presentations of AOM research projects recently completed, on-going, or in the planning stage. The deadline for abstract submission is April 1, 2007. For further information, please call 301-571-0624. The criteria, abstract format information, and submission forms may be found on the SAR web site, www.acupunctureresearch.org.

In order to encourage young investigators, the National Acupuncture Foundation (NAF) and SAR will award $1000 for each of the three best research presentations by a student or postdoctoral fellow in acupuncture and Oriental medicine (AOM). Awards will be based on both the submitted abstract and the presentation (oral or poster). To be considered for one of these awards, clearly indicate your student or postdoctoral status and email your abstracts to helene.langevin@uvm.edu by April 1, 2007.