Author: Emery Rose Eaves

Dear CAM/IM Members,

We would like to invite you to submit entries to be posted on CAM/IM’s new website (here). Please consider writing a book review, article review, reflection on your research, or other post that would be of interest to our community.

The purpose of this website is to foster collaboration and communication among anthropologists and other researchers interested in complementary and integrative medicine, alternative medicine, or similar areas of inquiry. When considering what to write, please consider how your piece fits into this mission. We do ask that you have an academic focus. Any submissions will be moderated by the SIG Chairs.

If you are interested in taking on the role of webmaster for the SIG, please send your self-nomination.

We are planning to feature interviews with researchers who have done interesting work in this field. If you would be interested to have your work featured, please get in touch with us.

Finally, we would like to post member profiles on our website. All it takes to be featured as a member on the page is desire to be a member. the Society for Medical Anthropology is currently working on how to track membership in the special interest groups. Once that is set up, we’ll share the information with you. For now, please check out our member profiles page and send us your information to include!

Please use the contact form to get in touch with the co-chairs, Emery Eaves and Lauren Penney, if you would like more information or to volunteer for any of the items listed above. We are excited about the interest we’ve seen in the site so far and look forward to using is as a way to be more connected with SIG members!

Methodology and Measurement in the Behavioral and Social Sciences (R21/R01)

This funding opportunity may be of interest to CAM/IM members. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is one of the centers participated in this PA. The text specific to what they are interested in is below. The full Program Announcement can be found here: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-16-261.html

NCCIH is interested in supporting research to develop and validate measures of mind and body interventions, including methodology to measure fidelity and adherence of subjects to mind and body interventions; measures to assess provider fidelity of implementation of the research protocol as part of the training process; research on measures of physical function in chronic pain populations; novel techniques for data analysis of mega data from body sensors to characterize physical function and/or participation in movement meditation therapies. Validation of less intensive sleep measures in comparison to standard validated measures in the context of chronic pain populations is also of interest, as is the development and validation of methodology or measures that will facilitate mechanistic research of mind and body interventions with a primary focus on meditative or mental aspects of these interventions. NCCIH will not support research proposing efficacy or effectiveness clinical trials with this funding opportunity.